Ideal Corn

Corn is one of the most widely-grown crops in the United States and the world, therefore, development of a more efficient nutrient- and space-using corn that could thrive especially well in organic or sustainable production, as well as colder climates than where it is currently grown, would have profound impacts on the world’s ability to produce food without stealing from future generations.

Maize as it is currently grown in the United States is mostly non-dwarfing, and can reach heights of around 7 feet or more, while producing only between one and three ears per plant. A major drawback to this is that the plant must use significant amounts of Nitrogen just to establish its massive stalk, which then is only used to support one or two productive ears. What would happen if we shrank the plant? It’s been done already in corn, resulting in earlier maturing plants and planting densities twice that of conventional corn. In Wheat, another cereal crop, dwarfing plants had higher yields per plant, and higher nutrient efficiency use; I would expect the same in dwarf corn.

The next issue, then, is that corn only produces one ear per node, and one or two nodes per plant. This is simply an inefficient use of stalk. Why can’t ears be growing up the entire stalk, and in groups of more than one at each node? A model for this is the wheat plant, which has seeds in groups of three all the way around the head of the plant. In corn, there is already a gene that results in more than one ear: the twin-ear gene, that creates either doubled or “bouquet” ears at each node. It is an extremely recessive that was discovered in the 70’s but could not be stabilized.

I propose a corn variety combining these two traits: multiple-ear-per-node, dwarfing corn that is extremely space efficient, nutrient efficient, and cold tolerant.

Alex VanTuyl

http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/corn/production/management/hybrid/multiple.html

Food Rankings

We evaluated the items from the food blog, and according to each resource flow assigned them a value.  Averaging out those values we were able to get a comparable score for each item and make a ranking.  We also individually evaluated each piece into things we definitively did want on the farm, things that should still be considered, and things that probably will not be a good fit when everything is taken into account.

You can see our work here.

(No Subject)

FarmBox: It's Brilliant!

There is a need in communities across the world to produce and consume food locally. During World War II, victory gardens produced 40% of the nation’s food. A large part of the lack of local food is education. It’s the missing link between us and our food. It’s nearly impossible to tell where our food comes from, and a complete mystery to most as how to grow a vegetable garden ourselves. We are proposing an education and communication network that starts with a box.FarmBox would be a starting kit for people interested in growing their own food. The box would be provided (for a fee) by the farm and be the cornerstone for a communication and education network. The boxes would start in the greenhouse; they would be planted and rented out for the growing season. Upon the end of the season you would return the box for replanting. This would come with a membership to a website that would allow the user to connect with other box-farmers, who could share their expertise and guidance.The site would also mimic a miniature trading and bartering market. Let’s say you grew too many potatoes, and are in dire need of some carrots in your life. You could post this as a trade on the site, and another person may be in the exact opposite predicament willing to make that trade.The site and box will also be complimented with a class offered by the organic farm that an Organic Agriculture undergrad would teach for credit. This class will teach box users how to deal with their new farm, and how to expand into their yard when they feel confident. The idea is to get people used to farming and comfortable with the idea of trading in their lawn for a new garden.As it always is, someone has come up with a few of these ideas already, this site below details come great FarmBoxes already in use.http://www.earthsolutions.com/Farm-in-Box-Aquaponics_c_214.html

Lazy Farmers

One of the largest costs and considerations in farming is the management ofweeds which directly compete with crops for nutrients, light, and space. Bycreating a hospitable environment for harvester ants within our farmhouse wecould potentially decrease these costs. Seed mortality is one of the mostinfluential factors in regulating plant prosperity (Baraibar et al. 2009).Harvester ants form colonies of up to tens of thousands of individuals thattirelessly scour areas of land for seeds to eat or store in undergroundgranaries for later consumption. These ants are already an unintended pestcontrol in some agricultural lands but more often than not the tilling andconstant application of chemical cocktails deters these ants from colonizingthe land (Baraibar et al. 2009). By incorporating a designated living areasin or attached to the house we can house them while monitoring andregulating their vitality. During winter the ants’ own granary should feedthem; if it does not (which we will know by monitoring them) we we canremedy it. If the population becomes too big we can kill off a portion anduse the dead ants as a soil amendment (due to N rich bodies) and nematodepathogen (chitinous exoskeleton) (USDA 2008). The ants have a designatedrefuse area (includes excrement, seed coats, dead ants, etc.) which can beeasily gathered and used as a soil amendment. By using artificial pheromonesfrom our ant colony and chemical identification signatures from differentspecies we could limit their foraging area.

