An idea of a shared deposit for agricultural instruments and tools - Version 1.0
Observing the countryside in my area I have noticed that certain agricultural tools lie abandoned, often rusty, in bad condition and sometimes invaded by vegetation, and are completely useless, and this sometimes happens even with some equipment.
What I actually believe happens to many farmers is that certain tools are actually used sporadically based on the type of crops that are in production.
For example, those who grow a lot of wheat are unlikely to have rusty plows, which is very likely for those who have fruit tree crops.
The point is that it would be enough to have a warehouse of these tools and a list of reservations to be able to organize a shared warehouse of tools.
The advantage is that in this way the tools would be better used, the maintenance of the latter could be optimized and carried out by a workshop at the warehouse and in this way the completely or totally unused broken tools could be sold or disassembled and replaced by other more modern tools in better condition.
The instruments could also be left outdoors without any problems, as it would be enough to cover them with plastic sheets when they are inside the storage area in order to slow down the effect of atmospheric agents.
Photovoltaic panels could also be installed on top of them, installed in special roofs, and in this way it would be possible to use those spaces not only as storage, but also as places for the production of electricity.
The instruments could be hooked up to tractors driven by warehouse workers, taken to an area outside the photovoltaic panels (to reduce the risk of accidents and incorrect maneuvers) and then subsequently hooked up to the tractor of whoever is supposed to use them before transporting them to the work area: in this way there would be enormous savings on costs and on the need to build a building as a storage facility.
An office would manage the various farmers' reservations in order to avoid overlaps and would keep statistics on the use of the instruments, on faults, on maintenance operations carried out as well as on the results of testing new instruments.
In addition to maintaining the tools in a correct state, the workshop could also regenerate them if rust is present (there are special lasers that are quite expensive to carry out this type of operation) or dispose of them if better ones exist and it is decided to replace them.
Another section of the workshop would also take care of the maintenance of the solar panels.
In addition to this, specific tools for cleaning the tools before moving them to the off-site after use are made available to farmers, specifically pressure washers.
Each farmer should be provided with a small pressure washer to use with the agricultural tools before returning them, in order to avoid spreading mud along the route between the warehouse and the home.
The offices could also be connected to the offices of the other warehouses, maintaining a real network, and if necessary authorize the movement of certain tools and equipment from one warehouse to another in particular cases of need.
Of course, it may also make sense for farmers to think that certain tools can be kept on loan for extended periods, when there are very pressing needs, but perhaps having shared management ultimately improves their use in every sense, as the maintenance of the tools is also optimized.
In the event that farmers own some tool because they consider it strategic, the use of a shared warehouse could still optimize its use during periods when the work tool is not used (via reservation lists) and at the same time guarantee careful and wise maintenance.
As for other tools and equipment, it must be said that even in those cases, keeping statistics on their use would help to understand how and when certain equipment is used and to optimize its use.
In addition to this, it would also be useful to have statistics on the use of other equipment, in order to understand which are used and which are not in use, in order to optimize their use and their condition.
It is better to keep an eye on farms because they should be in good condition, because they are important to guarantee quality food.
Written by : Marco Bagnaresi
Email : contact@mbcraft.it