I hear you..every word you said.. Should we move to a model that shares equipment? Or create farming-as-a-service?
Of course this might mean that farms have to be contiguous acres. But less risk and lower capital sunk is a good deal. That is the kind of disruption needed.
So there is currently an informal structure for that across the US. I know where and who has a combine that I can borrow or pay just a little bit to harvest my crops. I know who can cover feeding for me if I'm out of town.
Also, that is what we used to do across the country. Co-ops and informal neighborly agreements to trade labor used to be the standard. We've gotten away from that with the development of mega-farms.
Start following some row crop farmers on Twitter, especially the guys that post tractor porn. This stuff will blow your mind. They can plant dozens of rows of corn in a single pass. The software and tech that drives a big John Deere planter is just unbelievable. Also, unbelievably expensive.
Of course this might mean that farms have to be contiguous acres. But less risk and lower capital sunk is a good deal. That is the kind of disruption needed.