From 30 greenhouses to 1,000 acres, one platform delivers peace of mind, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
Introduction
Hurst Greenery is a multi-generational, family-owned agriculture enterprise based near Westboro in northwest Missouri. The operation spans over 1,000 acres of conventional row-crop farming, primarily producing corn and soybeans alongside its thriving greenhouse business.
Founded in the early 1980s by Blake and Julie Hurst, the business began with an 8×8 foot homemade greenhouse and has since grown into a substantial enterprise encompassing approximately 30 greenhouses, totaling more than 130,000 square feet under cultivation. The greenhouse division produces bedding plants, hanging baskets, patio pots, perennials, vegetables, herbs, and hardy hibiscus, supplying retailers, landscapers, municipalities, and private clients across eight Midwest states.
Challenge
Hurst Greenery faced complexity across three areas of its operation:
- Greenhouses: Monitoring dozens of standalone houses required constant manual oversight. Failures often meant late-night checks and, at times, crop loss.
- Outdoor Fields: Corn and soybean crops relied on regional weather forecasts that rarely reflected on-site conditions, leading to inefficient irrigation and higher risk of yield loss.
- Grain Bins: Daily manual checks for temperature, humidity, CO₂, and inventory left stored grain vulnerable to mold growth, spoilage, and preventable financial losses.
Blake needed one unified platform to improve monitoring, reduce risk, and cut inefficiencies across the entire farm.
Solution
Hurst Greenery adopted Microclimates EnvOS, a single platform for monitoring, automation, and risk management that now spans the full scope of operations.
- Greenhouses: Each structure was equipped with LoRaWAN sensors and alarms, delivering real-time data to mobile and desktop dashboards. Blake now has instant visibility into every house, eliminating reliance on outdated wired panels and manual late-night checks.
“If I didn’t have the monitoring and alert system, I wouldn’t buy it. That’s the value. The rest — remote controls and automations — that’s all a bonus.” - Blake Hurst
- Outdoor Fields: A weather station and soil moisture sensors were installed. Data is paired with predictive modeling to provide hyper-local weather data replacing generalized regional reports with insights specific to Hurst’s acreage.
- Grain Bins: Microclimates launched a dedicated grain bin monitoring interface that tracks temperature, humidity, CO₂, and inventory in real time. The system sends early alerts and automates fan control, protecting stored grain from mold, spoilage, and costly energy waste.
Together, these deployments demonstrate how one EnvOS can scale from greenhouse to field to storage, while showcasing Microclimates’ ability to rapidly develop and launch new software solutions that meet customer needs.
Results
Since deploying Microclimates, Hurst Greenery has achieved measurable improvements across all operations:
- Greenhouses: Remote monitoring has prevented major losses and reduced labor demands. In one incident, an alert helped Blake detect a power failure and save over $25,000 worth of plants.
“The flexibility and pricing make it a no-brainer. Retrofitting two more houses this winter will cost a few hundred dollars — that’s a fraction of what other systems charge.” - Blake Hurst
- Outdoor Fields: Hyper-local weather and soil data improved irrigation precision and crop planning, helping reduce resource waste and strengthen yield outcomes.
- Grain Bins: Automated monitoring of temperature, humidity, CO₂, and inventory has cut down the risk of mold growth, lowered energy costs, and eliminated the need for manual checks.
Working Relationship
Support from the Microclimates team has been personal and consistent, ensuring smooth implementation and responsive troubleshooting.
“I can call the head of the company and hear back in an hour. You just don’t get that kind of service anywhere else.” - Blake Hurst
Why It Matters
For Hurst Greenery, Microclimates is more than a monitoring tool. It is a unified platform that strengthens resilience across every part of the farm.
- Resource Savings: Accurate data reduces wasted water, energy, and labor.
- Risk Mitigation: Real-time alerts prevent catastrophic crop and grain losses.
- Cost Reduction: Affordable retrofits and automation protect high-value inventory at a fraction of traditional system costs.
- Peace of Mind: Blake and his team can oversee the entire operation — greenhouses, fields, and storage — from anywhere, at any time.
By extending one EnvOS across the full operation, Hurst Greenery has scaled efficiency, reduced costs, and secured long-term sustainability.
Looking Ahead
With greenhouses, fields, and grain bins now all connected through Microclimates, Hurst Greenery is confident in its ability to grow without adding complexity. The system will continue to evolve with the farm, delivering new insights and automation as needs change — making every acre, every season, and every harvest more resilient. The next project will aim to automate irrigation of greenhouses, cutting on labor.
About Microclimates
Microclimates is a unified control and automation platform built for growers. With seamless integration, remote access, and real-time visibility, Microclimates empowers indoor farms to optimize their environments and streamline operations — from single-zone setups to full-scale commercial greenhouses.
Contact us at: support@microclimates.com