It’s becoming clear that using storage containers in farming is incredibly popular. Perhaps surprisingly, the basic storage container is versatile and even customizable. And can serve a wide variety of needs in farming and agriculture. If you don’t have one, now is the time to rent a farm storage container, and here’s why.
Why Would Farmers Use a Storage Container?
1. Its Versatile Storage
One of the main advantages of a storage container is that it’s very spacious. It lends itself to a variety of different uses. On a farm, especially, you have a lot of storage needs that a container meets.
Pesticides
If you’re running a farm, chances are you have a lot of different items to store, including toxic substances. Substances like pesticides, poison, and even animal traps you need to use seasonally against critters and vermin; can’t be kept together with the animal feed. Put them somewhere where they might be accessible. Or where they might be left out in the sun or harsh weather.
For all of your toxic substances that you need to be careful with, it’s a great idea to store them separately, and that’s where containers come in. You don’t even need to store them on your property if you can’t or don’t want to. Just rent a storage container and access your pesticides when you need them and return them safely.
Animal Feed
Most farmers use storage containers for animal feed, and it makes sense – they’ve got high capacity, they’re sturdy, they are weather-proof, and they’re easily accessible, making them an ideal way to store large quantities of animal feed, especially over the winter.
Owning a container can make access easier, but it’s not a problem even when you’re renting. You can have access to your container any time you want. You can retrieve any quantities of feed your animals need.
Farming Storage Container Equipment
Farming equipment is also something you use seasonally, and in the meantime, especially over the winter, they still need to live somewhere. It can take up a lot of space that you may not have, so storing them away from your property is a great solution.
That way, you can pay for storage over the winter or whenever you’re not actively using your equipment. It’s safe, it’s protected from the elements, and it’s out of your hair until you need it again.
2. It’s Weatherproof
The challenge with creating alternative storage solutions is often the fact that sustainable or reusable materials are not weatherproof or are prone to quick deterioration. The advantage of a storage container is that it’s a very solid structure that stands the test of time and can be used long-term, for up to around 10 years. In addition, it’s completely weather-proof and resistant to the elements, so anything you want to store inside it will be completely protected from the rain or snow, especially if you’re looking for seasonal storage over the winter.
3. It’s Sustainable
Sustainability may not be a concern on the mind of every farmer, but it’s one of the major reasons why people love to use storage containers. Instead of creating demand for more new structures and using up land and building materials, a lot of these storage containers already exist, many of them are abandoned, and otherwise fallen into disuse.
Acquiring and repurposing an abandoned container is ideal, but renting is also a great way of using a resource that already exists and giving it a new lease of life. Especially if you don’t need the container for storage all year round, this can be a great compromise.
Farmers need to find ways to integrate more sustainable practices into their activity, and opting to reuse and recycle, especially when it comes to things like storage, is a great first step.
4. You Can Create a Container Farm
Did you know that farmers are taking it upon themselves to experiment with container agriculture? It’s true, container farming is a popular phenomenon that has recently taken off as part of the sustainable farming movement.
In this new approach to farming, you don’t need land, sunlight, or weather conditions to grow your crops. This self-contained, highly and carefully controlled environment is the closest you can get to precision farming.
The best thing about it is that it doesn’t require much space, but it can be expanded with the simple stacking of more containers. In addition, it’s an extremely efficient use of resources. Since it’s a controlled production, there is no risk of losing your crop to unsuitable weather. Not only does it save money, but it also saves time, and more importantly, resources. No water ever goes to waste, and everything is perfectly calculated for optimal results. It also has the advantage of making it more accessible for urban farming in an era where it’s impossible to find – or afford – farming land.
Why Not Just Buy a Container?
Since they’re so useful and versatile, then why not just buy one? Well, it might not always be worth it.
You Might Not Use Them Year-Round
Buying a storage container to own is great if you’re going to use it heavily year-round, but unfortunately, for most farmers, their usefulness tends to be seasonal. Since you don’t need to be storing large quantities of pesticides, for example, for months on end, you might be paying a premium for no reason.
In most cases, it makes more sense to rent, because that way, you have the freedom and the flexibility to only keep it and use it when you need it. That way, you only pay for the few months where you need it, and it doesn’t take up valuable space that might be better used elsewhere.
The overall cost ends up being more affordable this way and it just makes more financial sense. If you have never used one before, renting is recommended before buying.
They’re Difficult to Acquire
But even if you did want to purchase one, at the moment, that may not be an easy feat. There is actually a storage container shortage at the moment, due to a variety of factors. Mainly, it’s a matter of them being highly in demand, but the process of making them is lengthy, causing manufacturers to fall behind on what they’re producing. That, in turn, is causing delays with shipping. To that, add the fact that some are hoarding containers, and you’ve got a perfect storm.
They’re scarce, the costs are rising, and the waiting times are long. That means that at this point in time, it’s actually much more efficient to rent a storage container for your needs, rather than purchase one. You might discover that it’s not worth the inflated cost.
Farm Storage Container Bottom Line
All in all, utilizing containers can be a wonderful, convenient solution for farmers for a variety of reasons. Containers are extremely popular at the moment, not just among farmers, but among the eco-friendly community, particularly for their sustainable nature.
Because these containers already exist, renting them and using them for storage, as intended, or even for novelty uses such as farming, is the most sustainable practice. That way, no new materials are being used, and you reuse this existing container to store animal feed, pesticides, or even farming equipment.
Renting is a much better option than buying, not just because it’s a more sustainable choice, but also because it’s cheaper and easier, given the current price increase and scarcity of new containers.