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| [08:27:51] | <mstenta> | farmBOT: log pointer? |
| [08:27:51] | <farmBOT> | http://farmier.com/bot/log/farmOS/2017-12-27#T22467 |
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| [15:06:23] | <permakai> | Hello, anybody able to answer a question for me on Groups |
| [15:06:43] | <mstenta> | Hi permakai - sure what's up? |
| [15:07:35] | <mstenta> | permakai: Oops! I just realized when I replied to your email this morning, I replied to myself! |
| [15:07:35] | <permakai> | Hi Mike, just familiarising myself with the system and wonder what is the Group asset for? Can see many uses just wondered what your ideas on it were |
| [15:07:46] | <mstenta> | I just replied again and made sure it went to you... check your inbox. :-) |
| [15:07:55] | <mstenta> | Sorry about that :-) |
| [15:08:22] | <mstenta> | To paraphrase: Groups are for organizing assets into hierarchies, so you can work with them all at once |
| [15:08:46] | <mstenta> | For example, you can record a harvest/activity/observation log on an entire group |
| [15:08:54] | <mstenta> | It is also used in the new Grazing module to represent Herds |
| [15:09:28] | <permakai> | For example, we categorise our crops along the bio-intensive methoid: heavy feeders, carbon, and roots. Would groups be useful for that? |
| [15:09:36] | <mstenta> | I'll be adding some documentation to farmOS.org in the near future as well |
| [15:10:06] | <mstenta> | Hmm... you could do that... |
| [15:10:29] | <mstenta> | The only benefit would be it would allow you to add a log to the group instead of each individual |
| [15:10:48] | <mstenta> | And you could record changes in group membership over time, but I don't think that will really apply for plants |
| [15:11:00] | <permakai> | that is exactly what we want as we rotate the different types accross our beds annually. |
| [15:11:03] | <mstenta> | Those are the main use-cases for Groups right now |
| [15:11:16] | <mstenta> | Ok - then perhaps it would be useful for that! |
| [15:11:47] | <permakai> | bed 1 is carbon in year one, heavy feeders in year 2, etc. bed 2 is roots in one year, carbon in year 2, etc |
| [15:11:51] | <mstenta> | I tried to design the "Group" asset very generally - so that it could be used in creative new ways like that |
| [15:12:15] | <mstenta> | Ok cool - thinking that through... |
| [15:12:32] | <permakai> | crop rotation is a big thing for us as we are organic and it helps in pest control |
| [15:12:37] | <mstenta> | Yea ok... that could work really nicely actually |
| [15:12:58] | <mstenta> | so you would create your different groups: assign the plantings for the year to each group, and set the location of the group to the bed(s) for that year |
| [15:13:32] | <mstenta> | then, when the next year rolls around, you would create a new set of plantings (and archive the old ones), assigned to the same groups, and then "Move" the group to new bed(s) |
| [15:14:10] | <mstenta> | there are still some things i need to figure out with regards to "location" of assets in groups... so this will be a good test case to think those through for me |
| [15:14:36] | <mstenta> | ie: right now, Groups and there members can have separate locations |
| [15:14:44] | <mstenta> | their* |
| [15:15:03] | <mstenta> | but i think that would be ok for your use |
| [15:15:23] | <permakai> | moe like, assign beds 1+4+8+12+.. to carbon for year 2017, and bed 2+5+9+13+.. to HF, etc. then move crops to the beds depending on theior tyoe. Next year would rotate the beds and assign them to a different group |
| [15:15:28] | <mstenta> | you could potentially give the plantings a more specific location (ie: geometry drawn on the map showing where they are in the bed) |
| [15:15:49] | <mstenta> | ok gotcha - i think that would work the same |
| [15:16:30] | <mstenta> | you can give it a try... i would be curious to see what you come up with! and whether or not groups would help in that approach |
| [15:16:47] | <permakai> | our beds are static and we move crops in and out depending on the crop type that bed is for each year |
| [15:16:57] | <mstenta> | i would recommend learning how "Movements and location" of assets works in general: http://farmos.org/guide/location/ |
| [15:17:10] | <mstenta> | ok |
| [15:17:12] | <mstenta> | that makes sense |
