Farming is Cool (ClaimsofFortLangley)

"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley) 04/17/2020 at 18:40 • Filed to: None

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I’ve become involved on a large agriculture related claim. Now, as a west coast city dwelling/latte sipping elite, I have had to do some extra work to get up to speed on the systems involved. This isn’t a claim in my local jurisdiction, but another part of Canada.

The equipment is a large (1/2 mile long!) central pivot irrigation system. Essentially a long sprinkler boom that pivots around a central pumping station. The wheels support the boom ad help drive it with electric motors in the hubs.

As they pivot around a fixed point, they water a perfect circle, which is why you see so many circular fields as you fly over the prairies/great plains.

They are loaded with sensors, connected to computer programs to monitor for different issues and quality in crop.

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The claim itself, I can’t speak about, but these things are not cheap. I just thought this kinda thing was interesting and that I would share.

PowderHound > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 18:44

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Farming equipment is not cheap. If you buy cheap, expect to spend most of your time doing repairs and not actually in the field. E.G : My dad with Hay Balers

Just Jeepin' > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 18:47

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There’s a farmer here in Indiana, whose name eludes me, who’s been very aggressively on the edge of agricultural technology over the last several years. Sensors scattered all around his fields to detect microclimate variations, hiring people with specialized electronics skills to drive his tractors because they’re so complex, etc.

Farming is such backbreaking work, and I’m glad technology is making things easier, but damn is it expensive to be a farmer. Always has been, I suppose, but I can’t help but think it’s only getting worse.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > PowderHound 04/17/2020 at 18:47

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To me, cheaping out in general is one of the worst (most shortsighted) things you can do

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 18:49

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Neat. I always notice those when driving through rural areas, but the fields aren't perfect circles where I see them. They plant in areas that aren't directly irrigated and the ones on the outskirts get by with just rainwater and runoff.

PowderHound > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 18:50

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For sure. Luckily it was mostly hobby farming and my parents have moved past this trying to hay fields themselves  and lease the fields in return for hay for the horses.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/17/2020 at 18:51

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You can actually get flexible extensions to water areas outside the circle or attach water cannons to the ends of these booms, so that’s what you may be seeing.

Runoff from these can be illegal.  Especially if a farmer is practicing Chemigation which is where nutrients and/or pesticides are injected directly into the water stream before being sprayed on the crops.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 18:53

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Maybe. I know nothing and have never seen them in action.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Just Jeepin' 04/17/2020 at 18:55

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I am going to be doing a ton of farming stuff in the near future. Likely learning a lot more about these technologies.

Ultimatley, I’d love to buy a drone...but we’ll see. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 19:22

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Center-pivot irrigation is a controversial subject in Texas (elsewhere too, I suppose). I did some work in grad school looking at the redistribution of agriculture in Texas over time. The two areas with the greatest agricultural output back in the early part of the 20th century were the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas and the Blackland Prairies which start around the Dallas/Forth Worth area and end in the Austin area. Basically, the I-35 corridor. As wealth accumulated in the Dallas area, farmland was converted to suburbia, covering the richest soils in the state. The Valley is still a major producer of fruits and vegetables with citrus being an important crop.

As the technology developed, center-pivot irrigation transformed some of the driest soils in the state into the richest agricultural areas in the state. While the Census of Agriculture hasn’t done a great job of mapping their data yet, they do have some very telling maps to share.

Corn and cotton dominate row crops in this map. You can see that by the red and yellow/orange areas in NW Texas. A quick grab from Google shows the lack of vegetation in those areas. This is a direct result of the amount of rainfall.

So, why is this controversial? They, along with other farmers to the north, are sucking one of the largest North American a quifers dry. When people talk about conserving water, they usually don’t realize that urban areas only use about 20% of the water being pumped from the ground. That’s a national average, so some areas are worse than others. The other 80% is used to irrigate fields, whether through center-point irrigation or by direct flooding (common in rice-producing areas). In areas with greater rainfall, irrigation is used to water only when it’s dry. In the dry prairies, irrigation is used for most of the growing season. It’s the only way they can produce reasonable yields .

Until recently, most agricultural water use was unregulated. But recent events, including portions of the Ogallala Aquifer going dry, have led to more stringent regulations on water pumping. As someone said in another post, if you want to make a killing, become a water rights lawyer.

While irrigation has helped us become the leading producer of food in the world, it’s also something that will prove unsustainable. It’s just a matter of time before the wells run dry and the traditional farming areas - those that don’t need constant irrigation - will become more valuable as farmland again.  

RPM esq. > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 19:22

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Something something Kia Forte with no AC (OK OK just kidding I know it’s a work car that was good at its intended purpose ).

TheRealBicycleBuck > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 19:28

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Take a deep dive into precision agriculture. Drone-based hyperspectral cameras are used to determine soil quality and that information is fed into computer-controlled liquid fertilizer tanks which vary the mix based on the location of the tractor whose position is determined by GPS. It’s one of the subjects I covered extensively with my students since many of my students were forestry majors.

Tripper > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 19:41

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My wife is all about farming. We’ve got chickens and ducks, huge garden beds etc...

We almost bought a small farm a few months ago but I wasn’t sold on the house part of it. REALLY glad we didn’t now!

That is definitely our dream though. We’ve looked at a few properties that are farms/farmy and funnily enough, most of them already had at least one building dedicated to cars.

Anyway there is a “how it’s made” episode on those irrigation systems. It’s a good one!!

sony1492 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/17/2020 at 19:44

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Its a way of life actually 

DasWauto > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/17/2020 at 20:24

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There are similar systems that span a width of the field and traverse along the length, dragging a supply hose with them, rather than rotating around a central pivot. That’s likely what you’ve seen if the fields aren’t round.   These are the only such systems I’ve seen here in Ontario, and they’re only used on certain crops. Normal crops like corn, wheat, canola and soybeans generally don’t need the extra water here, and certainly don’t justify the investment.

DasWauto > Just Jeepin' 04/17/2020 at 20:32

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It is only getting worse and that’s the way it will likely always go. I’m happy I grew up in it and am transitioning into ownership but it would be impossible to get into for other people my age ( and younger) without significant capital (like $500k min just to be able to finance what you need).

To have the farm sustain itself and provide a living for the owner(s) you need to go pretty big, otherwise it will only be a hobby farm that will require another source of income (a regular job). The margins are small and the markets competitive, so you need the efficiency that comes with scale to survive.

This is true not just for my sector (pork) but all others (dairy, beef, poultry, crops, etc) as well. C’est la vie. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > DasWauto 04/17/2020 at 20:33

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I’ve seen plenty of both style and the crops (usually peanuts or cotton) are never planted only under the arms. It was pointed out that there is usually a sprayer on the end to reach those.