Monarch Tractor’s Post

The 100% electric, autonomous MK-V tractor has arrived in Oregon wine country. Forbes took notice. In interviews with Nicolas-Jay Estate co-founders, Jean Nicolas Meo and Jay Boberg, Forbes author, Jill Barth, covered how Oregon winemakers are embracing new AgTech for a more balanced, productive farming environment. Learn what Nicolas-Jay Estate has to say about becoming the first Oregon vineyard to purchase and deploy Monarch’s MK-V: https://hubs.li/Q02r6L5g0

Diversifying your farm and making extra revenue can be as easy as creating a farm stand. Kirstin Bailey, our senior project associate, says, with a little planning, you can sell your goods while educating customers about your farm and sustainable farming practices. Find out if a farm stand is right for you.

When I picture myself in my happy place, I often am in the orchard. I am barefoot in the clover, wearing my comfiest overalls. I am one with nature. The bees hum, the birds sing, and the juice of a fresh peach drips down my chin. As organic farmers, we can be guilty of romanticizing old-fashioned farming. In my farming dreams, I do not hear the rumble of a tractor or the exhales of pneumatic pruners. When Colby and I decided to go all-in on farming, we quickly learned there would be more hand-blistering chores than bare-foot frolics. We established the values that would realistically guide our orchard toward being the happiest place we could imagine. But we decided to imagine a place that embodied what we called “Prosocial Farming” rather than any fantasies of the simple life. One of our core values on the farm, now, is “Joyful, Safe Work.” And sometimes high-tech, new-fangled, even gas powered (gasp!) solutions bring the greatest joy and safety. Such is our new pruning platform. Its description almost sounds like a parody: hydraulically controlled platforms that can swing into the trees all-wheel drive with limited slip 2-wheel and 4-wheel steer capability  hydrostatic transmission centrally located bin elevator ultrasonic auto-steering system When we chose to farm organically we chose to prioritize the health of our customers, our community, and our planet. We also are prioritizing the health of our farm workers. A machine like our new pruning platform makes their task of pruning less hazardous and more ergonomic. The swinging-into-trees part also brings some joy. So in the the spirit of health, safety, and happiness, we would like you to join us in welcoming our newest addition to the farm fleet: our super-cool pruning platform. Also, in alignment with our value of safety, I now almost always wear shoes when I am in the orchard. -Leslie

🥒 High-Line vs Traditional cucumber farming 🌱 A choice all cucumber farmers have had to make at some point is choosing between high-line and traditional farming, both methods have their merits while we have seen a serious increase in the amount of high-line greenhouses. Let’s break it down! 🌱📈 Traditional Cucumber Farming 🥒 Tried and True: Cucumber farming method that has existed for 100+ years Lower Cost: No need for a high-tech greenhouse with the newest equipment Universal Growth: Growth technique works for both older and newer greenhouses Benefits ✅ Minimal Infrastructure: Lower setup and maintenance costs Pests and Disease: Due to the increase of growth room and looser growth parameters traditionally grown cucumbers are less susceptible to disease Looser Climate: Cucumbers need less heat and have wider ideal growth parameters making climate control much easier Drawbacks ❌ Space Hungry: More space required per plant as plants are not moved and need room to grow Inefficient growth: Significant portion of a plant’s energy is spent on creating leaves instead of growing fruit Harvest Process: When growing cucumbers all the leaves stay on, making the cucumber more difficult to see and harvest High-Line Cucumber Farming 🌞🌱 Vertical Growth: Cucumbers ascend and are rehanged every day so that they can keep growing upward (roots can be as long as 25 meters 🤯), utilising trellises or vertical systems Efficient Growth: whenever cucumbers are moved in the greenhouse the leaves are stripped so plants focus solely on fruit production (plants always have some leaves left of course) Hydroponic Synergy: Often coupled with hydroponic systems for optimal nutrient delivery Benefits ✅ Efficient Growth: Plants solely focus on fruit production, thus increasing efficiency Space Efficiency: Maximises land use with vertical and horizontal growth Homogeneity: Plants grow in a much more controlled fashion, thus employee training time and cost goes down Drawbacks ❌ Initial Investment: High-tech greenhouses and systems can be capital-intensive Climate Control: Growing conditions and window is tighter when compared to traditional farming Disease Susceptibility: Because plants are more homogenous susceptibility to disease is higher Choosing Your Path 🛤️ Traditional: Suited for older greenhouses that do not have the infrastructure/height to easily use high-lines. High-Line: Suited for newer greenhouses with ample space and more control over all growth factors. #Cucumber #Greenhouse #Dilemma #Horticulture #CEA #hexafarms #AI