Baraibar, B.; Westerman, P.; Carrion, E.; Recasens. (2009). Effects oftillage and irrigation in cereal fields on weed seed removal by seedpredators. Journal of Applied Ecology. Issue 46, 2009.

USDA. Chitin; Poly-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (128991) Fact Sheet. Available:http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_128991.htmAccessed:10/06/09

Sucessive Perennial No-Till

Organic no-till production utilizes a mulch layer made from a rolled orchopped cover crop, through which the crop is planted or transplanted.Despite being titled no-till the cover crop does need yearly planting and tobe rolled, and will need to be tilled every few years to compensate forincreased surface residue and pest issues.To reduce further the amount of field work required I came up with the ideaof utilizing perennial crops and early maturing annuals such as subterraneanclover or alfalfa in the place of annual crops for the rolled mulch. Theproblem with these systems is the eventual overtake of fields by the covercrops from self seeding and yearly growth. To compensate for this Idesigned a system which mimics the natural systems of succession of plantand animal types over time.I call this system perennial successive no-till. As fields are taken overby mulch crops they are allow to succeed into a pasture type setting bothproviding feed and space for livestock and giving the fields a rest periodfor a number of years to regain fertility and grow soil structure andorganic matter. After 3-4 years the system is brought back into annualproduction by using highly competitive winter annuals and prescribedovergrazing to outcompete the perennials and annual reseeding crops.

Three paths for fertility, seeding and weed control

                                                                                                Eric Wegner                                                                                                Engr. 420 The current situation at the organic farm involves substantial off-farm inputs for water and fertility (500,000 gallons of aquifer water for irrigation and several truckloads from the WSU composting facility for fertility) as well as substantial hand labor for weed control.  The soil is prepared for planting with a spader, usually followed by a rototiller.  Tillage operations dry the soil, increasing the need for irrigation, and break down soil organic matter, offsetting the benefits of compost applications.  This proposal deals with three alternative methods for fertility/water/weed management that could reduce inputs, improve soil organic matter and help control weeds. The first path involves an alternative fertility input as a combination water conservation and weed control strategy.  Alfalfa hay is rich in Nitrogen (75%) and can be processed on site to make a slurry mulch which would deter weed growth and decompose into nitrogen rich compounds and other, more stable, organic matter.  The process would involve using small bale alfalfa hay run through a forage chopper along with some binding material such as recycled newsprint to make a slurry which would be spread in a row two inches deep.  Transplanted crops, such as brassicas, could be planted directly by hand through the mulch soon after application.  Potatoes could be laid in a narrow trench and covered prior to application. Other crops, such as corn, might be able to have the slurry applied post emergence.  Pre-planting preparation would involve only mowing to mulch weeds and crop residues.  Avoiding cultivation can reduce water loss to evaporation by an estimated half inch per operation.  Fertility is harder to estimate, but a typical small bale should reduce to cover a row 2” deep, 30” wide and six feet long, and with a typical weight of 80 lbs, would provide around 52 lbs. of N.  Most of that would not be available to the crop during the growing season, and a majority of it would decay before the next season, but some would leach into the root zone the first year, and more would be available the second year after incorporation. The second path involves a no-till seeding approach, which would be more appropriate for larger crops such as corn, squash, or melons.  This would involve planting a green manure crop the previous fall, such as Austrian winter peas, then mowing the crop down as close to the dirt as possible in the spring just prior to planting, followed by a V-sweep plow and air seeder, possibly with a starter fertilizer added just below the seed level.  The Austrian peas will provide some competition for weeds over the winter, but more importantly will provide around 80 lbs of N per acre as they are broken down in the soil.  The V-sweep plow cuts the peas and any remaining weeds off at one inch below the soil surface, which then forms a soil-mulch layer under the additional mulch of the shredded peas.  Seeding is done in the same pass as the V-sweep with an air seeder, which delivers the seed to a depth just below the soil mulch layer, and can add some starter fertilizer at the root zone at the same time. The third path involves conventional seedbed tillage for crops too small to manage by the previous systems, such as carrots, beets, lettuce or spinach.  Although a fine seedbed is worked up, the soil is covered with a protective layer of heavy kraft paper, through which is planted the seeds by way of a puncturing seed inoculation system.  The small seeds are mixed in a runny paste of corn starch and water, and injected through a puncturing mechanism through the paper mulch.  Liquid fertilizer (fish emulsion or seaweed extract) may be used with the corn starch mixture.

