I was amazed when I saw the vertical farming concept. And then, I started to wonder...is this really where agriculture is headed? I grew up around farming, and I remember my grandfather and uncles really having a pride about caring for their farms - the land, the livestock, the facilities, the equipment. While he stopped his dairy farm before I was old enough to be on his farm, my mom has stories of waking up each morning and working with the dairy cows to get the milk each day. I try to picture my ancestor famers behind robots or building Wick buildings that look like warehouses in order to vertically farm crops, and I just have trouble picturing it.
On the other hand...if disease and nutrients can be controlled in an indoor environment. And if climate can be controlled to eliminate storm damage or drought or excess rain, this high-tech farming seems to make sense, doesn't it? And if farmers can virtually guarantee their crop each "cycle", then is there a need for crop insurance? While I'm sure the mechanical and vertical farming operations are indeed expensive, perhaps the cost would be less than typical farming equipment, wouldn't it?
Like many of you, I guess I view this technology as exciting and scary. Oh, one other thing...would crops like this lead to better nutrition for people. Without having to apply pesticides and other chemicals to preserve crops, would indoor facilities be not only more productive but feature a healthier end product for people to consume? Lord knows especially in the U.S. how we really need our population to be healthier...then how much money would be saved on medical and health care costs.
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