Publications

PUBLICATIONS

The LEAP (Labor, Efficiency, Automation, Production) Team is working with producers to better understand the nursery industry’s labor issues, how automation can help address labor issues and contribute to their production capacity, and barriers and motivators to adopting automation. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, in partnership with the University of Florida, N.C. State University, Oregon State University, Texas A&M University, and the USDA, and with guidance from an Advisory Board of industry professionals recently conducted a survey about nursery labor challenges and consideration of, and transition to, automation.

Below are links to labor and automation-related publications that include the results of this survey and other surveys:

A TEN-YEAR REVIEW OF THE SOUTHEAST U.S. GREEN INDUSTRY, PART I; LABOR AND FIRM CHARACTERISTICS

Rihn, A., A. Fulcher, and H. Khachatryan. 2021. A ten-year review of the Southeast U.S. Green Industry, Part I: Labor and firm characteristics. UT Extension Publication W1026. https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W1026.pdf
DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.320880

A TEN-YEAR REVIEW OF THE SOUTHEAST U.S. GREEN INDUSTRY, PART II: Addressing labor shortages and internal and external factors affecting business strategies

Rihn, A.L., A. Fulcher, H. Khachatryan, A. LeBude, L.A. Warner, and S. Schnexnayder. 2022. A ten-year review of the Southeast U.S. green industry, Part II: Addressing labor shortages and internal and external factors affecting business strategies. UT Extension Publication W1080. https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W1080.pdf
DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.320880

labor use and challenges faced by tennessee nursery and floriculture producers

Velandia, M., A. Fulcher, K.L. Jensen, and S. Schexnayder. 2021. Labor use and challenges faced by Tennessee nursery and floriculture producers. UT Extension Publication W 984. https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W984.pdf
DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI17230-23

factors correlated with the propensity to use automation and mechanization by the us nursery industry

Rihn, A. L., M. Velandia, L. A. Warner, A. Fulcher, A. V. LeBude, and S. M. Schexnayder. 2022. Factors correlated with the propensity to use automation and mechanization by the U.S. nursery industry. Agribusiness: An International Journal.
DOI: 10.1002/agr.21763open_in_new

RELATING GROWER PERCEPTIONS AND ADOPTION OF AUTOMATED NURSERY TECHNOLOGIES TO ADDRESS LABOR NEEDS

Warner, L. A., Rihn, A. L., Fulcher, A., Schexnayder, S., & LeBude, A. V. (2022). Relating Grower Perceptions and Adoption of Automated Nursery Technologies to Address Labor Needs. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(2), 150–168.
DOI: 10.5032/jae.2022.02150

PUBLICATIONS

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