Roaming Rail Fence

It is important to move livestock because of lack of crops to eat, sheltering them, and seasonal weather changes.  The idea of something that would move the livestock on its own with no help from a human hand would further advance the idea of self sustainability.

Here we see the concept of a Roaming Rail Fence; a moving fence which can sense when the livestock are supposed to move.  The railing would be set all around the farm so that a square fence with four posts can move in sections.  Each post would go into the railing that would be embedded in the ground, creating a grid-like railing system, dividing the field into sections.  The fence-posts would be moved by using a magnetic driven system.

For the fence to be able to move however, a sensor will need to be installed.  This sensor will either need to be able to detect the level of grass so that the livestock have something to eat at all times and weather, time of day, and seasonal changes so that they can seek shelter when needed.

The advantage to this would be no cattle or livestock would have to be moved by farmers, it would all be automatic and give it the “smart” aspect.

The disadvantage to this would be not monitoring the cattle in case they got sick or went crazy.  Human eyes are the best judgment in this scenario.

Derek Welsh

How Can We Protect Our Crops from Pests?

Greenhouses are a great way to extend the growing season on a farm; however along with this benefit comes a warmer, moister environment, which attracts more pests. Beneficial bugs such as ladybugs can offer an effective alternative to chemical pesticides. They consume aphids, scales, mites, and other soft-bodies insects and their eggs. Another helpful species for use in a greenhouse is the bumblebee, which pollinates the plants for greater crop yield. Bumblebees fare better than honeybees in greenhouses, because they are less likely to beat themselves up trying to escape. The easiest way to bring both of these insects in is to manually introduce them. We’ve come up with a way of releasing and controlling these bugs. We propose the installation of an aerial railroad track circuit inside the greenhouse. The track would be used to transport “bug hotels” throughout the greenhouse as the bugs are needed in different areas for pest control or pollination. When we open the greenhouse for ventilation or to do other work, it would be ideal to prevent the insects from escaping or interfering with work, hence we suggest the use of pheromones to “call” the bugs back into the mobile habitats. Different pheromones will need to be used for bees and ladybugs, so separate habitats will be required for each.Were we to construct a “mega-greenhouse,” encompassing the entire 5-acre farm, we would need two types of boxes (12 in • 24 in), one containing ladybugs (totaling • 1 gallon) and the second housing bumblebees (totaling •480,000 bees). This 5-acre area would require 55 ladybug hotels and 96 bee hotels (assuming 5,000 insects per hotel).

Christophe Parroco and Jennifer Johnston

Update on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 3:46PM by Jennifer Johnston

Ladybug release rates

"Bug Hilton" concept

Mason Bee Nests

Update on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 4:21PM by Jennifer Johnston

Water Harvester

An issue ofincreasing importance that I have noticed while working on the organic farm isthe number of leaks that occur within our irrigation system. This year inparticular, as our equipment ages, I have recognized major water leaks at thefarm. As we all know, the farm is getting its water from the Pullman Aquifer.Currently the aquifer is not rechargeable and it is declining at tremendousrates.In mydesign I have created a water harvesting device that is specific to the farm.Not only does it store excess water, but also has the capability to measure howmuch water is actually leaking at the farm. This number can be monitored asirrigation is improved by repairing water leaks and perhaps even transitioningto a newer no drip system or alternate system.

Once theexcess water is harvested in a storage device at the bottom of the farm (end ofslope) it can then be pumped back into the main line or to another area. Beforeit is pumped out of storage, water treatment may or may not be necessary. One areathat could use this water might be to the structure that is housing students.

The drains capturing leaking water might also be used tocapture rain water; however estimates of water leakage wouldn’t be as accurate duringthese periods.

