Just a quick chronology note...this video was recorded last month, but I needed to wait to share it because of some of the content contained within. Sorry for any confusion!! - Morgan
I admire how slowly and methodically you work on projects around the farm. Even if it's out of order, thanks for waiting to release this video until you feel it's up to par. Wishing you luck on your farm automation. It's a constant project to set up and optimize a small farm.
7:25 I think this is the most important aspect of the automation discussion. The humanity of a job. You want to still touch things, know your animals, work in the fields. You don't want to replace yourself, just the jobs you don't like or that are tedious. And then there are the people trying to replace everyone...
Old tech soaker hose on a timer could irrigate your tree field. With the cattle, don't forget that while you're moving the fence, you are also checking the stock , so no injuries or parasites get overlooked.
Technology does have it's place on a farm, but the enjoyment of hands on farming cannot be replaced by innovations. Being part of the every day life of your farm animals and the land is irreplacable.
Do you actually do the backbreaking labor of a farm? It’s a tough life that breaks and wears out bodies. Maimings from industrial accidents are common, one armed or peg leg farmers are too common. Automation takes the physical load off humans on farms just as it does in manufacturing. Morgan’s farm is fantastic, but atypical. Just putting auto steer into tractors on grain farms has been a huge boon.
What's funny is that I actually work on the harvesting robots for an agtech company and the challenges you mentioned about non uniformity in farming are spot on.
Cats have a very specific hierarchy and Molly was reinforcing that. Ideally food, water, litter boxes and shelter should be separated by as much as possible to allow for harmonious relations.
Huh, I never tought cats would have separate litter boxes. I guess we were lucky that our cats were super chill, didn't react when a neighbors cat came to eat their food. I guess them being siblings helped too.
I think that innovation and Automation can be a huge boost in farming, if you take less time doing chores, you can have more time to spend on other things can be A) profitable for the farm, B) Expanding of the farm, C) tending and being more with the animals. plus other things, small incremental changes can be good, a good tracking system and web interface for some things can also help improve all aspects.
One of the coolest automations I saw was a water spring that started refilling cattle water trough at the highest point on their property and then had tubing that supplied water to about 3 more paddocks. Automating water for my chickens saves me a lot of time and effort.
Automatic watering and irrigation is tech that's been around for quite a while. It's proven itself in many different situations. It also doesn't have to cost all that much. OTOH I was very skeptical about drones used for irrigation. Given how heavy water is and the fact that plants take up water with their roots (which last I checked were below ground) flying irrigation makes 0 sense.
I think you have it right Morgan, balance is necessary! I would also add simple solutions. Simple solutions are easier to integrate and maintain. Sometimes overly complex solutions like those collars require software updates or when they fail it is not easy to fix.
I did think about your fencing a few videos back. A suggestion might be to leave a series of fenceposts in the ground, creating paddocks that you move the electric cord between...? Instead of moving the small number of fenceposts you have around, which seems to take up a lot of your time. You quickly move the electrical wire only and save the time it takes to stake the posts in the ground each day? Just an idea and i do appreciate it may cost a fortune in fenceposts, so perhaps even installing enough posts for one long 'lane' of cow grazing that you move every few weeks or so. Best wishes, Robert
vertical farming on a scale to feed a country strikes me as madness. but vertical gardening as a way of improving food security in urban areas is definitely a thing. As someone who lives in an urban food desert, it is fabulous to grow Alpine strawberries in a wall planter, cherry tomatoes and salad greens in a window box, and all my herbs in a container garden on my balcony. balcony gardens is part of how people survived the siege of Sarajevo.
I've had a pet water fountain of this same brand but a different model for about three months. It's excellent quality, quiet, very easy to clean, and the cats love it. You wanna make sure you give it a good scrub once a week at least to prevent bacteria build up.
I saw a video post of a Washington state rancher who had set up a no-freeze automatic waterer for the livestock. It was originally built in Canada, so it's been proven in extreme cold. But it requires a stationary watering site. Concrete culvert buried upright in the ground down to below freeze line and motion detector above the pipe set off the pump. Water filled up the watering area and automatically drained back down something like 30 seconds after the last movement. Some simple things can make life a bit easier for feeding the birds. Automatic feeders that release a predefined amount of feed each time. The auto-feeder could be attached to a bulk feed bin, too. But, I agree that having that eyes-on time with the livestock can really help in identifying issues before they get out of hand.
Love how your mind works. I was thinking of water lines as a form of labor saving automation before watching the video. Automation is more than just robots.
Yes. More innovation videos. And don't forget. Just because certain cows LET you touch the top of the head doesn't mean they LIKE it. Still go under the chins first! Love you man!
I thought of something! Before you would start using the invisible fence, maybe use it alongside the regular fence? So they start associating the sound of the invisfence with the physical wires
I think vertical farms can be a very positive thing in dry and sunny areas since you can be a lot more efficient with the water use. Additionally, vertical farms is also a lot better for retaining soil. Nitrogen and phosphorus are being washed away on regular farm plots and ends up in river, lakes and the ocean. Fertilizer production has an enormous carbon footprint. Im not saying vertical farms are a better than regular farming, but they have certain advantages which can make farming possible where it usually isnt.
You could always set up long fencing on either side of the tree mounds in the pasture so all you have to do is set up the middle sections when you move cows and chickens.
I think real fencing to protect the trees and electrifying it so you just use the roll-up wires to to section off paddocks is a good idea. Buying all those collars for the invisible fence when you'll only be keeping the cows seems wasteful of resources. And would you even be able to use those collars on the babies?!
I enjoy watching everything about your farm! I think that you're approach with everything that you do is really fantastic I love that you're trying to make yourself a part of the landscape instead of trying to change it to suit you. Your farm gives me so much joy! Thanks for putting out such quality content all the time!
