Farm Mechanization for Increased Efficiency Richard Wiswall Cate - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Farm Mechanization for Increased Efficiency Richard Wiswall Cate Farm, Vermont March 2014 www.catefarm.com www.richardwiswall.com

Acknowledgements This presentation was developed for UVM Extension New Farmer Project With funding from the Northeast SARE Professional Development Program http://www.uvm.edu/newfarmer

Contents • Why mechanize? • Fertilizing • Seedbed preparation • Seeding and transplanting • Cultivation • Irrigation • Spraying • Harvesting and washing

Why Mechanize?

“It paid for itself in one day!” I’m not so sure…….. Farmers who have already made the purchase of a piece of equipment are vested in it, and its success. Do the Pencil Test

Cost/Benefit Analysis With new tool Current way of doing it Wash, sort, and bag Wash, sort and bag with $2200 new barrel washer 4000# beets using tub ( 160 25# 20 hours at $15/hour=$300. bags) Payback in 7 seasons 40 hours at $15/hour=$600 If 12,000# of beets (480 bags) If 12,000# of beets (480 bags) 60 hours at $15= $900 120 hours at $15= $1800 Payback in 2.5 seasons

Basic 50 HP two wheel drive tractor

Fertilization 2 wheel drive bucket tractor loading compost

3 PTH Cone Spreader for fertilizer

Seed bed preparation 3 PTH Offset Disks

S-tine harrows

Pulls weeds to surface to dry

12’ wide chain harrows

Mini chisel with hilling disks

3 PTH Bedformer, notice spring row markers

3 PTH rototiller with markers

3 PTH PTO Spader

Seeding 3 PTH three row seeder

3 PTH Cone Spreader for seeding

Grain Drill, ground driven

3 PTH plastic mulch layer

Greenhouse trolley, Richard’s favorite tool

3 PTH two row Mechanical transplanter

Ground driven one row Mechanical Transplanter

Water wheel transplanter

Cultivation 3 PTH Kovar tine weeder, blind cultivation

Flame weeder for stale seedbed

Electric Allis G tractor with baskets and rear sweeps

Close up of belly mounted Buddingh basket weeders

1956 Farmall Cub, offset seat/engine with baskets

Farmall Cub with belly mounted sweeps

4 inch sweeps at 13” row spacing, all in line

Cub with sweeps, hilling celeriac, burying in row weeds

Williams tool bar system, with adjustable tines and gauge wheels

3 PTH sweeps with side dresser

PTO irrigation pump

3 PTH PTO Sprayer

Harvest

‘ Brush Hog’ Rotary Mower

3 PTH Bedlifter

Bedlifter undercutting parsnips

PTO potato chain digger harvesting echinacea

1 row root harvester

Winter wheat almost ready for harvest: August

1950s Allis AllCrop combine harvesting wheat

Post harvest Flow-through barrel washer for root crops

Brush washer with in-feed table and rotary sort table