| [15:17:25] | <mstenta> | so at the very least, you will want to create areas for each bed |
| [15:17:52] | <mstenta> | and plantings for each crop each year |
| [15:18:21] | <mstenta> | and maybe groups for different type of plantings like you described... |
| [15:18:45] | <mstenta> | i say give it a try and see what you think! i'd love to hear what questions or hurdles you run into |
| [15:19:43] | <permakai> | Thanks, I really like the system and can see it being very useful for us. We tried using cropplanning by clayton carter but found it too prescriptive and couldnt adopt our situation |
| [15:20:24] | <permakai> | farmos is much more flexible - you have done a great job. We will take out a sub as we want to support what you are doing. |
| [15:20:26] | <mstenta> | Glad to hear it! |
| [15:20:29] | <permakai> | Are you on your own? |
| [15:20:49] | <permakai> | i.e. do you have ogthers helping you |
| [15:21:04] | <mstenta> | I've spoken with Clayton in the past - we talked about potentially working together - ideally I envision farmOS providing a more prescriptive system on top as an optional module (but still very flexible underneath) |
| [15:21:26] | <mstenta> | There is another system similar to Clayton's called FARM DATA |
| [15:21:30] | <mstenta> | Also very prescriptive |
| [15:21:47] | <mstenta> | The way I see it we are approaching the problem from two different sides: specific vs general |
| [15:22:10] | <mstenta> | I chose to start very general with farmOS, and add more specific/prescriptive options using general building blocks in the future |
| [15:22:29] | <mstenta> | It means it takes a longer amount of time to get something "useful", but in general allows for a lot more to be created I feel |
| [15:23:10] | <mstenta> | In general it has been me doing most of the development, but there have been a number of small contributions from people, and recently Stephen Woodbridge has been putting a lot of work into the new Grazing module - which is an optional add-on for farmOS |
| [15:23:28] | <permakai> | have looked at farm data - same issue. We are primarily an organic market garden and approach everything from our beds - beds are fixed and numbered and we move crops in and out. The bed is our growing unit. |
| [15:23:44] | <mstenta> | Ah ok -yea that makes sense |
| [15:23:54] | <mstenta> | A lot of market farms work that way\ |
| [15:24:00] | <mstenta> | farmOS can handle that :-) |
| [15:24:30] | <permakai> | once i am up and running i'll try and make a few videos for market gardeners. Unfortunately in New Zealand we grow all year round so dont have much down time |
| [15:24:34] | <mstenta> | And I'm hoping to make it even easier in the future... with a bed-based crop planning module that I've been putting a lot of thought into |
| [15:24:47] | <mstenta> | Haha yea year round growing must be tough! |
| [15:25:08] | <mstenta> | Here in Northeast United States I have a good 8 months of cold weather to work on code :-) |
| [15:25:47] | <permakai> | i used to be an online developer and have some thoughts about crop planning - happy to share with you sometime. Have things like companiion planting, crop rotation, weeding schedule, etc. worked out |
| [15:25:58] | <mstenta> | Yes! |
| [15:26:01] | <mstenta> | That would be great! |
| [15:26:17] | <mstenta> | It would be great to organize a group discussion |
| [15:26:33] | <mstenta> | I know a lot of people who would like to take part in designing it I think |
| [15:27:45] | <permakai> | ok, i'll try and document it properly and send it to you, or probably start a google folder with Entity model, process diagrams so people can contribute to it. I'll send you link in a few weeks. |
| [15:28:43] | <mstenta> | that would be great! |
| [15:28:44] | <mstenta> | thanks! |
| [15:29:35] | <permakai> | ok, i hope to be in the hangout in January so see you then. Is it okay to use this IRC if I have more questions? |
| [15:29:59] | <mstenta> | great! |
| [15:30:04] | <mstenta> | yea I'm usually in this room |
| [15:30:17] | <mstenta> | i check the logs, so if i don't answer feel free to leave a message :-) |
| [15:30:58] | <permakai> | awesome - thanks for clearing that up. Chat later - its 9:30am here so time to work |
| [15:31:18] | <mstenta> | sounds good! |
| [15:31:19] | <mstenta> | take care! |
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