I think considering hi tech solutions for farming is WAY cool. But it could be a greater mind bender to look for more analog solutions. I’m thinking about the clever ideas my grandfathers, dad and uncles used to implement. For example - Have you tested out shut off valves and floats in your water tubs? No manual turn-on / turn-off of the water. Just a quick check of all the tubs twice/day. Done any research on automatic grain feeders for the birds? Grain amounts fed out n a timer. Helps reduce waste. Fill the bins every few days and monitor daily. Yes, do more of these.
That pet water fountain looks like it would work for a teacup dog too. I have everything I need so this would be a good thing to ask for, for the holidays.
vertical farms have their pros and cons. Sunlight can be an issue for sure, but water savings, land savings and not dumping fertilizer into the ground water should not be ignored (gulf of mexico dead zone). Additionally you can grow year round and grow more exotic foods. Lastly you can build them in large cities which reduce the need to transport food over long distances.
Heya Morgan, I know you do a lot of work trying to make the most of modern farming methods and practices, and you're putting your hard work where your mouth is. I grew up in a time when farmers/ranchers did more with less, and I understand that some of those practices weren't the best, rejecting everything before you know what they all were is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There's a series of books called "Vintage Farming Classics" which might be worth reading. They're reprints of manuals from the turn of the 20th century-ish, and if you find a couple ideas in there that you can apply to your farm, they might be worth the read. Also, I see you put in electric motor driven wells. I would humbly suggest that at some point in the future putting in an old fashioned windmill pumped well at the top of your hill along with a stock tank might make your life easier as far as getting good water to your cattle and trees. Just a thought, respectfully submitted.
Automation - You can utilize to turn on lights when dogs bark at night, release food for chicken and ducks/geese, send power to a heating element when the ambient temp drop to critical levels. You can be creative with the application of automation. Cameras to monitor your perimeters.
I think... a lot of things. One. it is very nice to interact with the animals and have a daily touch with your farm. Two: if you have a lot of automatic stuff, you loose control and get dependent on various mecanical stuff and electricity. Three: why have a farm if you don´t want to work on it? It´s good for your body and mind!
I would argue that the very first technologies man ever created were for the purpose of farming. Technology is definitely going to continue being the future of farming. Take for example how impactful a tractor is. I'd bet Morgan probably does dozens of things every day which could be automated with a simple device to save him time. I'd also bet that Morgan is more busy now than ever before at his job full time.
There is a man in Florida who created a vertical outdoor farm with free standing vertical “trees”. The shape of a tree with 3 tiers of boxes that hold the dirt. It has an internal watering hose structure that Can be controlled and a way to turn the tiers to best sun advantage. I spoke to a farmer who implemented this man’s method and he was able to produce 35 acres of strawberries harvested on one acre of land. It was an incredible feat. I can see simple outdoor vertical farming being a real success for some crops. Thanks
I have been looking into a water fountain for my cats for so so long and never really trusted any others I have found or they have been super expensive! Thank you for such a thorough review- just bought my own with your code!🎉
I've used pet libero waters with cords but my rabbit ate through both, but cordless will be great for my pet rats. I love watching your videos, please keep them coming!!!
The gps collars can be awesome. Our neighbour has 10 goats that just runs free. They are very friendly. The gps fence is set up so that if they get within 10 meters of our lawn, they get a "bip bip biiip biiip biiiip etc then boooom electric jolt".. but now they turn around and run back the way they came untill the biiping stops... then they stop.. looks back at us... and get a "sigh of relief" on their faces :) /our lawn is safe and no goat faeces anymore.
I think innovation's r a mix best suited to what type of farm u have, what type of animals and the farmers themselves to make a cohesive connection for a happy well run life for all. Enjoyed, thank U. 😀😉❤
Wow this was a slick add insert. Rarely do advertisers get videos tailored around their products and interesting to the channel subscription base. Good on you and them for picking each other. 1000% better than a stupid mobile game or seeing this on a plumbing channel (yes I watch those dont judge)
I’ve recently watched those old videos and watching you haul all that water was 😣😣 I was like, “Don’t worry, Morgan! Future Morgan will solve this problem for you!” 😅
As a previous farm worker for two summers labour and aging population, pest control. Pasture maintenance even harvesting are all areas that are both super intensive and time consuming so automation would greatly increase productivity, but at a huge cost , my worry is conglomerates will get an unfair advantage where small holders just can’t complete, the tech should be in range of small farms is the only way the playing field can get equalised. My personal favourite was the cow grass grower for winter months to keep the 200% grass fed but the price WOW ONLY IF I WIN THE LOTTERY
I'm surprised there's no mention of your incubator system. A lot of your chores could use clever hacks. Are you familiar with the valve that toilets use? They don't cost a lot, and use standard fittings. As far as robots go, you might check out some of the arduino and raspberry pi world and all of the things people are building with them. Good luck, and don't over complicate things.
I really like the water pump so automation tools like that interest me the most. Curious if there any other tools out there that would save so much time.
I’ve worked on automation for a decade now (different field though, i’m in IT). Though it is true a lot of people are adverse to it since one of its main objectives is to eliminate human error by replacing humans with automatic systems, It also introduces new jobs as the need to maintain and fine tune those automatons grow. There is also the need to optimize all automation systems for sustainability/efficiency/profitability perspective. That being said, working to automate a system can take several iterations, and one of the 1st things you’ll have to do is to add/change system components so that automation is achievable. And you can certainly do that with your watering system. Securing the spring head is a good 1st step. I’d consider securing multiple spring heads for redundancy if its possible. Hopefully, you’ll achieve a current strong enough to raise your spring water to a water tower( how do water towers operate during winter, btw? I live in the tropics)so you’ll have a constant supply of spring water with constant pressure. From there, its a series filters, time-controlled gate valves and water level sensors in your troughs. I’d look insight from the Aquarium hobby/industry as they’ve mastered the skills and techniques to keep healthy water flowing with controlled temperatures and pressure. as for water waste, i’m thinking you can find a way to direct it into your pond so it can filter naturally and have the water cycled back into the waterbed.
