When you have a family that have been farmers for generations, taking over the family farm and working the land is a rite of passage and a family expectation to be sure. However, what may not be a factor that is often considered on your family farm is the idea of making changes or modernizing the farm. If you are looking to try to help your family farm become more modern and more efficient, there are many ways that you can go about achieving this goal. Get to know some of those strategies so that you can begin making the necessary changes in your family farm as soon as possible.
Opt For Machinery And Equipment With A Variety Of Attachments
One of the many ways that you can go about modernizing your family farm and the ways in which you manage it is to change the type of equipment and machinery that you use to work the land. Instead of doing certain tasks by hand or having to purchase and maintain multiple separate pieces of machinery, you should look into the possibility of investing in agricultural equipment that requires one machine and a variety of attachments to function.
In other words, you will have one core piece of machinery with different attachments or add-on pieces that will change the function of the machinery. Skid steer loaders are an excellent example of this idea. The loader itself can be fitted with numerous attachments using a skid steer quick adapter and the appropriate attachment. These attachments include bale spears, augers, grapple rakes, and more. Check out a company like Washburn Company for more information on skid steer equipment.
Modernizing your family farm in this way will save you money and will streamline your farming operations so that you can work to maintain just one piece of equipment where you would have had many previously. This also saves you time and effort in basic equipment care and maintenance.
Monitor Crops Using Drones And Sensors
If you really want to change up the game on your family farm, you can also improve upon the ways in which you monitor your crops both visually and in terms of the health of the soil, the amount of water in the soil and the composition of the soil. This can be accomplished with aerial drones and wireless sensors.
The aerial drones can be used to observe your crops from above on a regular and consistent basis. Flying an aerial drone over your larger fields and extensive farm lands will save you the time of driving out there and manually assessing your crops, which in turn saves in fuel and improves energy efficiency.
Sensors, on the other hand, can help you to monitor your soil content and even the weather if you are away from your farm. You can even use sensors for crop health and determine which nutrients your crops and soil may need more of. These sensors are placed in your fields, and then the data is transmitted to a device like your computer or tablet that is wirelessly connected to the sensor.
With these tips in mind, you can better begin the process of modernizing your family's farm and make sure that you are doing everything you can to keep your family farm moving forward.
Share30 January 2017
Growing up, I absolutely adored living in the country. I liked to take long walks down the dirt road adjacent to my home. I also enjoyed collecting eggs from my grandmother’s chicken coop each day. Are you thinking about moving to a rural location? Consider taking up farming as a new hobby. To begin your agricultural adventure, you’ll likely need to invest in some necessary equipment and supplies. For example, you might wish to purchase a small tractor. You may also want to install an irrigation system on your property. On this blog, I hope you will discover the most common types of agricultural equipment and supplies small scale farmers invest in. Enjoy!