Good Crop/Bad Crop: Concerns For The Modern Farmer

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Common issues affecting farmers and landowners now are in many ways similar to the issues of yesteryear. It’s just that now, with the rise in cost and improvements in farming technology, it means so many mounting costs. Does the modern farmer have the resources available to keep their farming business safe and profitable? There are so many farmers now that are trying to make the job of farming easier. Tech is starting to make the whole process automated, which means a lot less work for farmers, but will it make the job of farming redundant in a few years’ time, and is there a way for farmers to cope in the modern market?

Currently, the pressures farmers are under, from suppliers cutting costs to weather affecting the crops, means that the value of their farm could decrease in the current climate. This means that the option to sell up is a very lucrative one for some. Increasing debt is a fact of life for many farmers, and the stress that is associated with it does mean that so many are tempted to give up their livestock and actually leave the whole farming game. To decrease this outcome, a lot of farmers are choosing bigger companies as their suppliers. This extends to preferred equipment suppliers too. Equipment suppliers for IHI mini excavators, tractors, or harrows, have to be a reliable supplier. With the internet, it is much easier to find a preferred supplier online now, and make your purchases with a bit more research. Cutting costs through this method and buying equipment only when you need to as opposed to buying only to keep your supplier happy is one way to preserve your costs.

While cost is something that everyone is concerned about, investing in new technology doesn’t help to cut back on individual spending. For new tech and automating certain functions, you need to think about the environmental impact your farm will have. Cutting back on your carbon footprint is a big aim for many modern farmers and modern businesses. Many farms are expanding into other areas, and believe it or not, are hosting events such as clay pigeon shooting and selling ice creams to diversify their efforts and to keep afloat during such difficult financial times. Technology is becoming such a major part of the farming process, but the human factor is still very much the foundation on which trade is built. As it stands, the future of the farming industry has two main issues to face up to, tech and cost. Technology will continue to improve, but as farming becomes automated, this may be a cost to the lives of thousands of farmers, not just in the western world, but across the whole planet. Farming may become a machine-led process in 20 or 30 years, but for now, it needs the human factor to keep it intact. What does this mean for the modern farmer right now? Expanding their profitability through diversification is the only route to maintaining a stable farm during an unstable economy.