I got the same fountain for my cat. I use to have to switch her water 3-5 times a day. She would get super vocal if a hair or some dust was in her water. Decided recently to try a fountain and it's the best decision I could have made.
Your airtag isn't working as expected because you don't have enough nearby devices for it to provide you an accurate location! It pings off of other iOS devices to provide real-time location updates, but if it's only able to ping off of your phone(and nothing else) it can't triangulate properly to give you an accurate location. Hope that helps explain why the airtag wasn't working as you expected!
Alright, Morgan. Just hear me out. Robot dog, white fuzzy rug, machine gun. I'm just saying there's possibilities here... you'd finally have the killer hound everyone thinks Toby is.
Lol. The robot dog is only effective as long as THE battery last and we all know that batteries don't last forever. Toby and Abbie are 100% more reliable than some $50,000 robot dog that needs constant update, upgrade and maintenance.
On thing I have noticed that I think would help you is when you enhance the mobile chicken coop to add a way to put the feed bin on it so you dont have to pick it up and move it and it moves with the coop. You could also have feed trough on the side of the coop too so one less thing to move and it could somehow be under a shade or overhang to keep dry. For our chickens we have a PVC pipe filled hopper and they eat out of it as they want so we dont have to go out an feed them everyday the food lasts about 4 days in there and they eat when they want. It is hard to tell when you are moving the cows but I wonder if you are leaving one side in and the flipping the fencing from the other side over so you are only having to move half of the mobile fencing. Like if it is a piece of pizza slice or what the area looks like it would be interesting to see from above how you rotate the cattle yards. And if you did rotate their area from a center point that the water remains in place and work outwards to reduce moving it so much. I think an automatic door for the birds would reduce you work.
A few ideas for low cost improvements you may try: 1. Auto-refilling (constant level) water trough, using a toilet reservoir mechanism. 2. Larger mobile bird coup: clapped-out van from the scrap yard (throw away the engine and strip the interior) 3. Quick mobile cattle fence: traffic cones linked by a rope (can be stacked and carried around in a small ATV trailer) 4. A good old fashion hand drawn cart to carry the bird feed and everything else you're moving around in buckets (4-6 feet long platform with collapsible walls, steerable front axle, ball bearings and 8-12" pneumatic wheels). If you can't find one like that you can convert a light ATV trailer. May sound funny but try it for a week and you'll never get back to hand carrying stuff around the yard.
It's definitely a balance. Not giving up your sense of satisfaction from your hands on approach without ignoring any time-energy savers which you might like and think match your enterprise.
Vertical farming is an innovation meant to reduce shipping costs (money and emissions) of veg to its destination. Things can be grown in cities where there is no space, close to its end destination. So yes, you might catch more sun but that’s not why the vertical farm was developed.
If I had the means to volunteer a few weeks at your farm , I'd do it. I don't have a farming background but I love animals. As a former nurse , just tell me what to do to help, ie. shovel dog poop .Thanks for sharing your farm with us City people.
Vertical farms make sense if they're se tup close to population centers like big cities, yes they loose on energy conversion but they save a lot of space. If you do calculation how much energy is lost just on transporting farm products into cities the loss of energy in a vertical farm might actually be smaller. As usual, it all depends on the context. Like climate (how much solar power you're able to get), geography (how much space there is around to set up a traditional farm), transportation efficiency (price of fuel, time of transport) etc. etc. So many factors to consider. I do think vertical farming will be much more important in the future as the energy technology is still improving year to year (ex. LED lights is a massive change in terms of artificial growth light). We shall see :)
I've been wondering why you don't have your paddocks pre-fenced and just move the cows between the ones already set up. It seems very inefficient to set up a new paddock every time you want to move the cows and tear down the old paddock afterwards.
I see two issues with that: For one, while that electric cord and those insulated posts are not massively expensive, with the amount he'd need along the tree rows, it'd add up. But then, with the 60-day rotation, he'd be using each section at most 4 times a year. This means the installations would need to stay up for multiple years to really save time. And that, in turn, would mean they would need to be sturdier to survive without needing constant maintenance, making them more expensive. If those tree rows were straight, putting in posts on each end with concrete foundations strong enough to tension a long cord between them could work. Such posts would be very low maintenance, relatively low in number to keep setup cost low, and he could move the cords to trade cost against time.
Just to let you know, using drones in commercial purposes requires a part 107 license holder when operating the drone. I’m taking classes to get one, it’s not hard to get a license though.
I remember when you tested the "release the quacken " vs not saying anything. The ducks didn't know what to do when you opened the door. It was hilarious 😂
I see machines/robots as a tool for people to use to cut out mundane tasks. This way they can really focus on new ideas/innovation, or even get more enjoyment out of the chores/things they like. I think it's also really important for the system to be modular, meaning you can remove the robot and add a human (for training, enjoyment, or variety).
I don't think verticle farming was ever intended to be energy efficient, it is mainly meant to be land efficient, with some water and labor savings potentially as well.
Tractive GPS is an amazing gps tracker for your dog or cat. i have used it for 3 years now and i love it. you can track movement, sleep and put up digital fencing so you get notification when your animal goes past that area etc. I have 2 for each of my cats!
