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Press Release for Current Issue 20-2
August 28, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Successful farming needs bright ideas
If farmers are going to step up to the target of feeding the 9 billion world population they need to increase efficiency as well as production. The sharp end of this policy is in the field, where crops are grown and animals reared, and the responsibility is with the farmer himself. Policy makers, professors and consultants can help provide the resources, but it's ultimately the farmer's skill to reduce waste, loss and raise yield that's important.
Farmers have always been inventive, practical and skilled at modifying and adapting machinery and methods to suit the land they farm and the money available for investing in equipment. Practical Farm Ideas describes 'Made it Myself' machinery ideas and innovative methods developed by farmers for themselves. Ingenuity and inventiveness is on every page of this unusual all-editorial quarterly magazine, where cost saving comes in a combination of time, capital and running expenses.
The latest issue, published this week, includes:
Tractor window guards
If you think modern car windows are expensive, replacing a window on a tractor is four times as much. Tractors have huge areas of glass which is very vulnerable to stones and debris thrown at them by the implements being driven. Hedgetrimmers, mowers and grass rakes are particular culprits, and for many years farmers have protected the glass with wire mesh. But stones fly past the wire, and trash builds up on the outside, obstructing visibility.
Our contributing farmer has developed a system of covering the window glass with plastic protectors which can be mounted and removed in less than a minute. It works so well he has started making them for all tractors, so other farmers can benefit. The cost is considerably less than that of a replacement window.
Sprung drawbars
Larger trailers are increasingly fitted with sprung drawbars designed to absorb the shocks to the tractor back end from uneven surfaces. Some are better than others. Our contributing contractor/farmer shows why the design he built is better than the rest.
Loading seed drills
Time and effort saved on the field headland means additional acres done in the day, and this Midlands farmer has perfected the quick turn-around, without needing a loader or handler in the field. He fills a trailer with seed or fertiliser which he tips into an auger driven by the tractor hydraulics. Having no bags to handle, and tipping just what's needed makes filling the machine a pleasure rather than a chore.
Other contents:
Cattle raceway: with sides higher than any commercial passage this easy-to-make farmer's set-up is too high for the most athletic cattle. With increased handling, for TB and other inspections, a slick raceway is a must.
Cultivator modification has "transformed" the way it works. Farmer modified Kverneland CLC with a Simba type rear packer roller. Better depth control, moisture retention, and reduction in fuel costs. .
Sealed bearing is greased. Farmer drills small hole in the rubber skirt of a noisy sealed bearing and injects grease - extending life of bearing by more than ten years.
Financial Focus
Farm tax planning tips can save £thousands. Many farm businesses do little tax planning. Should the business be a Ltd? Should a new vehicle be bought by the company? Should the 25 y-old son be made a partner?
Also: front tractor weights and tool boxes; David Brown D2 refurb; x4 log splitter; weeder for organic potatoes; portable press for power drill; bird scarers; hydraulic tailgate for older trailer; pick-up truck bed extension; large bale feeder; fuel nozzle lock; work platform uses converted potato box; government 'Home on the Farm' building initiative; Russian farmland; osr enthusiast builds specialist planter; choice decisions over new seed drill; Simba tine protectors; side tines get soil deflectors; choosing a UTV; osr deflector on combine header; low cost 6m drill; rubbish bag frame.
Get a copy or annual subscription (£15.40 in UK) from www.farmideas.co.uk
For more information contact editor Mike Donovan editor@farmideas.co.uk
T: 01994 240978
M: 07778877514
Notes:
• Each issue is full colour, 48 pages with 100 pictures.
• It carries no advertising.
• 35 pages are under the heading of 'Made it Myself', with equipment that has been modified or built in the workshop.
• Some 10 pages are headed 'Farm World'
• The two page feature 'Financial Focus' has management ideas for raising finance, cutting financial costs, managing money, saving tax.
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