Elevate Wine Quality with AgTech Solutions! Uncover how leveraging agtech platform to make informed agronomic decision-making ensures consistent wine quality and efficient farm management. Our latest blog dives into digital tools that optimize vineyard operations, from precise irrigation to pest control, all backed by data-driven insights. Explore how technology can transform vineyard management and enhance your wine production process! #AgTech #WineQuality #FarmManagement #PrecisionFarming #SmartFarming #SustainableAgriculture #AgriInnovation #VineyardTech

🥒 High-Line vs Traditional cucumber farming 🌱 A choice all cucumber farmers have had to make at some point is choosing between high-line and traditional farming, both methods have their merits while we have seen a serious increase in the amount of high-line greenhouses. Let’s break it down! 🌱📈 Traditional Cucumber Farming 🥒 Tried and True: Cucumber farming method that has existed for 100+ years Lower Cost: No need for a high-tech greenhouse with the newest equipment Universal Growth: Growth technique works for both older and newer greenhouses Benefits ✅ Minimal Infrastructure: Lower setup and maintenance costs Pests and Disease: Due to the increase of growth room and looser growth parameters traditionally grown cucumbers are less susceptible to disease Looser Climate: Cucumbers need less heat and have wider ideal growth parameters making climate control much easier Drawbacks ❌ Space Hungry: More space required per plant as plants are not moved and need room to grow Inefficient growth: Significant portion of a plant’s energy is spent on creating leaves instead of growing fruit Harvest Process: When growing cucumbers all the leaves stay on, making the cucumber more difficult to see and harvest High-Line Cucumber Farming 🌞🌱 Vertical Growth: Cucumbers ascend and are rehanged every day so that they can keep growing upward (roots can be as long as 25 meters 🤯), utilising trellises or vertical systems Efficient Growth: whenever cucumbers are moved in the greenhouse the leaves are stripped so plants focus solely on fruit production (plants always have some leaves left of course) Hydroponic Synergy: Often coupled with hydroponic systems for optimal nutrient delivery Benefits ✅ Efficient Growth: Plants solely focus on fruit production, thus increasing efficiency Space Efficiency: Maximises land use with vertical and horizontal growth Homogeneity: Plants grow in a much more controlled fashion, thus employee training time and cost goes down Drawbacks ❌ Initial Investment: High-tech greenhouses and systems can be capital-intensive Climate Control: Growing conditions and window is tighter when compared to traditional farming Disease Susceptibility: Because plants are more homogenous susceptibility to disease is higher Choosing Your Path 🛤️ Traditional: Suited for older greenhouses that do not have the infrastructure/height to easily use high-lines. High-Line: Suited for newer greenhouses with ample space and more control over all growth factors. #Cucumber #Greenhouse #Dilemma #Horticulture #CEA #hexafarms #AI

We're passionate about eating sustainably here at CHC, and we're not alone. More and more people are beginning to favor local farms and stores in favor of supermarket giants like Walmart. Ethical farming isn't just good for your wallet - it's good for the environment. Bixie shares more about how we can avoid factory farming and make choices that nourish our bodies and the planet. https://lnkd.in/eWZ7VUMM