Maybe consider a hydronic floor for your cow shed. They have used it in nz milking sheds to heat the floor in the cold for the coes comfort and to reduce the freezing of the water lines as they are grounded in the slab
@goldshawfarm as intelligent and interprising as you , there is no doubt in my mind that you will make your farm able to bring in plenty of money to hire many people to help run it. To be run efficiently, morally, and ethically as you strive for.
I bet that Mark Rober’s engineering class would be enough to figure out how to automatically open the existing hoop coop doors, though probably not fun enough to make it onto one of his videos.
At minute 2:32 the footage shows the water trough for your cattle. Do they ever shock themselves to get a drink. I ask because the shock line goes right across the trough. Maybe it’s another line? It sure looks like the shock line.
Personally I'm not keen on automation. The way I see it, a big part of the problem in this world, is that us older people have become less willing to spend time and resources, giving youngesters opportunities and new skills. In my view having an apprentice and general gofer is always going to be preferable to using robots... to say nothing of the value in the building of good animal/human bonds that remind us all of our interdependence. I think when it comes to simple stuff like waterlines, and perhaps feeders, there is a place for some limited tech - but really I think as a society we should be trying to reduce, or at very least better target and limit our usage of AI and other potentially socially destructive computer technologies. Personal opinion of course, and I'm sure others may disagree, but after a lot of thought, that is still my view anyway.
Watering drones and GPS tractors have been around long enough the tech should work well. I would imagine you could do a LIDAR scan of your land with a drone and input the topography data to the GPS navigating the tractors to adjust parameters for more cohesive maneuvers. Power outlet timers are really helpful for daily chores that are as simple as turning the power on/off. Putting all our night time lights on light sensors has saved me tons of times. Remote control pistons can open the door.
Vertical farms are said to be more efficient in terms of water use and more productive in terms of land use. i.e. for growing certain types of crops, that are well suited to that type of growing environment.
You should check out Living Traditions Homestead... They use an electric fence driver which really makes putting up permanent fencing very quick and simple. You could aim just to put it horizontally at first , parellel along your rows of trees, so that you only have to deal with dividing up each strip. Ultimately, this would be an investment of time, which might completely remove your need to create new paddocks everytime you move the cattle in the future
Morgan, I haven't fully investigated this idea but the fact that most plants will wilt under full sun indicates that most plants cannot use up 100% of the sunlight. In that case, vertical farming should actually be quite efficient because the amount of sunlight delivered to an area can be fully divided into multiple levels allowing plants to use up 100% of that energy (or whatever the conversion efficiency panels are).
Try timers on your watering spouts. Start then walk away, knowing they will turn off. Look into pellet feeders as in wood pellet furnaces, grills to refill your animal dishes. Again start walk away, then refill weekly.
Interesting! Have you thought about getting a mule to move yourself around the farm more quickly and/or tow the chicken coop, small wagons etc.? Not that I know what I'm talking about or anything. Just thinking a mule may be better than a robot - it is versatile and comes pre-loaded with advanced learning capability. And stronger and not as high maintenance as a human employee.
I will gladly work for free over the summer of 2023 and house myself in a small home. This is an honest offer of help that would personally benefit me for a reason I would gladly discuss privately.
I know Finnish dairy farms have a lot of automation, for things like milking, feeding and water. They can also go in and out of the barn as they please with automated doors. Obviously you have to have perimeter fencing, but moving cattle and building new fencing isn't really an issue - we have small farms, so just bring them food to the paddock - either grown or bought.
I typically agree with most things you say... However to say there is a labor shortage is sort of incorrect. It's more like there isn't enough jobs out there that pay a living wage. Actual living, not 'I can pay my rent hooray' but a living wage of 'oh cool I can actually have a savings in case like, my car breaks down'. My two cents as someone who's been job hunting for over six months and probably a good hundred applications sent in and I just got a single response and it's with a temp agency :/
@GoldShawFarm You should look into raspberry pie and some of the things that could offer. You could build a door for the geese and ducks using a slide, a stepper motor, a daylight sensor (or have it programmable by time) and a pie mini and a power source. Maybe do a collaboration with a raspberry pi RUclipsr? There are people that would love to help you.
Just a quick chronology note...this video was recorded last month, but I needed to wait to share it because of some of the content contained within. Sorry for any confusion!! - Morgan
This is silly video. There is no way robots will ever take over farming. You can't even eat a robot. The metal parts are indigestible.
I admire how slowly and methodically you work on projects around the farm. Even if it's out of order, thanks for waiting to release this video until you feel it's up to par. Wishing you luck on your farm automation. It's a constant project to set up and optimize a small farm.
How are your BEES man?
hi
Thanks for clarifying
I was feeling a bit lost in time 😵💫
7:25 I think this is the most important aspect of the automation discussion. The humanity of a job. You want to still touch things, know your animals, work in the fields. You don't want to replace yourself, just the jobs you don't like or that are tedious.
And then there are the people trying to replace everyone...
Old tech soaker hose on a timer could irrigate your tree field. With the cattle, don't forget that while you're moving the fence, you are also checking the stock , so no injuries or parasites get overlooked.
Agree. It is like the garden. You can automate the watering but nothing replaces your eyes in picking up problems before they become major.
Fences also serve to keep wild critters out. Invisible fence tech doesn't
Technology does have it's place on a farm, but the enjoyment of hands on farming cannot be replaced by innovations. Being part of the every day life of your farm animals and the land is irreplacable.
Do you actually do the backbreaking labor of a farm? It’s a tough life that breaks and wears out bodies. Maimings from industrial accidents are common, one armed or peg leg farmers are too common. Automation takes the physical load off humans on farms just as it does in manufacturing.
