Opinion: Ingenuity Comes Natural To Farmers
October 22, 2010 
In my career, I have had the opportunity to visit farms all over our country. I’ve seen many types of operations — big and small. There is one factor that seems common to them all. It’s a knack for ingenuity to get the job done and succeed in an often challenging environment.
I can’t tell you how many pieces of equipment I have seen that have been “tinkered” with by a grower to fit his or her needs. Or someone putting their mechanical skills to use to get one more year out of a tractor or other piece of equipment.
Farming Water
But growers’ ingenuity extends beyond just equipment. Experts tell us that future wars won’t be fought over oil, but over water. Every day, stories from around the globe report of ever scarcer supplies of fresh water for drinking or feeding crops. Even here in the wet state of Florida, water resources are being closely scrutinized to conserve the Floridan aquifer. Municipalities suffering under poor tax revenues are looking for water that is inexpensive. To meet that demand growers are helping to lead an effort to store water on their idle lands. In return, they will be paid by the municipalities for their efforts, providing an income on land that before was sitting idle. Sounds pretty ingenious to me. Read more about water farming by.
Technology’s Role
Kids today might not realize it, but much of the technology we now take for granted was only a dream 20 years ago. They would probably shutter to think there was a time when people had only three TV stations. In the mid-1990s, a tsunami of technology began washing over everything, touching and fundamentally changing our lives. Growers have wisely embraced technology and how it can be used on the farm. Precision agriculture comes to mind. With it growers have been able to maximize their efficiencies when using inputs. Innovations in irrigation have helped growers use less water to grow crops. And, growers are going online. Many have created websites to promote their farms and are Facebooking and Tweeting along the way. By the way, you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter — just go to GrowingProduce.com to find out how.
Tag It
Speaking of technology, you might have noticed the colorful little boxes on the cover and on pages 4 and 9 of this issue. They are called Microsoft Tags. You scan the tag with your smartphone and it will take you to additional content related to our cover story this month. It’s simple to use. Just open your mobile browser and go to http://gettag.mobi and follow the instructions. Or, search for “tag reader” in the app store. Then use your phone to scan the tag and off you go.
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Opinion: Ingenuity Comes Natural To Farmers