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>...and even individuals who want to start a farm. As a person who lives in a farming area this seems like putting a computer and a box of red bull in a box an

>...and even individuals who want to start a farm. As a person who lives in a farming area this seems like putting a computer and a box of red bull in a box and labeling it "computer programmer kit". I'm not a farmer but things like crop rotation, regulations, WHIMIS (pesticides/herbicides), dangers such as the PTO on the tractor and other farm dangers all needed training. You see at least once per year some farm hand injured by crushing or falling there are so many dangers.

chinathrow 10y ago
> all needed training Absolutely true. I do think though that such a box would be coming with a big manual/e-learning/video course to complete the hardware.
deleted 10y ago
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jbob2000 10y ago
>We have a three-part training program that comes with the box. One: Covering sustainable farming, making sure everyone knows a little bit in terms of crop rotation, and composting, and intercropping. Two: Covering technology use and maintenance, making sure that the individuals know how to maintain and troubleshoot all of the components of the farm. Three: Farming as an enterprise, making sure that there is a market-based approach to farming. So it's more like they give you a computer, a box of redbull, and a couple books on putting together a MEAN stack. I think it's a good start for someone who wants to get their feet wet.
- chrissnell 10y ago
  That's a lot of investment for someone getting their feet wet. I've been growing food for my family at home for the last four years and while I don't have two acres to farm, I can tell you that equipment has been the least of my problems. Learning to grow food has been a gradual process for me, learning what works for my soil and my climate. I can't imagine trying to start with a Conex full of equipment and two acres to farm, unless you have a local farmer there to help you along. It's so much easier to start small, a few hundred square feet, and to get the advice of a local gardening club or garden store when it comes to choosing what to plant.
  - pavel_lishin 10y ago
    This seems like it's aimed at rural farmers in Africa and other developing nations who may have the know-how, but not the equipment or the means to get it. Presumably, the goal is for these things to be subsidized and then shipped out to establish self-sustaining farming. In other words, it's probably not for when I get pissed off at my job and decide to move into my parents' house and work their two acres in Texas with no idea of what I'm doing.
    - dghughes 10y ago
      I agree, it a good idea if a struggling farmer in a third world country need the help and the kit is available. I didn't mean to sound dismissive but I pictured some random person ordering a farm kit off Amazon. We all need to eat but I think farming is seen as a nothing job by many people in urban areas.
  - jonlucc 10y ago
    There was some internet co-op type company whose name escapes me right now, but they basically did this kind of work for farmers (and would be very helpful for newcomers). The idea was that every farmer who is a member will put in their crop yields along with location, soil quality, exact seed and source, how much fertilizer, etc. All of that data is then available to the other members. So I could sign up, go on there and decide what to plant and how to do it from that kind of site. Maybe I heard of this on a This Week In Startups podcast? Edit: I've found it. It's called Farmer's Business Network [1] and I did indeed hear about it on a This Week in Startups podcast [2]. [1] https://www.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/ https://www.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/ [2] http://thisweekinstartups.com/amol-deshpande-fbn/ http://thisweekinstartups.com/amol-deshpande-fbn/
    - Thrymr 10y ago
      Every state has a university extension system that provides free information for farmers and the general public. For example, here's Oregon State University's page for small farms: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/farms http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/farms
- emodendroket 10y ago
  Just gonna get my feet wet with a small two-acre farm, which is supposedly able to feed 150 people.
spiderfarmer 10y ago
The equipment needed depends a lot on the soil. There is no one size fits all solution, especially if you're optimizing for crop yield.
- Twirrim 10y ago
  Which is why they mention in the article that they've built it to be modularisable, so it'll be adjusted for whatever is appropriate for your area.
CobrastanJorji 10y ago
> this seems like putting a computer and a box of red bull in a box and labeling it "computer programmer kit". Computer programmer kits like this exist and are called "bootcamps."
eddieroger 10y ago
That was my read on this, so thanks for confirming it. It seems like the most valuable part of this kit won't be in the box, and that's access to someone who knows the basics (and not so basics) of farming to guide the new box owners. I suppose there's the argument of "no one taught our ancestors to farm and they figured it out," but then how effective is this kit at all if you're winging it?