Morgan’s farm is fantastic, but atypical. Just putting auto steer into tractors on grain farms has been a huge boon.
What's funny is that I actually work on the harvesting robots for an agtech company and the challenges you mentioned about non uniformity in farming are spot on.
Cats have a very specific hierarchy and Molly was reinforcing that. Ideally food, water, litter boxes and shelter should be separated by as much as possible to allow for harmonious relations.
Huh, I never tought cats would have separate litter boxes. I guess we were lucky that our cats were super chill, didn't react when a neighbors cat came to eat their food.
I guess them being siblings helped too.
I remember during winter you used to have to pull a sledge with buckets of water for the birds, you have a more streamlined operation now. 👍
I love how you keep in mind the connection between the farmers and their animals.
So beneficial to your watchers to be able to see and hear your intensive research. Most wouldn’t know where to look or followup. Blessings‼️
Not a good example of intensive research. i do know where to look and it is not here.
I think that innovation and Automation can be a huge boost in farming, if you take less time doing chores, you can have more time to spend on other things can be A) profitable for the farm, B) Expanding of the farm, C) tending and being more with the animals. plus other things, small incremental changes can be good, a good tracking system and web interface for some things can also help improve all aspects.
One of the coolest automations I saw was a water spring that started refilling cattle water trough at the highest point on their property and then had tubing that supplied water to about 3 more paddocks. Automating water for my chickens saves me a lot of time and effort.
Automatic watering and irrigation is tech that's been around for quite a while. It's proven itself in many different situations. It also doesn't have to cost all that much. OTOH I was very skeptical about drones used for irrigation. Given how heavy water is and the fact that plants take up water with their roots (which last I checked were below ground) flying irrigation makes 0 sense.
The Ghostbusters clip insert was
Their are some great innovations in farming a lot of people don't think about but they can help the efficiency a lot. 😉
I'm pretty sure there are large automated doors for dogs that you can use for the geese, not sure about the price point though
I think you have it right Morgan, balance is necessary! I would also add simple solutions. Simple solutions are easier to integrate and maintain. Sometimes overly complex solutions like those collars require software updates or when they fail it is not easy to fix.
I did think about your fencing a few videos back.
A suggestion might be to leave a series of fenceposts in the ground, creating paddocks that you move the electric cord between...?
Instead of moving the small number of fenceposts you have around, which seems to take up a lot of your time. You quickly move the electrical wire only and save the time it takes to stake the posts in the ground each day?
Just an idea and i do appreciate it may cost a fortune in fenceposts, so perhaps even installing enough posts for one long 'lane' of cow grazing that you move every few weeks or so.
Best wishes,
Robert
I’ll never have a farm. Too old & disabled. But I love learning from you. Fascinating!
vertical farming on a scale to feed a country strikes me as madness. but vertical gardening as a way of improving food security in urban areas is definitely a thing. As someone who lives in an urban food desert, it is fabulous to grow Alpine strawberries in a wall planter, cherry tomatoes and salad greens in a window box, and all my herbs in a container garden on my balcony. balcony gardens is part of how people survived the siege of Sarajevo.
I've had a pet water fountain of this same brand but a different model for about three months. It's excellent quality, quiet, very easy to clean, and the cats love it. You wanna make sure you give it a good scrub once a week at least to prevent bacteria build up.
I saw a video post of a Washington state rancher who had set up a no-freeze automatic waterer for the livestock. It was originally built in Canada, so it's been proven in extreme cold. But it requires a stationary watering site. Concrete culvert buried upright in the ground down to below freeze line and motion detector above the pipe set off the pump. Water filled up the watering area and automatically drained back down something like 30 seconds after the last movement. Some simple things can make life a bit easier for feeding the birds. Automatic feeders that release a predefined amount of feed each time. The auto-feeder could be attached to a bulk feed bin, too. But, I agree that having that eyes-on time with the livestock can really help in identifying issues before they get out of hand.
Love how your mind works. I was thinking of water lines as a form of labor saving automation before watching the video. Automation is more than just robots.
Yes. More innovation videos. And don't forget. Just because certain cows LET you touch the top of the head doesn't mean they LIKE it. Still go under the chins first! Love you man!
I thought of something! Before you would start using the invisible fence, maybe use it alongside the regular fence? So they start associating the sound of the invisfence with the physical wires
I think vertical farms can be a very positive thing in dry and sunny areas since you can be a lot more efficient with the water use. Additionally, vertical farms is also a lot better for retaining soil. Nitrogen and phosphorus are being washed away on regular farm plots and ends up in river, lakes and the ocean. Fertilizer production has an enormous carbon footprint.
Im not saying vertical farms are a better than regular farming, but they have certain advantages which can make farming possible where it usually isnt.
You could always set up long fencing on either side of the tree mounds in the pasture so all you have to do is set up the middle sections when you move cows and chickens.
I think real fencing to protect the trees and electrifying it so you just use the roll-up wires to to section off paddocks is a good idea. Buying all those collars for the invisible fence when you'll only be keeping the cows seems wasteful of resources. And would you even be able to use those collars on the babies?!
The wood entry/wall looks good from the outside too. A nice stain/sealer would really spruce it up and make it last longer.
wow, thanks for sharing your farm life.
I enjoy watching everything about your farm! I think that you're approach with everything that you do is really fantastic I love that you're trying to make yourself a part of the landscape instead of trying to change it to suit you. Your farm gives me so much joy! Thanks for putting out such quality content all the time!
I think considering hi tech solutions for farming is WAY cool. But it could be a greater mind bender to look for more analog solutions. I’m thinking about the clever ideas my grandfathers, dad and uncles used to implement. For example - Have you tested out shut off valves and floats in your water tubs? No manual turn-on / turn-off of the water. Just a quick check of all the tubs twice/day. Done any research on automatic grain feeders for the birds? Grain amounts fed out n a timer. Helps reduce waste. Fill the bins every few days and monitor daily. Yes, do more of these.
