Working on farm efficiency requires trying to look at a familiar issue through an unfamiliar lens. It’s vital to question standard practices in order to develop innovative “smart” farming alternatives. Smart farming is an evolving strategy that can benefit many parts of a farmer’s operation, regardless of the crop they are cultivating. Through the use of data collection, we can recognize inefficiencies throughout the season, allowing us to improve the following cycle, reduce our impact on the environment, and increase our transparency with customers.
As a sustainability-focused farm, we are always improving and altering our cultivation methods to better our success. Our definition of success, however, is broader than the capital we accrue; it’s defined by our minimizing environmental footprint and integration of new smart-farming technologies. We obtain data points in real-time through our moisture meters, IGrow panel, weather stations, satellite imagery, soil sampling, and various sensors found throughout the farm, and can identify inefficiencies with this data throughout the crop’s season. This process also allows us to increase our transparency with customers, adding credibility to our Simply Clean certification obtained through the Cannabis Conservancy. This third-party agency helps us track and regulate our sustainable farming practices, ensuring they are being implemented correctly. They provide assurance to buyers that our cannabis is free from contaminants, that our employees are trained appropriately, that our testing is done responsibly, and our recordkeeping is accurate. Their accountability applies that additional layer of checks and balances that our clients and their clients benefit from.
Viewing our farm from an outside perspective encourages us to recognize what areas of the operation could use some fine-tuning. Could our irrigation lines be more efficient? Could our pest control be more localized, lowering our impact on the environment? Does our garden layout need a re-design to work better with our micro-climate? Or could our plants’ soil be more robust? With the help of our collected data, we can brainstorm creative solutions to our common problems, increasing efficiency, sustainability, and overall success. We are always hoping to use smart farming technology to better our relationship with nature and diminish any existing friction. While we are a cannabis farm, we strive to obtain information that will help move the agriculture industry as a whole in that direction. The future of farming must be sustainable if we desire to see many more years of life on this planet. The good news is, if done correctly, sustainability can also be efficient.
We at Giving Tree Farms recognize the importance of using technologies that work harmoniously with nature while also advancing the efficiency of our farming practices. There is a long road ahead of us all, but with these new smart farming tools, hope is given alongside a stronger resolve to do better! Our aim via “smart farming” is to reduce the impact of agriculture on our planet and lead the future of cannabis cultivation down a responsible road.
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