I don't know if this is meant to be pithy or serious, but I think I disagree. Agriculture is big business, farmers are smart people, and there is a history of lots of mechanization and interesting technology being applied. The productivity gains that we've already seen in the last hundred years (and before) are tremendous.
I'm sure that there are areas to be improved upon, but I expect a lot of the low hanging fruit has been picked, as it were.
I also tend to think of farmers as the original hackers, they often have problems, and they cobble together a solution that might not be pretty, but works.
Unfortunately, some of these productivity gains have been in the wrong direction from a sustainability and health standpoint.
One of the things that I'm looking at (as a hobby research topic) are automating managed intensive rotational grazing for cattle and remote herd management.
He's right. I don't know about openings where absolutely nothing is being done, but I see opportunities for simplifying and bringing costs down. A lot of farm machinery is geared towards large producers with prices to match, leaving smaller farms to either DIY or do without.
I have/had a few ideas I was researching and at least one I plan on testing on my own acreage this summer. Figuring out how to market to a population that doesn't seem to have a big online presence is the hurdle I haven't crossed yet.
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I don't know if this is meant to be pithy or serious, but I think I disagree. Agriculture is big business, farmers are smart people, and there is a history of lots of mechanization and interesting technology being applied. The productivity gains that we've already seen in the last hundred years (and before) are tremendous.
I'm sure that there are areas to be improved upon, but I expect a lot of the low hanging fruit has been picked, as it were.
I also tend to think of farmers as the original hackers, they often have problems, and they cobble together a solution that might not be pretty, but works.
I'm being serious. I come from a farming family and see companies selling new technology at huge prices, and other areas where nothing has been done.
Once I finished some other projects I'll looking into Arduino or something similar to start hacking at some ideas I have.
By the way, you are indeed right that farmers have already done most of the hacking themselves.
I'm interested in your opinions on holes in the market - is it a cost thing? Also, if you want to bounce ideas around, my email is in my profile.
Unfortunately, some of these productivity gains have been in the wrong direction from a sustainability and health standpoint.
One of the things that I'm looking at (as a hobby research topic) are automating managed intensive rotational grazing for cattle and remote herd management.
He's right. I don't know about openings where absolutely nothing is being done, but I see opportunities for simplifying and bringing costs down. A lot of farm machinery is geared towards large producers with prices to match, leaving smaller farms to either DIY or do without.
I have/had a few ideas I was researching and at least one I plan on testing on my own acreage this summer. Figuring out how to market to a population that doesn't seem to have a big online presence is the hurdle I haven't crossed yet.