Paul Martin CEO: One of my great passions is regenerative agriculture and I’m always excited to be able to implement these principles at Summer Land Camels. I grew up on my family’s 15,000 acre cattle and cropping property near Springsure in Central Queensland and when I headed off to study Farm Management at University of Queensland in Gatton, where I was focusing on following a long family history in farming. It soon became apparent with the extended long dry spells and erratic weather patterns we were receiving in the 90's that common practices were failing and the path forward in Agriculture was becoming very blurred. However, amongst this struggle and search for a better way I came across regenerative agriculture in the mid 90's which was a lightbulb moment for me and over the following years, I was able to implement the principles of sustainable farming which not only saved us from the devastation of the worst drought our area had ever seen but also allowed us to scale up our operation. Through rotational grazing, coupled with low-stress stock handling techniques, we expanded by taking on an additional 22, 000 acres of cattle country and then 100, 000 acres in Northern Queensland for a fully vertically integrated fattening operation which managed everything from breeding to finishing. We expanded from a low of 500 head to over 10, 000 cattle on all our properties combined – still deep in drought but with better pasture than ever. This changed my attitude towards continuous learning and always looking for a better way. When the path forward becomes blurred, the knowledge is out there. Camels also came into the picture for me at this point, as we used them for weed control and for the gut biome transfer benefits – enabling our cattle to maintain better conditioning during the drought. Around 2014, the Camel cull hit the media in a big way and I had people around me asking, “Isn’t there something better that we can do with the camels?” My experience working with large stock animals, including camels, along with my passion for sustainable farming and track record of problem-solving, were all steppingstones that led towards establishing Summer Land Camels. Read more about regenerative agriculture and Summer Land Camels here: https://lnkd.in/g5BSXaXU

Summary: Ag-tech startup Plenty has opened a 100,000-square-foot indoor farm in Compton, California, which supplies Walmart and Whole Foods with leafy greens. The farm uses automated machinery and robots for tasks such as planting seeds, harvesting, and packaging. The vertical farm can grow up to 4.5 million pounds of leafy greens annually and is designed to operate year-round in a controlled environment. The facility maximizes growing capacity and uses about 10% less water than a standard leafy green field. Plenty plans to open a second indoor farm in Richmond, Virginia, to grow strawberries in partnership with Driscoll's. Takeaway: Plenty's indoor farm in Compton showcases the future of farming, with automated machinery and robots doing most of the work. The controlled environment allows for year-round production of leafy greens, and the vertical design maximizes growing capacity. This innovative approach to farming reduces labor requirements, water usage, and transportation distances, making it more sustainable and efficient. The success of Plenty's model has attracted investments from major retailers like Walmart, and the company is expanding to grow other crops like strawberries. #VerticalFarming #IndoorFarming #SustainableAgriculture #Automation #FoodProduction

Last week during our Sonoma-Napa BevFluence Experience we scheduled a vineyard tour with Ivo & Luke Jeramaz to learn more about the winery's regenerative farming practices and as an added benefit sampled several library wines from their iconic portfolio. Grgich Hills Estate is a leader in this sustainable and chemical free farming method and it is reflected in the vibrant community of birds and beneficial insects thriving in their vineyard. . During the coming months we will feature other wineries committed to Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) farming using these five instrumental steps. . 1) No till agriculture reduces erosion and keeps valuable nutrients and microbes in the soil. 2) Bio-diversity in the vineyard through at least four plant groups leads to sharing of nutrients. 3) Planting cover crops that become layers of armor by protecting the soil from sunlight and maintains moisture. 4) Let animals manage most vineyard activities such as mowing and pest control. Grgich Hills uses sheep, owls, songbirds, guinea fowl, and other animals to control cover crops and pests. 5) Institute labor practices that ensure sufficient wages and worker safety that leads to greater retention and thus increased productivity. . @grgichhills @regenerativeorganic