Misha Manuchehri

_________________________________________________________________Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service.http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222984/direct/01/

Plug and Play Radiant Heating

The concept that I looked into regaring the smartFarm was to use geothermal heat as well as solar water heater to heat a greenhouse. The Planting Table design shown would involve heating the soil bed on multiple tables through a connected piping system. The use of threaded couplings and manual valves at each table would allow for flexibility with regards to the number of tables used. The radiant floor system shown on the right of this drawing shows how the greenhouse could be split into two zones for times when only half or less of the floor space is being used.

The results from simple calculations for the heating load from the glass surface of the entire building  having an effective U value of 0.756 and 2,620 ft^2 of glass surface are Q = U A delta T -> where delta T was assumed to be 50 deg indoor - 20 deg outside resulted in 59,420 Btu/hr needed. Having two radiant floor loops 16 in on center splitting up the building with 104 deg F water would provide 17,000 Btu/hr or ~ 30% of the heating load.

The result for heating the 4 in soil bed up 20 deg F was determined to be 192 Btu/hr per table (Q = k*(area[ft^2] / depth [in])* delta T). So the assumed 5 tables x 3 rows would equate to 2,880 Btu/hr to maintain the tables at a 20 deg warmer temperature than the surrounding air. The ASHRAE Applications book recommended that the soil not exceed 77 deg F temperature.

These rough calculations would mean that a large volume of 150 deg water would need to be stored from the day time solar collection. Assuming 8 hours of overnight heating, 2 gpm per loop,  the table heating system would require 720 gallons and the radiant floor would require 1040 gallons. These numbers are very raw, but they show that additional heat sources would be needed for the greenhouse on a cold night. A potential additional source would be an insulated bed of gravel underneath the greenhouse that would allow for solar heated water to be ran through allowing heat to be stored under the floor for a good portion of the cold nights.

Movable Hoop Houses

The idea we would like to incorporate into the smartFARM is to have movablehoop houses. Being able to move these around will help maintain the soilproperties so they do not need to be repaired every few years from bacterialgrowth. By moving the hoop houses around, we will also be able to startthings earlier, like tomatoes basil cucumbers and peppers, and extend itemslate into the growing season. This will allow for the farm to increase theirincome during a season while providing more local produce for the people inthe CSA program.

Moving the hoop houses will require a little bit of labor, but it will onlyneed to be done a few times a year. Using hydraulic lifts, we can prop upthe structure and using wheels, we can move it to its new location. A moredifficult part will be holding it down so it does not fly away in a windstorm. We need to determine the locations around the farm for the hoophouses so that we can pour small foundations and relocate the hoop houses tothese for support. In these foundations we can have anchors that are easilyattached to the structure to keep it from blowing away and when we are readyto move them, we can unscrew them from the foundation and relocate them. Foran example, we ran a few calculations and found some possible anchors in theSimpson catalog. For our calculations, we assumed the structure would beable to withstand the forces from wind and the cover would not tear, we werejust looking into the hold downs for the structure.

Kyle Holman & Andrew Kracht

Food- a Cyclical System

Incorporating the idea of food goes beyond just vertical farming and expanding crop areas. Making the produce, and the remains of the old compost an integrated cycle with the structure is advantages to not only the farm’s output, but the building’s as well. By taking selective compost, crop remains and monitored soils, it not only clears up space on the site, but uses the building’s layering system and heat retention to enable a speedy decomposition.

With that, you could take the layering system of the roof, and sandwich the composting container between the panels to create a controllable temperature zone, using the sun’s natural heat to warm the compost to the needed levels. Typically, most compost is broken down in bins or controlled piles, but by creating a new type of membrane we allow the waste to naturally rotate and move itself. The idea is that you would get a peristalsis type effect, much like how your intestines or a worm would move food, using either biometric metals, or even piezoelectricity, as part of the skin fabric (woven into the membrane if possible). With that, energy and heat would cause the skin to move and contract in a way that would rotate and move the compost down the roof until it reached the final filtering stage. In the above image the filter is placed at the end of the “worm” system, and would feed into the hydroponic water system for the vertical farm.

If applied correctly, the thought is that you would be able to derive nutrients from the compost and then feed them into the water (similar to what is called the “Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)”). Since hydroponics don’t involve soils, nutrient-rich water is what sustains these living interior crops. A pump, along with optional timers and sensor controls, would then cycle through the water to the bed in which the crops are planted (from the case studies looked at, organic farming did seem a plausible option for this system, although it is a bit harder to accomplish because extra monitoring is required to meet organic codes).