That pet water fountain looks like it would work for a teacup dog too. I have everything I need so this would be a good thing to ask for, for the holidays.
Great video. There's only so much 1 or 2 people can do.
vertical farms have their pros and cons. Sunlight can be an issue for sure, but water savings, land savings and not dumping fertilizer into the ground water should not be ignored (gulf of mexico dead zone). Additionally you can grow year round and grow more exotic foods. Lastly you can build them in large cities which reduce the need to transport food over long distances.
Heya Morgan, I know you do a lot of work trying to make the most of modern farming methods and practices, and you're putting your hard work where your mouth is. I grew up in a time when farmers/ranchers did more with less, and I understand that some of those practices weren't the best, rejecting everything before you know what they all were is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There's a series of books called "Vintage Farming Classics" which might be worth reading. They're reprints of manuals from the turn of the 20th century-ish, and if you find a couple ideas in there that you can apply to your farm, they might be worth the read. Also, I see you put in electric motor driven wells. I would humbly suggest that at some point in the future putting in an old fashioned windmill pumped well at the top of your hill along with a stock tank might make your life easier as far as getting good water to your cattle and trees. Just a thought, respectfully submitted.
I have ALWAYS appreciated your comedic breaks 😆 You are on point sir!
Automation - You can utilize to turn on lights when dogs bark at night, release food for chicken and ducks/geese, send power to a heating element when the ambient temp drop to critical levels. You can be creative with the application of automation. Cameras to monitor your perimeters.
I think... a lot of things. One. it is very nice to interact with the animals and have a daily touch with your farm. Two: if you have a lot of automatic stuff, you loose control and get dependent on various mecanical stuff and electricity. Three: why have a farm if you don´t want to work on it? It´s good for your body and mind!
was anticipating a bugs life clip when u were talking abt the sun and the grass hahaha
I would argue that the very first technologies man ever created were for the purpose of farming. Technology is definitely going to continue being the future of farming. Take for example how impactful a tractor is.
I'd bet Morgan probably does dozens of things every day which could be automated with a simple device to save him time. I'd also bet that Morgan is more busy now than ever before at his job full time.
Yes, feeding and watering the birds for instance seems like something that could be automated.
Abby is a cuddle fiend. Stealing all the love from Toby dog...😅🥰
There is a man in Florida who created a vertical outdoor farm with free standing vertical “trees”. The shape of a tree with 3 tiers of boxes that hold the dirt. It has an internal watering hose structure that Can be controlled and a way to turn the tiers to best sun advantage. I spoke to a farmer who implemented this man’s method and he was able to produce 35 acres of strawberries harvested on one acre of land. It was an incredible feat. I can see simple outdoor vertical farming being a real success for some crops. Thanks
I have been looking into a water fountain for my cats for so so long and never really trusted any others I have found or they have been super expensive! Thank you for such a thorough review- just bought my own with your code!🎉
I've used pet libero waters with cords but my rabbit ate through both, but cordless will be great for my pet rats. I love watching your videos, please keep them coming!!!
The gps collars can be awesome. Our neighbour has 10 goats that just runs free. They are very friendly. The gps fence is set up so that if they get within 10 meters of our lawn, they get a "bip bip biiip biiip biiiip etc then boooom electric jolt".. but now they turn around and run back the way they came untill the biiping stops... then they stop.. looks back at us... and get a "sigh of relief" on their faces :) /our lawn is safe and no goat faeces anymore.
I think innovation's r a mix best suited to what type of farm u have, what type of animals and the farmers themselves to make a
cohesive connection for a happy well run life for all. Enjoyed, thank U. 😀😉❤
Well you never fail to surprise me…..you have a wonderful imagination ❤
Wow this was a slick add insert. Rarely do advertisers get videos tailored around their products and interesting to the channel subscription base. Good on you and them for picking each other. 1000% better than a stupid mobile game or seeing this on a plumbing channel (yes I watch those dont judge)
Very interesting. Thanks. Prayers for health and safety!🙏❤🙏
I’ve recently watched those old videos and watching you haul all that water was 😣😣 I was like, “Don’t worry, Morgan! Future Morgan will solve this problem for you!” 😅
nothing more satisfying than enjoying the glass of milk of your labors.
As a previous farm worker for two summers labour and aging population, pest control. Pasture maintenance even harvesting are all areas that are both super intensive and time consuming so automation would greatly increase productivity, but at a huge cost , my worry is conglomerates will get an unfair advantage where small holders just can’t complete, the tech should be in range of small farms is the only way the playing field can get equalised. My personal favourite was the cow grass grower for winter months to keep the 200% grass fed but the price WOW ONLY IF I WIN THE LOTTERY
I'm surprised there's no mention of your incubator system.
A lot of your chores could use clever hacks. Are you familiar with the valve that toilets use?
They don't cost a lot, and use standard fittings.
As far as robots go, you might check out some of the arduino and raspberry pi world and all of the things people are building with them.
Good luck, and don't over complicate things.
I have seen how dairy farms now have robots that feed, clean and milk. It’s amazing to me how farm innovation has come.
Thank you for the closed captions!
I really like the water pump so automation tools like that interest me the most. Curious if there any other tools out there that would save so much time.
I really enjoyed finding out about farm innovations and how practical they are . Would you not still need a visible fence to keep out predators?
