Laying Down on the Job Just Got More Productive

Jul 12, 2024
By Farms.com

Photo Credit: Crop Care

Comfortably and easily harvest and maintain crops, while minimizing pain.

Byline: Nevan Hagarty
Company: Crop Care

When you’re growing crops such as fruits and vegetables that must be harvested by hand to avoid damage, or any other crop that requires manual weeding and maintenance – the most common (and understandable) complaint is the intense strain that this activity causes when constantly bending over.

Over many hours, neck and back pain are all but inevitable. That is, unless you have a Crop Care solar-powered Picking Assistant.

One of the most unique, yet ingenious pieces of farm machinery, the picking assistant is a shaded, solar powered, horizontal platform that can tackle long days and rough fields – and most importantly, save your back when picking or maintaining crops.

Featuring dual high-torque gear motors, an all-weather canopy, solar charging system, and a 2-year limited warranty, the Crop Care Picking Assistant makes harvesting not only comfortable, but more fun! Another main feature is the exceptional range of motion this platform provides – with both height and width adjustment and enough torque to handle uneven ground.

Specifications:

Dual Motors and Batteries (12v)
Picking height adjustment: 20” - 30”
Width adjustment: 36” - 60”
Max. Speed: ~44 ft/min

Check out this unique solution from Crop Care to save time and the back strain that comes with hand-picked crops. This is one cool tool that makes laying down on the job MORE productive!

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.