u/AgentBanks

I have a 30x96 high tunnel greenhouse, and working before/after the sun is up is very important so I can avoid the worst summer heat and still get things done in the shorter winter days.

Right now, I have a 100ft string of LED work site lights that zig-zag across the middle of the structure (hanging about 8ft off the ground). They work in a pinch, but aren't great. Too many shadows and too dim to do any good work. I also have a free standing work light that I use, but it's a pain, throws too many shadows, is too harsh, etc.

One thing to keep in mind is that I am working with a constantly changing set of plants in there, so sometimes a tall tomato or vine might block light horizontally to the next row. Not sure how else to describe that. The layout is essentially 7 planted rows, with 6 walking paths between them. The two edge rows are against the outer walls and are 2ft wide, and the other 5 planted rows are 4ft wide. All walking paths are 1ft. I'd love a string of lights over each walking path, but that seems like it's going to be WAY too expensive.

I want a permanent solution to hardwire in so I can just switch it on when I step inside. My two thoughts have been:

1. Cheap, damp rated LED shop lights. Maybe 4ft fixtures. I'm not sure how to space these, though, and would love advice.

2. High quality, outdoor rated string light fixtures. These are ideal, but the cost balloons very quickly. Got a quote online for 330ft of fixtures and LED bulbs that came out to over $1500. All before adding plugs and end caps, materials to hang them, and modifying my circuit to add a switch and location to hardwire or plug them in.

If those string lights are the best option, I'll just wait a while and buy them when it makes more financial sense. That being said, I wanted to see if anyone has other ideas/suggestions. It doesn't need to be pretty, just functional.

Other wants/needs:

NEEDS:

- damp rated (won't get direct rain or anything, but will get dew, fog, etc)

-temp stable (8ft off the ground will easily be over 120f on a super hot day, and will get will below 0f in the winter at night)

- long lasting (will pay more for something I don't need to replace in a couple years)

WANTS:

- easy to hang (from metal tubing)

- downward reflectors (I have no need at all to throw light up, so would like to focus in down/to the sides)

- economical (cheaper is better to an extent, especially if it helps me get more of the area covered)

Open to any suggestions. It's not something I need to figure out today. Probably a fall/winter project. Happy to provide more info as needed.

Northern Indiana, USA.

Soil here is generally a sandy loam, but a lot of my 1.6 acre property was heavily disturbed over the last several decades, and now there are areas full of gravel, concrete waste, and even asphalt chunks. I'd like to get another 3,000+ sqft cleaned up and start cropping it to try and apply for a 2nd EQIP high tunnel. I've had the soil tested for heavy metals and oil, and found nothing concerning.

I have a small kubota with a FEL and bucket, but not much else. I'm not opposed to purchasing and/or renting equipment as needed.

I'm hoping someone has clever ideas of how to read this space. I've spoken with people from NRCS, my local SWCD, various farm groups, etc. Just haven't found a particularly good way to handle it yet. My ideas are:

- Pay someone to come remove the top 6" or so over the whole area, then bring in clean topsoil (will be really expensive)

- Build a soil separator and rent a machine to slowly dig up the area, tumble out all the stones/junk, then return the cleaner soil and add clean fill as needed

- Get teeth for my FEL bucket, use that to pop out any of the bigger pieces, then get a pto tiller to bust up the topsoil and rake out any of the worst areas to clean it up

- Remove the big pieces, and buy a 'stone burying tiller' for the tractor to just push any of the smaller pieces deep enough to not be in the root zone

I'm open to other suggestions and/or reassurance that one of these is my best bet. First year or two would be growing something like wheat, sunflowers, or sorghum just to get a crop on it for the purposes of meeting EQIP funding requirements, then switch to diversified veggies once it's covered.

We have 1.6 acres in northern Indiana, USA. This includes our small house, a large workshop building, and our high tunnel.

The plan is to acquire a few more acres, maybe 5-10, close by to expand our growing operation. Possibly even to move the market garden off our personal property and focus it on this 2nd parcel. The landowner directly adjacent to me is not interested in selling/leasing. My community is very rural, but most of the large parcels are owned by big farm companies/families.