I’ve worked on automation for a decade now (different field though, i’m in IT). Though it is true a lot of people are adverse to it since one of its main objectives is to eliminate human error by replacing humans with automatic systems, It also introduces new jobs as the need to maintain and fine tune those automatons grow. There is also the need to optimize all automation systems for sustainability/efficiency/profitability perspective. That being said, working to automate a system can take several iterations, and one of the 1st things you’ll have to do is to add/change system components so that automation is achievable. And you can certainly do that with your watering system. Securing the spring head is a good 1st step. I’d consider securing multiple spring heads for redundancy if its possible. Hopefully, you’ll achieve a current strong enough to raise your spring water to a water tower( how do water towers operate during winter, btw? I live in the tropics)so you’ll have a constant supply of spring water with constant pressure. From there, its a series filters, time-controlled gate valves and water level sensors in your troughs. I’d look insight from the Aquarium hobby/industry as they’ve mastered the skills and techniques to keep healthy water flowing with controlled temperatures and pressure. as for water waste, i’m thinking you can find a way to direct it into your pond so it can filter naturally and have the water cycled back into the waterbed.
I love your kitty buddies. They are so fun.
I got the same fountain for my cat. I use to have to switch her water 3-5 times a day. She would get super vocal if a hair or some dust was in her water. Decided recently to try a fountain and it's the best decision I could have made.
Your airtag isn't working as expected because you don't have enough nearby devices for it to provide you an accurate location! It pings off of other iOS devices to provide real-time location updates, but if it's only able to ping off of your phone(and nothing else) it can't triangulate properly to give you an accurate location.
Hope that helps explain why the airtag wasn't working as you expected!
Alright, Morgan. Just hear me out. Robot dog, white fuzzy rug, machine gun. I'm just saying there's possibilities here... you'd finally have the killer hound everyone thinks Toby is.
"Trained Killer" 😆
Lol. The robot dog is only effective as long as THE battery last and we all know that batteries don't last forever. Toby and Abbie are 100% more reliable than some $50,000 robot dog that needs constant update, upgrade and maintenance.
How would the cows know where the invisible fence lines are, if you move them about? That would probably make them quite confused
On thing I have noticed that I think would help you is when you enhance the mobile chicken coop to add a way to put the feed bin on it so you dont have to pick it up and move it and it moves with the coop. You could also have feed trough on the side of the coop too so one less thing to move and it could somehow be under a shade or overhang to keep dry. For our chickens we have a PVC pipe filled hopper and they eat out of it as they want so we dont have to go out an feed them everyday the food lasts about 4 days in there and they eat when they want. It is hard to tell when you are moving the cows but I wonder if you are leaving one side in and the flipping the fencing from the other side over so you are only having to move half of the mobile fencing. Like if it is a piece of pizza slice or what the area looks like it would be interesting to see from above how you rotate the cattle yards. And if you did rotate their area from a center point that the water remains in place and work outwards to reduce moving it so much. I think an automatic door for the birds would reduce you work.
A few ideas for low cost improvements you may try:
1. Auto-refilling (constant level) water trough, using a toilet reservoir mechanism.
2. Larger mobile bird coup: clapped-out van from the scrap yard (throw away the engine and strip the interior)
3. Quick mobile cattle fence: traffic cones linked by a rope (can be stacked and carried around in a small ATV trailer)
4. A good old fashion hand drawn cart to carry the bird feed and everything else you're moving around in buckets (4-6 feet long platform with collapsible walls, steerable front axle, ball bearings and 8-12" pneumatic wheels). If you can't find one like that you can convert a light ATV trailer. May sound funny but try it for a week and you'll never get back to hand carrying stuff around the yard.
It's definitely a balance. Not giving up your sense of satisfaction from your hands on approach without ignoring any time-energy savers which you might like and think match your enterprise.
Vertical farming is an innovation meant to reduce shipping costs (money and emissions) of veg to its destination. Things can be grown in cities where there is no space, close to its end destination. So yes, you might catch more sun but that’s not why the vertical farm was developed.
If you wanted to experiment with a automation at the farm - I'd look into Farmbot. They've been around for awhile - as a bonus it's 100% open-source.
Having employees is the best way to ruin the joy of owning your own small business.
speaking from experience?
@@beepbeeblebrox3972 yes!!!!
If I had the means to volunteer a few weeks at your farm , I'd do it. I don't have a farming background but I love animals. As a former nurse , just tell me what to do to help, ie. shovel dog poop .Thanks for sharing your farm with us City people.
Vertical farms make sense if they're se tup close to population centers like big cities, yes they loose on energy conversion but they save a lot of space. If you do calculation how much energy is lost just on transporting farm products into cities the loss of energy in a vertical farm might actually be smaller. As usual, it all depends on the context. Like climate (how much solar power you're able to get), geography (how much space there is around to set up a traditional farm), transportation efficiency (price of fuel, time of transport) etc. etc. So many factors to consider. I do think vertical farming will be much more important in the future as the energy technology is still improving year to year (ex. LED lights is a massive change in terms of artificial growth light). We shall see :)
I've been wondering why you don't have your paddocks pre-fenced and just move the cows between the ones already set up. It seems very inefficient to set up a new paddock every time you want to move the cows and tear down the old paddock afterwards.
I see two issues with that: For one, while that electric cord and those insulated posts are not massively expensive, with the amount he'd need along the tree rows, it'd add up. But then, with the 60-day rotation, he'd be using each section at most 4 times a year. This means the installations would need to stay up for multiple years to really save time. And that, in turn, would mean they would need to be sturdier to survive without needing constant maintenance, making them more expensive.
If those tree rows were straight, putting in posts on each end with concrete foundations strong enough to tension a long cord between them could work. Such posts would be very low maintenance, relatively low in number to keep setup cost low, and he could move the cords to trade cost against time.
