Farming Challenges

COMMENTARY

• Farmers share of the consumer dollar has shrunk from 40 cents in the 1970’s to about 15 cents today
• Increase in input costs and distribution expenses makes profitability challenging for farmers
• Emerging tech to enhance the supply chain
  • AI-driven routing algorithms
  • Blockchain for traceability
  • Carbon neutral transportation with electric delivery vehicles

FACT

• Refrigerated trucks loaded with lettuce are only 75% full due to water weight in produce avoiding weight limits

Farming Costs Within The Supply Chain

COMMENTARY

• Transportation efficiency minimizes increased costs
• Farmers are producing more with less land, water and chemicals while dealing with narrow profit margins
• Rising fuel costs heavily impacts farm budgets and daily farming activities
• Cotton and other commodities exports by ocean freight brings revenue to regions like Arizona
• Mechanization in cotton farming replaced manual jobs reducing labor costs

Controlling & Growing Crops

COMMENTARY

• Manure as a fertilizer alternative requires careful composting to avoid E-coli risks
• Innovative pest control using owls and falcons replaces harsh chemicals
• Laser weed zapping technology offers automated precise weed control reducing labor needs
• Farming is a time-intensive process without instant solutions for crop or livestock production

RESOURCES

Owls for rodent control in vineyards:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uTZcdeXd8w
• https://x.com/GoatRoper911/status/2027177164156661796?s=20

Lasers in agriculture:

• Weed control https://carbonrobotics.com
• Scarecrow https://carbonrobotics.com

Cattle production:

• https://x.com/CaryKelly11/status/2003784789271466086?s=20