We've started seeing smaller portions of land come up on Realtor for prices that would be doable for us. These are mostly ~5 acre lots with a house.

Question is:

How do I best prepare myself to buy a small lot? I'm assuming I should get pre-approved with a lender, then wait for something to come up for sale and jump on it ASAP?

Best case would be a small lot WITHOUT a house, just to save on the cost of a structure I don't really need. But, I could also rent a house out, or use it as a work space if we had it. Getting a farmer close by to subdivide a parcel would be the dream, but seems unlikely.

On a similar note; who do I use as a lender for this? If I find something with a house, I assume a regular mortgage lender would be good. But if I'm specifically looking to expand the farm, should I be talking to a ag lender? Would this be too small of a purchase to be worth their time?

TL;DR I have a little farm, tons of rodents, and no snakes. Is there some way to get native snakes onto the property?

I'm aware this might be a dumb question, and that a rehab facility likely isn't the place to ask for this, but maybe someone here can point me in the right direction.

I live on a couple acres in the sandy portion of Northern Indiana. We're flanked by ag land, overgrown/fallow field, and road, but there is remnant prairie, as well as low quality wood/shrub land close by. I am (slowly) getting some native plants going around the property, but most of the property is turf and small farm/greenhouse related.

We have lots of rodents. Issues with booming populations of 13-lined ground squirrels, mice, etc. Not a SINGLE snake in the last 5 years we've been here. I set out wood/metal sheets in the tall gass that I check regularly. I am constantly out looking for new plants/birds/bugs, and have never so much as seen a fragment of shed skin. I have a background in restoration ecology, education/outreach, etc and know my way around finding critters. I'm confident they aren't here. Not even on the streets nearby.

That's a long way to get to the point of asking if there's a way to get someone to bring a snake(s) to the property. If not a rehabber, then maybe a pest control agency? Make a post on the local Facebook page? I think my parcel is essentially in a spot that it's hard for new snakes to get here, if that makes sense. They would have to cross a road and/or field.

28

Male

5' 8" 160lb

White

Midwest USA

Diagnosed with migraines caused primarily by barometric pressure changes

Current meds: Tizanidine (as needed, rare), Lexapro, Adderall

Duration: many years

This has become the type of issue that is so persistent, and relatively low level, that I honestly don't recall when it started. Simply put, there's a lump of hard mucus above my soft palate that I can never quite clear. It gets worse when I'm not good about my water intake, but I work outdoors a lot and have been very good about my hydration for years. I can feel it at any time, but it's so persistent that I rarely notice it. It does cause me to clear my throat frequently, and I often don't notice that I'm trying to "snort" it down. It doesn't really hurt, but it is uncomfortable.

Gross warning:

VERY occasionally it will knock loose, which provides momentary relief. The last time it came loose, I gagged and coughed out a large amount of mucus. The side that faced away from the wall of my throat was relatively dry and tough, like a piece of soft leather close to the size of a dime. I don't ever recall clearing it so fully before or since, but it usually acts like a very dense post-nasal drip, which can cause gagging and discomfort on particularly bad days.

I also get very painful migraines, tied specifically to barometric pressure changes. Almost every time a large, abrupt storm front moves thru, I will get a migraine. These start with sinus pain under my eyes, which causes tight muscles at the very top of my neck, which is where the pain originates. If I don't take a mix of anti inflammatories, Tizanidine, and some concoction of dark chocolate/sprite/coffee in time, they can also cause pain in my jaws/teeth on very bad days.

I believe these are at least partially connected, and my sinus issues are caused, at least in part, by the same mucus buildup that causes this lump in my throat. It really feels like I could solve both if I could blow my nose and cough just right.

I've tried a lot of different ideas to resolve these, and haven't had much success with anything.

Allergy meds have never helped, but non-medicated nose sprays have occasionally helped clear things up. I had a menthol (?) saline spray at one point that could sometimes make my nose run enough to open up.

Afrin did not help, and made me feel worse.

I've tried various Neti pots over the years, and it doesn't help at all.

