“There was nothing out there that focused on measuring the plants themselves – their growth rate, nutrient and water content, temperature stress, and light-use efficiency – alongside the physical drivers of growth and evapotranspiration,” says Wolf. “This type of equipment exists in a limited way for scientists, but it is expensive and challenging to set up. The data also sits offline, so we didn’t know if the instrument failed. We were spending more time maintaining the equipment than using the data to reveal insights.”
The other main challenge was making it simple and affordable to deploy many devices around the farm. “Most growers are managing land that is spread out. Read More
Farming has always been a hard life. It’s a livelihood held hostage by the whims of Mother Nature and fickle consumers.
Now you can add the high cost of doing business to the list of things scaring young Americans away from agriculture, and it’s raising concerns that the nation will soon face a dearth of growers.
Jake Carter is a 34-year-old farmer with 330 acres in McDonough, Ga. He grows fruits and vegetables and is the fifth generation of his family to work the land.
“Farming was something instilled in me at an early age,” said Carter, who lives on the farm with his wife and two young daughters. “I didn’t know Read More
Farming dreams are a modern seduction. For city dwellers, the vision of making a living from the earth salves the psychic wounds of a day job, and acts as an antidote to urban malaise. If you could just get out there on the land, far from spreadsheets and stress, cubicles and car alarms, things would surely be different. Eating overripe tomatoes, fresh from the vine and bursting with juice. Cavorting with goats.
This is the life you were meant to live. In your heart and soul, you’re a farmer.
But there’s a big difference between ogling barn listings online and standing knee-deep in pig manure. As farmer and agricultural consultant Rebecca Read More
Every industry requires a specialized set of skills – and agriculture is no exception.
Career offerings in agriculture vary enormously – including (but not limited to) engineering, science, finance, and general labour. Both hard skills and soft skills are necessary to stand out among others in the industry, whether it’s in an interview or in the workplace.
We’ve highlighted 5 notable skills that all professionals in agriculture should have and practice regularly for their continued success.
1) Adaptability
This is a skill that is transferable from industry to industry – but adaptability is particularly important for anyone considering a career in agriculture.
What you learn in school may be different from what you learn on the Read More