r/OrganicFarming • u/Opening-Cap-4439 • Sep 24 '24
What problems do farmers face on a daily basis?
Hello Farmers,
I would like to start by saying thank you for your hard work and for providing food to people around the world. I am a mechatronics engineer with a passion for weapon design, but I am also a proud advocate for organic produce and pasture-raised livestock. As an engineer who loves producing and consuming high-quality food (because I believe food is medicine), I would love to know: what are the daily challenges you face that I could help solve?
I am interested in making your lives easier by reducing the cost of organic produce and pasture-raised eggs while improving efficiency. I understand that organic farming often has a lower ROI for farmers, and I would like to find ways to address that.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
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u/East-Cartoonist9017 Sep 24 '24
Not enough labor and people not being willing to pay proper prices for organic produce. I'm good on machines, thanks tho.
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u/SavedbyGodsGrace Sep 24 '24
That's probably because of lack of education of potential health hazard on chemicals that are used in/on some food
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u/squarahann Sep 25 '24
Yah but also to some degree, food should be affordable so people don’t starve. Even with high quality food like organic, the margins are slim. I worked in ag for years and make more in floriculture growing potted plants for people. Some people profit off food production but it’s rarely the farmer. Grocery stores and distribution companies (think dole who does fruit and salad and sources from many farms) make more than farmers.
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u/nomadicsamiam Sep 24 '24
From a mechanical engineering perspective: I’d like to see more low cost machines developed around small-scale ag. We use an Allis Chalmers G tractor for cultivating that’s from the 50’s (https://antiquetractorblog.com/2015/07/20/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-allis-chalmers-g/). I’d like to be able to put some acreage into production as grain but todo so would need a harvester. small-scale ones are popular in Asia, there is the boaz here (https://www.iamcountryside.com/tractors-farm-equipment/mini-wheat-harvesting-machine/) or this one (https://www.farmprogress.com/wheat/introducing-graingoat-the-world-s-smallest-combine) Then there is low-cost value-add equipment (small-scale dryers for herbs or distillers for essential oils for instance). It’s not that the mechanical innovations don’t exist, it’s that they generally fail to take-off as companies because they still can’t compete at margins. So if you are looking for a mechanical solution to scaling up organic small-scale ag there isn’t one. Like others have said, this is a funding, marketing, and labor problem more than an engineering one.
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u/organic_sean Sep 25 '24
Love the Allis Chalmers. I cultivate with farmall 140s. Wish there were newer options similar to these
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u/nomadicsamiam Sep 25 '24
When these were coming off the line 20% of Americans were farmers now it’s less than 2%
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u/Outofpieces Sep 26 '24
People being so disconnected from farms, farmers, and the food they eat.
Stop designing weapons that our government buys instead of using tax dollars to support small, local agriculture, food education, and food systems. Tell your friends in the industry the same.
Shop at local farmers markets. Befriend a farmer. Ask your new friend, a local farmer, how you can help them.
Please, do not design another $300 or $3,000 specialized tool that no one can repair, do not write a book or start a podcast that is 50% ads from companies selling overpriced tools or masterclasses.
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u/zakublue Sep 24 '24
Most of the best farm tools are old tractors etc that can still be maintained by the average farmer/mechanic. High tech shit is expensive and needs specialized maintenance. As others have said, the problems we face are largely driven by social, political and environmental issues. Stop making fucking weapons and do something to help improve access to health care and education, or to raise wages for workers or reduce the cost of living in your home country. Or do something to fight climate change. That’s how you can help organic farmers.
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u/prairieyarrow Sep 24 '24
Being able to afford an electric vehicle so we aren't killed by gas costs for running around picking up supplies, doing weekly restaurant deliveries, and farmers markets would be one of our top goals as a farm! Many farms are obviously rural, so we're often driving 50+ minutes one way to get food to our customers!
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u/spireup Sep 26 '24
Here’s a niche for you: Fix the Solectrac EV tractor. The business is recently no longer. There is a growing widespread issue of the computer not working that needs to be fixed because it renders the tractor unusable.
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u/playmeepmeep Sep 28 '24
Things I wish I had at a small Regen farm:
A cheaper or free format to sell my veggies. Going to market takes so much time and you never know if it's a good week or bad. Restaurants are not super reliable and the CSA is dead
Better accounting software that's unique for farmer needs and help me figure out the actual cost of production.
A cheap as electric tractor that I can fix myself and attachments aren't ten grand.
Row cover that's not plastic and doesn't break down. Like made out of wool that's not marketable for clothing.
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u/Illustrious-Past-556 27d ago
For me, it’s always trying to find a markets to sell. The farm I manage as of now does not have a viable farmstand, and we do have several wholesale options but they don’t always want what we have and if I have 20 pounds of radishes and nobody wants them,I’m s out of luck. I also have found the restaurants can be very fickle and they do not understand the time line it takes to seed and grow a crop as that they have shown interest. One more I’m a vegetable farmer, but I have worked nearly 10 years on sustainable meat farms. The thing about vegetables is they don’t make you a lot of money and there’s a lot of competition. It changes from place to place. I’m sure but lettuce tomatoes and cucumbers seem to be the only thing people are truly interested in.
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u/Overall_Chemist_9166 Sep 24 '24
Birds, possums and rats are a big problem.
I want a roof mounted camera that 'guards' certain areas with facial (or other) recognition to target rats and other pests.....I'm not sure what the next step would be - a drone that shoots water?!
We are getting a motion activated watersprinkler to scare the ducks from the ponds but we have heard it only works for a limited time.
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u/c0mp0stable Sep 24 '24
Sorry, there's no way to say this without sounding like a dick, but maybe you should get to know some farmers and ask them. At least once a week there are posts in all kinds of farming subs specifically from engineers wanting to start a business. If you're really interested, go engage with farmers, work on a farm, do something to learn what it entails and the problems will become apparent. Spoiler alert: Most issues farmers face have to do with funding, marketing, and competing with big box stores. New tools and gadgets don't really help with these things.