It's not humidity related. I live in the Midwest where it is incredibly humid all summer, and dry all winter. Neither conditions help. A humidifier in the bedroom does not help, nor do hot showers.

When I have the migraines, I can sometimes feel the exact moment my sinus opens up and/or the mucus drains. I hear an audible click, and the pain lessens within a few seconds.

For what it's worth, my dad has almost the same issue. He also has had issues with sleep apnea and snoring, which I do not have. I used to laugh because I'd hear him "snort" really loud during a shower, then gag really hard. I do that now occasionally as well if the shower is really steamy. It never clears much, but sometimes it's enough to make me feel like I can't swallow without gagging. My dad has also said he has just gotten used to it, and no doctor ever figured it out.

If anyone has some insight here, I would appreciate it. I finally scheduled an appointment with an ENT later this month, but I like to have an idea of what I'm dealing with before talking with a doctor. It helps me communicate my symptoms better if I can understand what the symptoms/possible issues are called.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Country

USA

• Budget

$500 or less

• Are you open to refurbs/used options?

Yes

Screen size

Any, but needs to be small enough to carry easily, large enough to read in the field

• Weight limit

Any, heavier is fine if it is more durable

• Purpose

Farm work

• Form factor

Standard

• Intended usage

Low demand programs for data collection/spreadsheets, handling emails, video calls with clients, accounting, coding for Arduinos/others, etc.

• Desired battery life

8

• Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life

Battery Life, Size, Weight, Performance

• Info/Requirements

I run a small farm in northern Indiana, USA, and find myself really needing a laptop that I can at least handle the above tasks with. Something relatively rugged that I could realistically take with me around the farm would be ideal, so that I can do my data collection in the greenhouse, load new programs to Arduinos for automation, etc. If possible, I'd like to find something I can use in the sun without immediately overheating, and being able to read the screen well enough in the sun would also be great. Doesn't need to be very nice, new or fancy, but it does need to be able to handle these simple tasks quickly/effectively (which this very old Chromebook I am on now cannot handle anymore). Happy to find something refurbished or new depending on how the price works out. We're a very small operation for now, so low price is also a benefit.

Seems like many people I talk lately have been extra tired and/or spacey lately. I'm starting to wonder if it's related to the air quality and/or heat. I work outside a bit most days, so I'm definitely feeling it from the heat, but this has been worse than usual.

Been going to bed much earlier than usual the last few days, and have been tired before even making it to noon. Our toddler has been sleeping a lot. My coworkers are similarly tired, so I'm not thinking it's specific to my household or anything.

Considering setting up an air purifier and seeing if that helps with more restful sleep or anything like that.

Just looking for conversation from others in the region to see if others are feeling similarly, or if it's just the people in my circle.

I am starting up a small mushroom farm, and I have interest in expanding that work into cultivating fungi for remediation and other industries. Since I already have the space/infrastructure and experience with maintaining and expanding cultures, I figure this would be a neat side project. Making a ton of money isn't necessarily the main goal. I'd be interested in doing this as a side project, maybe partnering with local universities as a research project for myself and possibly students if the opportunity presents itself.

I'm mainly looking for works that detail specific species/strains that are either proven or are promising for mycoremediation. That way I could look into acquiring those species and going from there.

Remediation is the main thing that comes to mind for me, but I am also interested in any other novel applications of mushroom/fungal cultures. I want to transition into mushroom farming as a full time gig within the next 6-12 months, but being able to offer other products/services that the typical grower doesn't provide would give me a nice niche.

Any ideas/resources are welcome. Happy to talk shop about mushrooms too if that gives some context for what I'm building towards.

Workshop with ~15ft ceilings that I bought a few years ago. The lighting is all 8ft double tube fluorescent fixtures (some are split and use four 4ft tubes) that are hanging from hooks and are plugged in on the ceiling. I framed some rooms in one shop bay, and removed the fixtures in there while standing on the ceiling joists, but they are HEAVY and very awkward to handle at height.

The tubes are almost all dead at this point, so it's pretty dim in there at night. I have some LED shop lights that I plan to install after removing these old giant fixtures. But, I'm not sure how to do that safely/efficiently.

