Key Takeaways:
- Source.ag has commercially launched Harvest Forecast for pepper cultivations, extending its AI-powered forecasting model beyond tomatoes for the first time.
- Pilot results from Harvest House and Jansen Paprika’s show the model reduced average forecast error at the three-week horizon by more than 40%, with outlier forecast misses dropping 28%.
- The tool automates weekly harvest predictions using cultivation data, replacing manual forecasting processes previously done in spreadsheets.
- Harvest Forecast for peppers launches with support for six varieties: Alzamora, Gina, Cadalora, Yedda, Frazier, and Silverstone, with additional varieties expected in the coming weeks.
- The launch follows Source.ag’s recent upgrade of its tomato Harvest Forecast to a next-generation AI model, which reduced forecast error by 25%.
Source.ag Commercially Launches AI Harvest Forecast for Pepper Growers
Source.ag, the data and AI platform for professional greenhouse horticulture, has announced the commercial launch of Harvest Forecast for pepper cultivations. The AI-powered forecasting model, previously available for tomato growers, has been extended to peppers for the first time, with additional crop varieties expected in the coming weeks.
Replacing Manual Forecasting
Harvest Forecast replaces the manual yield forecast calculator that pepper growers had previously relied on within the Source Platform to estimate weekly harvest volumes. Rather than building forecasts by hand, pepper growers now receive an automated, data-driven weekly prediction generated from their cultivation data.
The model updates automatically whenever new information becomes available, combining plant data, greenhouse climate data, and cultivation strategy inputs. Head Growers submit rounds and percentage colored data weekly, with the model processing the remaining calculations.
Results From Pilot Growers
Early pilot results from Harvest House and Jansen Paprika’s demonstrate measurable forecast accuracy improvements. At the three-week horizon, average forecast error was reduced by more than 40%. Outlier weeks — where forecasts missed by a wide margin — dropped by 28%. On certain varieties, accuracy improvements were even greater.
Why the Three-Week Forecast Window Matters
For pepper sales and planning teams, the three- to four-week forecast window is critical for supply commitments to retailers and cooperatives, labor scheduling, and logistics planning. Growers routinely submit weekly harvest forecasts to their cooperatives and trading partners, a process that has historically been manual and prone to error.
Source.ag Leadership and Grower Perspectives
“With Source’s Harvest Forecast AI, we can better align the expected supply from our growers with the demand from our retail customers,” said Marco Hanemaaijer, Strategic Supply Chain Manager at Harvest House. “In the tomato segment, the tool is already proving its value: an accurate harvest forecast gives us control over the entire supply chain. We see strong potential for its application in bell pepper cultivation.”
Gerard Kremer, Cultivation Manager at Jansen Paprika’s, noted the operational shift the tool represents: “What used to be done manually in Excel — counting, entering data, making forecasts — now happens automatically with Harvest Forecast from Source. With labor costs continuing to rise, more efficient planning is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. Source helps us do exactly that.”
Lotte Adema, VP of Product at Source.ag, commented on the development process: “Pepper growers have been asking us for this for a while. We had the forecasting foundation from tomato, but pepper is a fundamentally different crop. Getting the model to perform at this level took serious effort from our Data Science and Plant Science teams. Now pepper growers finally have a forecast they can share with their Sales teams and stand behind.”
Varieties and Availability For Source.ag’s Harvest Forecast
Harvest Forecast for peppers launches with support for six varieties: Alzamora, Gina, Cadalora, Yedda, Frazier, and Silverstone. Source.ag states these varieties cover a significant share of its block pepper customer base. Additional varieties are expected to become available in the coming weeks.
