As a farmer or eco-friendly supporter, you already know the key to reducing waste is efficient harvesting. As a farmer AND businessman, your goal is to increase your crop yields while using the least amount of resources. Naturally.
Here’s the question, though – have you given much thought to how the harvesting equipment you use can make your farm more eco-friendly?
Let us have a close look at how modern machinery can up your agriculture sustainability game.
Costs to the Producer with Disorganized or Inexperienced Harvesting
The idea is for you to increase your productivity while you cut down on environmental impacts.
If you’re a small organic farm or a big operation, when you invest in machinery from suppliers that produce harvesting equipment of the highest quality, it can help make a difference to your bottom line. And the bigger your business, the more noticeable that profit will be.
Environmental Costs
If crop harvesting is slow or inefficient, crops might never hit the market because they spoil too quickly.
This can lead to:
- Wasted food
- Huge amounts of methane emissions
- Excess water and energy when you have to replant
- Soil damage from overworking
Machinery designed to minimize crop damage and increase the efficiency of the whole process can help fix problems like these.
Modernization of Equipment Helps Achieve the Eco-Friendly Ethos
Farming has come a long way if you compare it to how it’s been done ten or twenty years ago. And not only that, but technology is advancing much faster than ever before. And this means that in a year, you might see more new, better, more-efficient ways to upgrade agriculture than what you might’ve gotten in a decade before.
Here are a few ways to go about enhancing your farming operation/business:
Precision Harvesting
Bruised fruits and vegetables can spoil faster, while hand-picking can result in an increase in the bruising, so why not move to a gentle-pick conveyor? It automatically handles crops carefully, placing them on conveyors that keep them fresh longer.
Fuel Efficiency
Older equipment usually also runs on outdated fuel sources (gas or diesel), which emit harsh and in some cases harmful emissions (depending on the filtration system the equipment uses). Newer models available are focused on fuel efficiency, plus some newer models are even solar-powered or electric.
Soil Compaction
Machinery that’s older and heavier can compact soil, and this makes it hard for water and necessary nutrients to get to the roots. Modern produce harvesting equipment tends to be lighter and helps protect your soil for future planting (also known as regenerative farming).
Equipment for Eco-Friendly Harvesting
What to look for when shopping for new eco-friendly harvesting equipment?
- Adjustable Harvesting Settings – helps prevent overharvesting and crop damage, maximizing your yield.
- Low Emissions or Electric options – reduce emissions.
- Easy-to-repair design – complex or hard-to-maintain design will increase maintenance/repair costs and lower equipment life.
To avoid contributing to the ‘throwaway culture’, it’s best to choose equipment that’s built to last, so sometimes paying more ends up costing you less. Treat new machinery as a long-term investment for your farm’s future.
Technolog – Changing the Face of Harvesting and Green Agriculture
The world is driven by innovation, and there are some unexpected developments to make farming quite a bit more greener.
- AI-powered sorting – allows you to pick only the ripest produce instead of having to pick everything at once and thereby losing some of the produce in the process. Smart sorting is the way to go.
- Harvesters guided by GPS – enables you to plan fuel-efficient routes, plus you can use autonomous harvesting (and farming) equipment.
- Onboard composting – imagine turning your plant waste into fertilizer right on the field. Win-win!
It’s important to keep up with all the latest innovations in green agriculture, so that your farm can stay on top of the what’s and how’s of being green, as well as being updated about new technology. You never know when the next big thing will come – it might even be tomorrow.
All these tools not only help your farm, they help the planet!
Tips to Help American Farmers Make the Switch
How can you make these positive changes and not overspend?
- Leasing and/or financing might help spread out costs over time; a better path if you’re looking to avoid an upfront heavy investment.
- Check the USDA website for grant support for sustainable agriculture for greener farming.
- Join a rural American co-op, or organize one that allows the sharing of equipment with other farmers.
Conclusion
Farming is evolving swiftly, and it is hard to keep on top of things, especially if you’re used to what you’ve been doing for generations. You have to start with smart decisions that help you cut waste, save energy, protect your soil, and build a greener future.
Look to your local municipality leaders for what is available out there for your industry, and invest in yourself and the world’s future, too.