Does anyone have a suggestion? I'm considering renting a scissor lift and having it delivered/picked up, but that's obviously going to be costly. The shop floor is also a little rough/uneven in some spots. I've never used a lift before, so not sure if it is appropriate for something like this.

Short of buying, building, and constantly moving scaffolding, I don't see another option. I'm sure I could install the new lights with a big A-Frame ladder, but I'm definitely not getting these 8ft fixtures down on that.

Any input/ideas are appreciated. Mostly making sure nobody has a clever idea before I rent the machine in the next couple weeks.

EDIT: I think I've landed on a solution. I'll rent/buy some scaffolding with wheels (cheaper than I thought). I'll tie the fixtures off to some long strings (with someone holding them on the ground), and use the existing hooks/eye bolts on the ceiling to lower them down from the floor. I think 8ft fixtures would be too cumbersome/dangerous to handle on the scaffolding since I'd have to unhook one side, then move to the other end to fully release it. Thanks for all the input! Didn't expect so many responses.

I see this all the time on old CMU shops around here, but I'm not sure exactly what it's called. The method I've seen just leaves the window penetration in the wall, and has plywood or another sheet material as a replacement. The sheet isn't typically flush with the exterior of the wall, but is set in like a window.

I'm mostly looking for either:

A) Whatever this is called so that I can look it up and see the details. I can't come up with the right search query to find this on Google.

Or

B) Some insight on how I should go about doing this to keep the penetration air/water tight. I'm assuming I could use some treated wood to frame the penetration perimeter, cut a groove in the middle of that wood, and set a piece of exterior plywood in it. Then seal the joints and paint.

My old windows are pretty rotten and leaky, so they need dealt with either way. I have projects coming up that will require venting thru the wall. I've drilled the CMU for vents before, and can do it again, but this would be easier (and more simple to modify in the future).

I have a very large (3,000 sqft with ~15ft ceiling height) CMU shop on my property. The building used to have a flat roof, but a standard pitched roof was built over that at some point to provide an attic over the whole shop. The ceiling is at least partially insulated between the shop ceiling and the old flat roof surface, but I don't believe it's done well or is in good shape. The walls are just painted CMU.

I want to Insulate, fix up the doors, remove some old rotten windows, etc and then condition the space. Does anyone have suggestions for how I should go about insulating in a relatively cost effective way?

In an ideal world, I think I'd add several inches of rigid foam to the outside of the wall, then side over it. But I think that's going to be a nightmare project that would be super expensive.

Other idea now is to frame a stud wall just off the inside of the CMU wall, then pay a contractor to spray foam the cavities before finishing the wall over that. I'm assuming that would come out much cheaper than $70+ per sheet for rigid foam, plus the cost of siding. I've heard lots of complaints about spray foam, and I've never had it done before.

Could also frame the interior wall and do fiberglass batts in the stud bays. That seems relatively simple.

Also considering a deep drop ceiling to eat up some of the unused air space and give somewhere to add ceiling insulation.

What do you all think? Any ideas/feedback? Doesn't have to be THE cheapest option, but ideally not something that'll totally break the bank. Also willing to do most of the work myself, but not afraid to contract things out that need to be handled by pros. I can get into the details of future plans for the shop if need be, but I don't think it'll matter much for this conversation.

I am running/starting up a small specialty farm business. We've got a small amount of land, and a big greenhouse that has allowed us to hit farmers markets with produce several weeks earlier than the other produce vendors. Additionally, I'm getting back into growing gourmet mushrooms at a relatively small scale, which I've done off/on over the years without ever really selling any.

​

I'm at (seemingly) a crossroad right now. It is clear to me that I can make a few hundred dollars selling my produce and mushrooms at a market or two every week. That covers my costs to operate the farm pretty well. Since I don't have much more space outdoors to grow regular produce, I want to lean more heavily into the mushrooms, which I can dedicate up to about 2,000 square feet of shop/garage space to. That's plenty of space to grow a LOT of mushrooms if I can get the infrastructure set up.