One suggestion for this “bed,” instead of soil, is Rockwool, which is simply ground up rock that is spun into threads making wool. This material is very light and often sold in cubes, making it easy to install, fitting nicely into the back grid-system in the wall, and also has a lot of space for air in between the little threads (so no matter how much water is present, the plants won’t be overwatered). Serving as insulation to the house, and the plants, the rockwool has little effect on the cation exchange, except for a small effect on pH, and is long—lasting and biodegradable.

It is important to note, that in the long run, compost, nutrients, water, soil and heat are conserved and excess waste is eliminated. Sensing devices would be very beneficial in monitoring the nutrient levels and electro conductivity (within the hydroponic system, as well as temperature, humidity and things like carbon dioxide in the composting-roof system. Constant monitoring must occur so the first group of elements do not build up, which is very toxic to plant tissue. Yet the proposal here is not to complicate our system of food production, but to incorporate it on yet another cyclical level so that waste is minimal. With that, the overall design for the site would integrate the new, and old, principles of WSU’s organic farm on a modern level.

Mackenzie King

Creating Nitrogen Out of Thin Air

In order for any crop to grow as efficiently as possible, it is necessary tocontrol the nutrient needs through fertilization. There are a couple ofnatural ways that nitrates are produced. Nitrates can be formed through aprocess called nitrification. Lightning can also create usable nitrogen bysplitting the atmospheric nitrogen molecule (N2) and then combining it withoxygen. The last and most heavily used approach has been the use ofsynthetic fertilizers.

Our design utilizes the second process of nitrogen “fixation”, where intenseheat and pressure produced by extreme electrical charges can splitatmospheric nitrogen and combine it with oxygen and water droplets toproduce a nitric acid. In order to control this environment we want to usean existing hoop house during a down time in the season, most obviously thewinter, to create very nutrient rich soil to be used during the growingseason throughout the farm.

We want to use a version of the Birkeland-Eyde process where an electricalarc is spread out into a thin disc through the use of a strong magneticfield. Air is blown through this disc causing nitrogen in the air to reactwith oxygen forming nitric oxide. This process can yield up to 4% nitricoxide by volume of air used. Once the nitric oxide is produced we wouldintroduce a mist of water vapor to create nitric acid which can then deliverthe usable nitrogen into the soil.

Some of the rudimentary calculations performed were based on someassumptions. The need for an average 5 acre (wheat) farm is around 4 tons ofusable nitrogen from urea. Through this process an energy need of 15 MWhcould create one ton of usable nitric acid. The average need is around100lbs per acre of used farmland. So we would need around 400 or so lbs ofnitric acid which equates to 3 MWh’s of electricity. At an average price of$100 a MWh we could produce the nitrogen needed for the farm at a cost of$300 plus the cost of the technology.

At any cost, this seems to be an interesting and feasible way to producefertilizer. But the question remains, is it organic or more importantly, isit sustainable?

A Modular Concept

My concept incorporates a living wall (among other things) within a modular system. Circuitry would be incorporated into the two foot wide slider panels which constitutes the modular dimensional parameters. The sliding frames incorporate all the weather barriers necessary and the locking mechanisms for the modules. The frame for the modules themselves would also be a design parameter, but anything within the frame can be designed freely for any necessary use, i.e. storage boxes, fold down counter space, windows, fold out solar panels, fold up shading devices, water tanks, living wall planters, thermal barriers, etc. The tracks serve several purposes. First, it would provide all the circuitry for electricity passage into the panels and, secondly, it would provide an opposing electromagnetic current to “levitate” the panels for easy movement down the track for customization. There could be up to three tracks, though only a double wall system is shown in this example. The water tanks could serve two purposes: water storage for human use and water storage for irrigation of the living wall. This system could also answer the question I answered from structure + skin (can it be seasonal), in a much more fun, customizable, and perhaps even more efficient way.

Blaine Neu

Growing Food and Providing Shade

The footprint of a building takes up land that could be farmed. Losing thisspace drastically impacts the production of the farm. This land could berecreated in the form of planters that could surround a building. Byproviding a simple structure system for the planting trays, this systemcould provide the same growing area or more, than what the buildingfootprint takes up. This system would also provide shade for a building andcould be thought of as a “food producing skin.” Also, this system could bemechanized and operate with the growing season. For example new plantscould start out on the south side, and then mature as they move along theroof and harvesting could take place on the north side.

