We borrowed the transplanter from Muddy Fingers earlier this year, and definitely liked it. We had troubles with clogging the chute with plants that had grown quite leggy and were falling over. The paper sections also kept breaking since they should have been planted a few weeks earlier. But other than user error, it worked great.
I've been thinking about a harvest/weeding cart for working in a prone position over a row. There are mechanized harvesters that place farmworkers on a platform, but I'd like to make a human powered version.
Here are some initial resources:
the University of Wisconsin's specialized harvest cart for greens (http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/tipsheets_html/cart.htm
http://ergo.engr.wisc.edu/proj05.htm) and some research done at UC Davis' UC AERC lab (http://nasdonline.org/document/1927/d001873/stooped-and-squatting-postures-in-the-workplace-july.html).
Mechanized harvest platforms:
http://www.pendragonfabrication.com/pages/drangen.html
Wunda Weeder from Australia (their website has been removed?)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20010618-1.html
Interesting idea Jeff. As a beginning farmer running a diversified farm (pigs, chickens, orchard, vegetables (field and high tunnel production), and plant/flower sales) our needs vary depending on the crop and whether its communicating with a wholesale or retail customer, and of course there is seasonal variation. I would speculate that FarmHack participants will have an equally wide range of needs as well...and should make for a very interesting conversation.
We borrowed the transplanter from Muddy Fingers earlier this year, and definitely liked it. We had troubles with clogging the chute with plants that had grown quite leggy and were falling over. The paper sections also kept breaking since they should have been planted a few weeks earlier. But other than user error, it worked great.
I've been thinking about a harvest/weeding cart for working in a prone position over a row. There are mechanized harvesters that place farmworkers on a platform, but I'd like to make a human powered version.
Here are some initial resources: the University of Wisconsin's specialized harvest cart for greens (http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/tipsheets_html/cart.htm http://ergo.engr.wisc.edu/proj05.htm) and some research done at UC Davis' UC AERC lab (http://nasdonline.org/document/1927/d001873/stooped-and-squatting-postures-in-the-workplace-july.html).
Mechanized harvest platforms: http://www.pendragonfabrication.com/pages/drangen.html Wunda Weeder from Australia (their website has been removed?) http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20010618-1.html
Interesting idea Jeff. As a beginning farmer running a diversified farm (pigs, chickens, orchard, vegetables (field and high tunnel production), and plant/flower sales) our needs vary depending on the crop and whether its communicating with a wholesale or retail customer, and of course there is seasonal variation. I would speculate that FarmHack participants will have an equally wide range of needs as well...and should make for a very interesting conversation.