​

My worry boils down to the fact that I am currently working a full time, 40+hrs a week job while doing this farm work on the side, and I just don't have the capacity to scale up slowly beyond where I'm already at. This "middle part" where I'd have to spend more time and resources on it without making enough money to justify leaving my 'real' job is weighing heavily on me. Doing it at a small scale has been manageable but tough, and I know I could logically build out the infrastructure to grow mushrooms at a large scale IF I knew I'd be able to sell them.

​

So, how do I go about understanding the potential larger scale buyers if I can't show them that I actually have the capacity to supply them yet? Is it common/reasonable to approach restaurants or small grocery stores with samples of what I grow, and essentially say "I can't do it RIGHT NOW, but if you have interest in larger columns of these, I could make it happen within the next 6 months"?

​

Could I ask for something like a letter of interest to show a potential lender? I feel very confident that I could get a setup built to supply several hundred pounds of several species of mushrooms, tailored to whatever there is demand for. I just can't dump the money into all of that equipment, nor do I feel like I can justify leaving my current job to reallocate my time without some market validation beforehand. And that's just something I haven't had to do before.

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Any advice would be appreciated. I love this portion of my life and really want to expand it, but I have to do it piecemeal right now in between my main job obligations.

I am/will be growing gourmet mushrooms indoors. Part of the process I'll use involves soaking my growing media (in this case it's cereal straw or wood shavings) in a solution of hydrated lime for several hours to pasteurize it before "planting" my mushrooms in it.

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After the substrate soaks, I'll neutralize the solution to close to pH7 using vinegar or another acid. Then I've got 30 or so gallons of this solution to dispose of. Seems like people on municipal sewer just dump it down the drain without issue, but it's not clear to me if I can just pour it down my drain to the septic.

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I'm assuming that there isn't much issue because it'll really just be water with a bunch of calcium in it, but wanted another opinion. The initial solution is about 0.2% lime by weight.

I've got a high tunnel greenhouse in northern Indiana, USA that relies on a 12v electrical system to run a small fan to inflate the roof (literally just a Weatherproof computer fan), a pair of small linear actuators to open/close some louvers, and a pair of small electric motors to roll up the side curtains. There are also 120v horizontal airflow fans, but those aren't as mission critical as the inflation fan and vent controls. The inflation fan keeps the top plastic taught, which prevents it from whipping around in the wind, and the whole structure overheats very quickly in full sun without the ability to auto vent. Worst case would be losing all power during a windy storm, the roof deflates, and the wind rips it up.

Whole 12v system currently runs off a power supply that's plugged into a standard outlet. I'd like to either have a simple backup system in case of an outage, or just set something up to provide a dedicated 12v generation/distribution sysyten and ditch the current 120v to 12v setup.

The vent actuators and inflation fan draw about 116 watts. I believe the curtain motors are 60 watt each, so 120 total. The inflation fan runs 24/7/365, the vent actuators and curtain motors are on thermostats and only run a few times a day.

Just looking for some input on what would make sense here. My worry is that I still need everything to run in the winter when the tunnel will drop to ambient temps at night. So if I were to put a battery out there, it would have to handle those lows as well as high temps in the summer (and some drastic swings from day to night). The greenhouse is far enough from any other buildings that it would be too inconvenient to store components somewhere climate controlled. Is it reasonable to try and switch over to a solar panel or two and a couple 12v boat batteries or something? I'm not sure how simple this can be, but simpler is definitely better from a maintenance and cost perspective.

Any ideas are welcome, and thanks in advance!

Title describes the situation. Got an LG ventless washer/dryer combo last month, and really like it so far. It's been essentially silent, until I started a load this morning. Now I am hearing a thump/pop every 2nd rotation, only when the drum spins clockwise. It's absent when spinning counterclockwise.

I initially thought something fell back behind the drum somehow, but the fact that it only happens in one direction is confusing me.

I also can't feel exactly where it is, so it's not something bumping the outer shell. It's not unlike the sound you get when you push a jar lid down, sort of like a metallic pop.

Any ideas? I'm working with their support team now as well.