Jon Follett

Green Manure on the Roof

To start out the food production phase, we saw benefit in the implementationof green manure and no till farming. Green manure has been used to increaseorganic matter, earthworm activity, and increase nitrogen content in soils.However, the limiting factor in terms of green manure implementation was thespace required for such a crop. Companion green manure crops were alsoconsidered, but the competition for water and nutrients with the food cropsled to a roof green manure crop. This would minimize the impact on thefarm’s food production, and would allow the building area to participate inthe crop rotation and soil fertilization. The structure would incorporatebins on the roof, which would contain soil (to a specific depth required bythe specific green manure) and green manure. When the crop has reached itslife span, it will be cut down and left to decay in the soil on theroof. Thesebins would have a hinged door, which would open up to allow the fertilesoils to slide off the roof into catchment to be transported to the foodgrowing area. At this point, the topsoil from the recently harvested foodcrop would be placed in the roof bins, and a green manure crop would beplanted to repeat the process. The soil would already be tilled as it isapplied to the food growing area by virtue of being moved to and from thebuilding roof.

Danny Tappel

Tim Olson

-- Tim Olsontimothy_olson@wsu.edu360-901-0409

Reducing the Use of Herbicides through Target Grazing

Targeted grazing is defined as “the application of a specific kind of livestock at a determined season, duration, and intensity to accomplish defined vegetation or landscape goals” (Target Grazing Book, pg 11).  Recent research is showing that the use of targeted grazing is an effective means of controlling weed growth in grazing lands.  This seems like an excellent way to diminish the use of harmful chemicals in herbicides, while simultaneously providing food for livestock on the farm.  By training livestock to eat weeds as well as conventional vegetation, the land ends up more fertile.

When utilizing livestock as a means to control weed population, there are numerous factors to be considered.  Timing is one issue.  When weeds are in their early stages, their nutritional content is high, and their toxin content is low.  However, in later stages, this reverses, with nutritional content decreased, and toxin content increased.  Another consideration is the type of livestock to be used.  Cows, goats, and sheep all have different preferences in land type, as well as vegetation type.  By choosing the correct livestock (or an optimal mix of livestock), it could be ensured that the maximum amount of weeds would be consumed.

The process of training livestock to eat weeds is not incredibly difficult.   Exposing livestock to the target weed at a young age (considering the animal’s natural preference of vegetation type, i.e.: grass, shrub, etc.) in the presence of other familiar foods is one way to begin the training process. 

Whether or not this practice could be stretched from grazing lands to vegetables is not yet determined.  It would seem that after several generations of training livestock to eat specific foods, they would be more likely to “prefer” eating weeds; however, it seems likely that if they got even one taste of a “sweeter” vegetable, that that training would be quickly forgotten.

Ryan Town

There is an entire book on this subject available for free online.

I wanted to come up with an idea that fostered the idea of no-till farming.  No-till farming would help conserve natural resources on the farm.  Little to no disturbance of the land would minimize erosion of the soil.  With more soil, infiltration rates and water storage would improve.  Soil and water are necessary ingredients for crop production, so it is important to protect them or even increase upon what we currently have on the farm.  More information about soil erosion on the Palouse can be found at http://pnwsteep.wsu.edu/tillagehandbook/chapter1/010185.htm and http://www.tilthproducers.org/tpqpdfs/29.pdf.

The garden weasel was my design inspiration for simultaneously aerating the soil and seeding.  The system is controlled by a computer located in the truck.  The vegetable being planted is selected and the computer adjusts which seeds are feed into the shaft, the length of the spikes and the hole’s diameter.

I have designed a shaft with spikes attached along the circumference and length.  These would puncture the soil, creating a hole for the new seeds to drop into.  Seeds need to be planted at various depths so the spikes would retract into the shaft when necessary.

The seeds, which are stored in a container with separate compartments for each seed type, go through a hose or tubing down into the shaft.  Then the seeds come out of small gate holes located behind each spike.  The seeding component of my design is less time consuming and easier than planting them by hand.

Food Questions

In developing our ideas about Food and its production on the smartFARM, we have developed the following questions.  To examine these and download individual questions, please visit our Flickr Page.