Most of the technical discussions about the web site including reports about bugs and features can be found on the Online Farm Hack tool wiki here
http://farmhack.org/tools/online-farm-hack-tools
Some design principles for open farm tools and questions to consider (and modify, discuss and add to)
Biology before steel and diesel – is there a way to approach this problem by using biological systems that add to soil health – such as cultural practices like cover cropping, mulching, crop or animal rotations etc.
Holistic approach – does this tool make me enjoy working with it as much as getting the job done faster?
Hi everyone–
I encourage you all to introduce yourself to the FarmHack community here as your first post.
I am Ben Shute, I run a CSA farm in the Hudson River Valley of NY called Hearty Roots Community Farm.
My connection to FarmHack is through the National Young Farmers' Coalition, of which I am a board member and co-founder. I have been working on getting the FarmHack blog going over the past year and organizing the first round of FarmHack events and workshops.
I figured this community would like to see this project. It is an open source Ag mapping and section control software created by Brian Tischler. You can find out more here https://agopengps.jimdosite.com/ I thought that this community would be great at contributing.
We've published a paper about these in Sensors [ http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/2/530 } (open access, free pdf download) describing how we use these in caves and underwater, but we also use them on the surface in weather stations for atmospheric conditions, etc. These are stand alone loggers, and are relatively simple devices compared to the Pi-based wireless FIDO's that people have already been talking about in the FarmHack forums. So no text messages, etc.
I started a Pinterest board concerned with rural "methods, tools, and equipment,” and it’s currently updated to edge toward 1000 practical-site links. The "pins" (descriptive entries with pics) link to sites explaining methods, technologies, repurposing options, and tips of potential value to small farms and to homesteads.
https://www.pinterest.ca/joelbc/homestead-methods-tools-equipment/
Just after sunset on September 6, 2017, celebrations erupted on a farm in the quiet county of Shropshire, England. After a year of hard labor and careful planning, researchers achieved the previously impossible: the world's first fully automated harvest—from barren land to flourishing crops—had been successfully completed. The "Hands Free Hectare" used nothing but robots, and was yet another step forward in revolutionizing how we feed the world.
Over the past 70 years the number of family-run properties in Australia has dropped by two thirds, and there is concern if other farms aren't passed on correctly that number will keep declining.
Do you ever get into awkward conversations with your parents?
For many young people keen to take over the family farm that conversation is figuring out what happens when their parents retire or, in some cases die.
It's called succession, and it's traditionally been a dirty word in farming families.
Recently began researching Pedal Powered agricultural machines, more specifically grain cleaning machines. Have found some great videos of finished products. Ultimately wanting to build something to clean and dehull millet and/or sorghum. I am getting hung up on Torque and how it applies after the initial torque from the pedals.