Equipment

Three years ago, Jodie Wehrspamn of Farm Industry News interviewed me about different approaches farmers are using to reduce equipment costs.

While anyone can plant trees and shrubs and create a living snow fence, consulting an extension specialist or natural resources official to obtain details about snow fence design is bound to bring more satisfactory results.

It’s winter. You just got home from the farm sale across the county where you bought a low-hour tractor preloaded with precision ag electronics. You got a great deal on it. You pull into the driveway and what’s the first thing you do? Call your brother to gloat? Well, okay, maybe … but your second call should be to your insurance agent.

You don’t need me to tell you that 2016 has been a little rough. After dropping out of record-setting prices in many segments of the agricultural industry, it has been painful to watch many of those prices soften.

Optimum efficiency in hay production is important for profit generation, regardless of whether it is grown for ranch consumption or for sale. Hay harvest can become very inefficient if the wrong equipment and an inadequate number of people are used in the process.

For many years, livestock producers have embraced the use of bale processors for a lot of different reasons. However, there are very few studies that have evaluated them with a cost analysis in order to track the value they provide to owners.