CoolBots(TM): Inexpensive Cold Storage

Demand for on-farm cold storage of produce and other Vermont agricultural products is increasing as local markets for these goods expand. I receive many inquiries regarding CoolBotsTM, an adaptation of a window air-conditioner to make a cooler out of an insulated space. This article is intended to collect related resources in one place and to [...]

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 at 13:14 and is filed under Energy on the Farm, Equipment, Refrigeration and Storage.

Energy and Waste in the Food System

Although estimates vary, we invest about 14 calories of fossil fuel-based energy and 15-20 calories of energy in general into every 1 calorie of food produced.  And (here’s the kicker) 30-50% of the food produced never makes it to a digestive track.  So those energy input numbers are actually low by any true measure of [...]

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 5th, 2013 at 14:21 and is filed under Uncategorized.

FIDO – A Do-it-yourself Temperature Monitor with Text Message Alerts

As I’ve mentioned in several other posts, I think the continual monitoring of conditions in greenhouses and food storage spaces is incredibly important for quality and safety and insightful for any operation. There is a really clever design for a do-it-yourself temperature monitoring system called Fido, on the FarmHack site.  It uses an Arduino control [...]

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 2nd, 2013 at 14:42 and is filed under Energy on the Farm, Equipment, Food Safety, Heating, Refrigeration and Storage.