- smacktoward 10y ago
  From the article it sounds like the idea is to distribute these through schools, NGOs, aid groups and the like. Those organizations would presumably provide the guidance on how to use all the stuff in the kit. I could see that being pretty efficient, since the trainers would know exactly what tools and materials trainees will have on hand to work with, which should make it possible to create generalized training systems rather than having to build up a new curriculum for each trainee they work with.
ctdonath 10y ago
It's a lot more like putting an iPad and MacBook pre-loaded with Xcode, git, other handy software, iTunes U courses, and a list of primary research & resource URLs with step-by-step directions for signing up to free & prepaid services. While such "in-a-box" products are obviously limited & biased, they are a tremendously useful starting point for people who want to begin an endeavor but don't know where to start, don't want to get bogged down in selecting basic tools/services they don't yet understand, and don't yet know even the "well anyone who knows anything about XYZ knows you need at least a ABC and a PDQ" stuff. Of course the contents are imperfect. BUT IT'S A START. Give someone what they need for a sensible starting point, then they can soon learn what they need to head in the direction they decide to go (after they know enough to understand what the options really are).
- sqeaky 10y ago
  $50,000 is pretty expensive for "a start". That is the price of a decent farmhand in the Midwest (for a year, maybe two if you don't like him so much) and probably a huge plot of land and a few employees in poor countries.
  - tjic 10y ago
    I probably spent $50k in my first two years on my farm. * 30 HP tractor - $14k * brushhog, back blade, cone spreader, log splitter - $3k * 1,000 ft^2 greenhouse - $5k * water to greenhouse - $5k * haying equipment (baler, tedder, disk mower, rake) - $5.5k * buckets, pails, tubs, lights, etc for livestock - $1k * hoses, hand tools, etc. - $1k * drip irrigation, raised beds, soil tests, etc. - $1k * fencing materials - $5k I could keep going down the list, but even just barely starting, I'm sure that the $50k number is correct. Obviously, this package doesn't include haying equipment or chicken egg incubators or chicken feather removal machine, but I can easily imagine how you could spend $50k.
    - maxerickson 10y ago
      The kit is for 2 acres. Probably no brush hog, log splitter, hay equipment or tractor.
rmason 10y ago
I could see one peace corp worker supporting two of these in a village. Ideally though he'd have to support two full crop years before there would be a chance that this would be self supporting. Even then a key part would break and the villagers would be unable to fund its replacement.
- mistercow 10y ago
  Also wouldn't the economics of that be pretty sticky? They'd be competing with local farmers.
Nelson69 10y ago
Anyone remember Sun's "blackbox?" https://www.engadget.com/2006/10/18/suns-project-blackbox-datacenter-in-a-container/ https://www.engadget.com/2006/10/18/suns-project-blackbox-da... I can't find the original stuff anymore, the "martian picture" was actually in Sun's collateral on their website though. You can't make stuff like that up. There is a certain magic when a corporation with real money produces that kind of marketing buzz. I vaguely remember a picture of a Katrina-like situation with a black box too, cause you need processing power when the city floods and people are dying, I can't remember if that was part of the official messaging or not, maybe I just dreamed it up.. There is absolutely some appeal to full turn-key looking solutions for things that pretty clearly don't have them. It strikes me a perfect "inside the echochamber" thinking to dream up a farm in a box like this. I'd bet not everyone on the design team even has a home garden. Sometimes they day dream up a new paradigm and a lot of times it's just pretty marketing buzz. 2 acre open field farming doesn't seem like a good fit, I could see some success if this was scaled in to modular green house farming or something like that, maybe more on the gardening scale than the farming one.
libraryatnight 10y ago
I'm always sort of resistant to this type of thinking. You're not wrong, but if people are defeated because this kit tries to simplify some aspects of a difficult and experience driven process, then that's sad. New things are hard. People should still try them. Also when I was a kid my dad basically did give me a box of computer parts, sans red bull, and said have it - and I broke it. I bent pins, I had to format, when I finally got it running I upgraded it and broke it again. Eventually I figured it out and here I am.
- emodendroket 10y ago
  The problem is this isn't a PC and a can of Red Bull; it's an entire data center and a case of Red Bull.
gerbilly 10y ago
>dangers such as the PTO on the tractor Never mind the PTO , watch out for the hydraulics on the tractor...

