81 Vol 21-1. May - August 2012

Dairy .... 5 Big energy Savers 

COVER STORY  The picture shows Gloucestershire maize land being ploughed in mid April, with the farm's new 10kW Evoco wind turbine located by the hedge. The turbine is part of a five point action plan to reduce the farm energy bill, and does so by contributing directly to power demand, and through the gauranteed 'Feed-In Tariff' which rewards small power generators. The owners are driving efficiency forward by cutting energy costs through the use of new power technologies. We take an unbiased look at the merits of the five different energy saving projects, used on their 220 cow dairy herd. . 

Min-till ....      Min-depreciation 

This issue shows a farm in this category with zero depreciation*, and machinery running costs no higher than average. Running older fully depreciated tractors, including a 350HP Ford FW30, 9 metre wide cultivation equipment, and min-tilling almost the whole farm, and then following these with a pair of combines which themselves with 45 harvests clocked up between them, depreciation doesn't figure, but efficiency does. 

We crawl over the 2,500 litre trailed Everard sprayer which has a dozen alterations, was bought for £180 in a farm sale and does 5,000 acres a year. And then the rape seeder, and a dozen other machines adapted in the farm workshop.

Rain water harvesting can cut costs and improve sprayer efficiency. We take a forensic look at the costs, returns and what's needed to make it worthwhile on a commercial farm.

40 'Made it Myself' farm innovations  

This issue has some neat ideas that can be made in minutes - like cutting inner tubes to make elastic heavy duty bungee straps to hold loads decure on the ATV front and rear rack - to major projects such as converting a Counsins V Form subsoiler into a seeder for oil see rape, or fitting a Vicon air drill on the back of a Sumo Trio to sow beans.

This issue has a wealth of ideas for every farmer.

Science into Practice

Why engine torque is more important than horsepower - choosing the right tractor engine

Financial Focus

Raising finance in a time of nervous lending - farmers have to tease finance out of banks

ALL FOR £3.85!!  Why not start a year's subscription (£15.40) and get your copy directly it's printed. 

*The latest Agricultural Budgeting and Costing Book (enquiries@abcbooks.co.uk £43/copy) shows the cost of machinery depreciation for the 450-800ac arable farm is £45/acre, almost equal to the machinery running costs at £49.