Just to let you know, using drones in commercial purposes requires a part 107 license holder when operating the drone. I’m taking classes to get one, it’s not hard to get a license though.
I remember when you tested the "release the quacken " vs not saying anything. The ducks didn't know what to do when you opened the door. It was hilarious 😂
For the hoop coop you can make the door lift up like the big door you used to get the chicken house in and make it automatic.
I think there are doggy/kitty doors that are similar to your chicken door with the automatic opening and closing options
Interesting ideas. Balance will be important. Yes another video on this plz.
I see machines/robots as a tool for people to use to cut out mundane tasks. This way they can really focus on new ideas/innovation, or even get more enjoyment out of the chores/things they like. I think it's also really important for the system to be modular, meaning you can remove the robot and add a human (for training, enjoyment, or variety).
I don't think verticle farming was ever intended to be energy efficient, it is mainly meant to be land efficient, with some water and labor savings potentially as well.
ever consider using a water float system for giving your animals water?
Thanks for update on the flies/Chickens
Tractive GPS is an amazing gps tracker for your dog or cat. i have used it for 3 years now and i love it. you can track movement, sleep and put up digital fencing so you get notification when your animal goes past that area etc. I have 2 for each of my cats!
Maybe consider a hydronic floor for your cow shed. They have used it in nz milking sheds to heat the floor in the cold for the coes comfort and to reduce the freezing of the water lines as they are grounded in the slab
@goldshawfarm as intelligent and interprising as you , there is no doubt in my mind that you will make your farm able to bring in plenty of money to hire many people to help run it. To be run efficiently, morally, and ethically as you strive for.
I bet that Mark Rober’s engineering class would be enough to figure out how to automatically open the existing hoop coop doors, though probably not fun enough to make it onto one of his videos.
I always feel like Robots help but sometimes can be frustrating as heck as well!
At minute 2:32 the footage shows the water trough for your cattle. Do they ever shock themselves to get a drink. I ask because the shock line goes right across the trough. Maybe it’s another line? It sure looks like the shock line.
Personally I'm not keen on automation. The way I see it, a big part of the problem in this world, is that us older people have become less willing to spend time and resources, giving youngesters opportunities and new skills. In my view having an apprentice and general gofer is always going to be preferable to using robots... to say nothing of the value in the building of good animal/human bonds that remind us all of our interdependence. I think when it comes to simple stuff like waterlines, and perhaps feeders, there is a place for some limited tech - but really I think as a society we should be trying to reduce, or at very least better target and limit our usage of AI and other potentially socially destructive computer technologies. Personal opinion of course, and I'm sure others may disagree, but after a lot of thought, that is still my view anyway.
Watering drones and GPS tractors have been around long enough the tech should work well. I would imagine you could do a LIDAR scan of your land with a drone and input the topography data to the GPS navigating the tractors to adjust parameters for more cohesive maneuvers. Power outlet timers are really helpful for daily chores that are as simple as turning the power on/off. Putting all our night time lights on light sensors has saved me tons of times. Remote control pistons can open the door.
Vertical farms are said to be more efficient in terms of water use and more productive in terms of land use. i.e. for growing certain types of crops, that are well suited to that type of growing environment.
You should check out Living Traditions Homestead... They use an electric fence driver which really makes putting up permanent fencing very quick and simple. You could aim just to put it horizontally at first , parellel along your rows of trees, so that you only have to deal with dividing up each strip. Ultimately, this would be an investment of time, which might completely remove your need to create new paddocks everytime you move the cattle in the future
Morgan, I haven't fully investigated this idea but the fact that most plants will wilt under full sun indicates that most plants cannot use up 100% of the sunlight. In that case, vertical farming should actually be quite efficient because the amount of sunlight delivered to an area can be fully divided into multiple levels allowing plants to use up 100% of that energy (or whatever the conversion efficiency panels are).
Balance is the key to everything
Try timers on your watering spouts. Start then walk away, knowing they will turn off.
Look into pellet feeders as in wood pellet furnaces, grills to refill your animal dishes. Again start walk away, then refill weekly.
Interesting! Have you thought about getting a mule to move yourself around the farm more quickly and/or tow the chicken coop, small wagons etc.? Not that I know what I'm talking about or anything. Just thinking a mule may be better than a robot - it is versatile and comes pre-loaded with advanced learning capability. And stronger and not as high maintenance as a human employee.
Fi collars do exactly what you are saying for Toby!
I will gladly work for free over the summer of 2023 and house myself in a small home. This is an honest offer of help that would personally benefit me for a reason I would gladly discuss privately.
The drinks you mentioned on Monday costs $33 for a 12 pack. Truly expensive. Almost $4 per can.
I know Finnish dairy farms have a lot of automation, for things like milking, feeding and water. They can also go in and out of the barn as they please with automated doors. Obviously you have to have perimeter fencing, but moving cattle and building new fencing isn't really an issue - we have small farms, so just bring them food to the paddock - either grown or bought.
I'm all for automatic chicken doors! But don't forget - things that run on electricity become nothing but junk with no electricity...
I typically agree with most things you say... However to say there is a labor shortage is sort of incorrect. It's more like there isn't enough jobs out there that pay a living wage. Actual living, not 'I can pay my rent hooray' but a living wage of 'oh cool I can actually have a savings in case like, my car breaks down'. My two cents as someone who's been job hunting for over six months and probably a good hundred applications sent in and I just got a single response and it's with a temp agency :/
Good thoughts; nice planning.
@GoldShawFarm You should look into raspberry pie and some of the things that could offer. You could build a door for the geese and ducks using a slide, a stepper motor, a daylight sensor (or have it programmable by time) and a pie mini and a power source.
Maybe do a collaboration with a raspberry pi RUclipsr? There are people that would love to help you.