chinathrow 10y ago

> all needed training Absolutely true. I do think though that such a box would be coming with a big manual/e-learning/video course to complete the hardware.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

jbob2000 10y ago

>We have a three-part training program that comes with the box. One: Covering sustainable farming, making sure everyone knows a little bit in terms of crop rotation, and composting, and intercropping. Two: Covering technology use and maintenance, making sure that the individuals know how to maintain and troubleshoot all of the components of the farm. Three: Farming as an enterprise, making sure that there is a market-based approach to farming. So it's more like they give you a computer, a box of redbull, and a couple books on putting together a MEAN stack. I think it's a good start for someone who wants to get their feet wet.

chrissnell 10y ago
That's a lot of investment for someone getting their feet wet. I've been growing food for my family at home for the last four years and while I don't have two acres to farm, I can tell you that equipment has been the least of my problems. Learning to grow food has been a gradual process for me, learning what works for my soil and my climate. I can't imagine trying to start with a Conex full of equipment and two acres to farm, unless you have a local farmer there to help you along. It's so much easier to start small, a few hundred square feet, and to get the advice of a local gardening club or garden store when it comes to choosing what to plant.
- pavel_lishin 10y ago
  This seems like it's aimed at rural farmers in Africa and other developing nations who may have the know-how, but not the equipment or the means to get it. Presumably, the goal is for these things to be subsidized and then shipped out to establish self-sustaining farming. In other words, it's probably not for when I get pissed off at my job and decide to move into my parents' house and work their two acres in Texas with no idea of what I'm doing.
  - dghughes 10y ago
    I agree, it a good idea if a struggling farmer in a third world country need the help and the kit is available. I didn't mean to sound dismissive but I pictured some random person ordering a farm kit off Amazon. We all need to eat but I think farming is seen as a nothing job by many people in urban areas.
- jonlucc 10y ago
  There was some internet co-op type company whose name escapes me right now, but they basically did this kind of work for farmers (and would be very helpful for newcomers). The idea was that every farmer who is a member will put in their crop yields along with location, soil quality, exact seed and source, how much fertilizer, etc. All of that data is then available to the other members. So I could sign up, go on there and decide what to plant and how to do it from that kind of site. Maybe I heard of this on a This Week In Startups podcast? Edit: I've found it. It's called Farmer's Business Network [1] and I did indeed hear about it on a This Week in Startups podcast [2]. [1] https://www.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/ https://www.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/ [2] http://thisweekinstartups.com/amol-deshpande-fbn/ http://thisweekinstartups.com/amol-deshpande-fbn/
  - Thrymr 10y ago
    Every state has a university extension system that provides free information for farmers and the general public. For example, here's Oregon State University's page for small farms: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/farms http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/farms
emodendroket 10y ago
Just gonna get my feet wet with a small two-acre farm, which is supposedly able to feed 150 people.

spiderfarmer 10y ago

The equipment needed depends a lot on the soil. There is no one size fits all solution, especially if you're optimizing for crop yield.

Twirrim 10y ago
Which is why they mention in the article that they've built it to be modularisable, so it'll be adjusted for whatever is appropriate for your area.

CobrastanJorji 10y ago

> this seems like putting a computer and a box of red bull in a box and labeling it "computer programmer kit". Computer programmer kits like this exist and are called "bootcamps."

eddieroger 10y ago

That was my read on this, so thanks for confirming it. It seems like the most valuable part of this kit won't be in the box, and that's access to someone who knows the basics (and not so basics) of farming to guide the new box owners. I suppose there's the argument of "no one taught our ancestors to farm and they figured it out," but then how effective is this kit at all if you're winging it?

