Protected Cropping Gains Ground With More Vegetable Growers [Infographics]

As the agriculture industry continues to evolve, many growers have started using ag tech and protected cropping systems to alleviate common pain points in outdoor field production.

In the 2025 State of the Vegetable Industry Survey from American Vegetable Grower, growers shared information about how and why they use ag tech and protected cropping systems. Their responses also shed light on the most notable challenges growers are facing, and why they think these tools help streamline production on their farms.

Notable Trends

Of all the information collected from the 162 growers that use protected cropping systems, a few trends stuck out. One notable statistic is that most outdoor growers (82%) protect their crops to extend their growing season. Another important item to note is the crops these farmers grow on their farms; tomatoes (39%), peppers (33%), and leafy greens (32%). Considering these vegetables make up the typical group of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) crops, this data indicates that more R&D needs to be done before other fruits and vegetables become a part of the mix.

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Pain Points Ag Tech Can Iron Out

While less than half of the growers who participated in the survey use protected cropping systems, 82% use or are interested in using ag tech in their operations. The top three factors that drove respondents to implement technology include: increasing efficiency on the farm (63%), improving crop quality (46%), and supplementing their lack of labor (34%).

These are three key areas that often attract growers to the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. By leveraging technology, greenhouse growers and vertical farmers have been able to eliminate repetitive, time-consuming tasks from their daily work. Not only does this help with labor, but it also improves efficiency on the farm and produces higher quality crops. With more time in their day, growers can accomplish more tasks and shift their focus to growing more flavorful, nutrient-dense crops.

Leaning Low-Tech

Since CEA and tech go hand in hand, some ag professionals limit the industry to high-tech glass greenhouses and indoor vertical farms. But according to AVG’s survey, most vegetable growers that use protected cropping systems lean low-tech. In fact, there are three protected cropping systems that stood out among the growers surveyed: low-tech hoop houses and high tunnels (40%), low tunnels (27%), and high-tech greenhouses (25%).

This means approximately 67% of the protected ag growers surveyed use low tech tunnels and hoop houses to protect their crops. With high tunnels ranging in price from $1 to $2 per square foot and low tunnels ranging from $0.50 to $1 per square foot, it presents an affordable alternative to growing fully indoors. Considering 62% of the growers surveyed view ag tech as too expensive to implement in their operations, hoop houses and high tunnels present a reasonable first step for entering the CEA space.

As outdoor field production becomes more challenging, growers are turning to ag tech and protected cropping systems to simplify their day-to-day tasks. When AVG conducts its 2026 SOI survey, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the percentage of protected ag growers increase — and based on this year’s data, those who decide to dip their toe into CEA will likely do so with a hoop house, high tunnel, or low tunnel.

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Stay tuned for more insights from the 2025 State of the Vegetable Industry Survey in the coming weeks.