smacktoward 10y ago
From the article it sounds like the idea is to distribute these through schools, NGOs, aid groups and the like. Those organizations would presumably provide the guidance on how to use all the stuff in the kit. I could see that being pretty efficient, since the trainers would know exactly what tools and materials trainees will have on hand to work with, which should make it possible to create generalized training systems rather than having to build up a new curriculum for each trainee they work with.

ctdonath 10y ago

It's a lot more like putting an iPad and MacBook pre-loaded with Xcode, git, other handy software, iTunes U courses, and a list of primary research & resource URLs with step-by-step directions for signing up to free & prepaid services. While such "in-a-box" products are obviously limited & biased, they are a tremendously useful starting point for people who want to begin an endeavor but don't know where to start, don't want to get bogged down in selecting basic tools/services they don't yet understand, and don't yet know even the "well anyone who knows anything about XYZ knows you need at least a ABC and a PDQ" stuff. Of course the contents are imperfect. BUT IT'S A START. Give someone what they need for a sensible starting point, then they can soon learn what they need to head in the direction they decide to go (after they know enough to understand what the options really are).

sqeaky 10y ago
$50,000 is pretty expensive for "a start". That is the price of a decent farmhand in the Midwest (for a year, maybe two if you don't like him so much) and probably a huge plot of land and a few employees in poor countries.
- tjic 10y ago
  I probably spent $50k in my first two years on my farm. * 30 HP tractor - $14k * brushhog, back blade, cone spreader, log splitter - $3k * 1,000 ft^2 greenhouse - $5k * water to greenhouse - $5k * haying equipment (baler, tedder, disk mower, rake) - $5.5k * buckets, pails, tubs, lights, etc for livestock - $1k * hoses, hand tools, etc. - $1k * drip irrigation, raised beds, soil tests, etc. - $1k * fencing materials - $5k I could keep going down the list, but even just barely starting, I'm sure that the $50k number is correct. Obviously, this package doesn't include haying equipment or chicken egg incubators or chicken feather removal machine, but I can easily imagine how you could spend $50k.
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    The kit is for 2 acres. Probably no brush hog, log splitter, hay equipment or tractor.

rmason 10y ago

I could see one peace corp worker supporting two of these in a village. Ideally though he'd have to support two full crop years before there would be a chance that this would be self supporting. Even then a key part would break and the villagers would be unable to fund its replacement.

mistercow 10y ago
Also wouldn't the economics of that be pretty sticky? They'd be competing with local farmers.

Nelson69 10y ago

Anyone remember Sun's "blackbox?" https://www.engadget.com/2006/10/18/suns-project-blackbox-datacenter-in-a-container/ https://www.engadget.com/2006/10/18/suns-project-blackbox-da... I can't find the original stuff anymore, the "martian picture" was actually in Sun's collateral on their website though. You can't make stuff like that up. There is a certain magic when a corporation with real money produces that kind of marketing buzz. I vaguely remember a picture of a Katrina-like situation with a black box too, cause you need processing power when the city floods and people are dying, I can't remember if that was part of the official messaging or not, maybe I just dreamed it up.. There is absolutely some appeal to full turn-key looking solutions for things that pretty clearly don't have them. It strikes me a perfect "inside the echochamber" thinking to dream up a farm in a box like this. I'd bet not everyone on the design team even has a home garden. Sometimes they day dream up a new paradigm and a lot of times it's just pretty marketing buzz. 2 acre open field farming doesn't seem like a good fit, I could see some success if this was scaled in to modular green house farming or something like that, maybe more on the gardening scale than the farming one.

libraryatnight 10y ago

I'm always sort of resistant to this type of thinking. You're not wrong, but if people are defeated because this kit tries to simplify some aspects of a difficult and experience driven process, then that's sad. New things are hard. People should still try them. Also when I was a kid my dad basically did give me a box of computer parts, sans red bull, and said have it - and I broke it. I bent pins, I had to format, when I finally got it running I upgraded it and broke it again. Eventually I figured it out and here I am.

emodendroket 10y ago
The problem is this isn't a PC and a can of Red Bull; it's an entire data center and a case of Red Bull.

gerbilly 10y ago

>dangers such as the PTO on the tractor Never mind the PTO , watch out for the hydraulics on the tractor...