A guide for new market gardeners Reid Allaway - Tourne-Sol

Equipment Selection
and Planning
A guide for new market gardeners
Reid Allaway
Ferme Coopérative Tourne-Sol
les Cèdres, Québec
About the presenter
Reid Allaway just turned 34
and hopes to still be tinkering
in his garage when he’s 74.
Reid is Tourne-Sol farm’s
resident tinkerer and
machinery geek
Reid is also responsible for
green manures, various
vegetable crops and buildings &
infrastructure
about Tourne-Sol farm
worker’s coop started in 2005
farming 4.7 ha (12ac) rented land
300+ CSA shares & farmer’s
market
Organic vegetables, cut flowers,
seedlings, seeds, herbs
5 full-time managers & 3-4
apprentices in season
www.fermetournesol.qc.ca
Caveats /
starting conditions
much of this is vegetablefarming specific
considering rolling stock
only, not infrastructure
tractor-based systems, not
draught animals
focus on implements, not
tractors
Core concepts I
think about equipment in terms of what
crops and procedures it can be used for
any new tool should be affordable or multi-purpose
plan and prioritize purchases over
several years
making do without may clarify your exact needs
2005
2006
2009
2011
2011
Core concepts II
Consider how tool fits into systems on your farm
ex: root washer requires har vester desires pallet jigger + bulk bins
requires wider door to cold room
identify and target
bottlenecks
ex: improing har vest trailer
might be more important
than rototiller if bed prep
tools adequate but har vest
handling is bottleneck
scavenged junk trailer and crap lawn tractor
Tool evaluation I
What will new tool/
equipment bring to farm
enterprise:
increased productivity (yield or
time efficiency)
improved quality of life for you
and employees
more sustainable farm practices
enhanced farm safety
Glaser wheel hoe w/12” stirrup
www.johnnyseeds.com
Tool evaluation II
beg, borrow, rent, or
test-drive
try not to buy things you
need infrequently
ex: plow, plastic layer,
manure spreader, backhoe,
surveyor’s level
Reigi / Ecoweeder
www.univerco.net
Start-up Suggestions from Kent Coates
Nature’s Route Farm, near Sackville NS
www.naturesroute.ca
To Own
To Lease
planting tools
primary tillage
weeding tools
green manure tools
harvest tools
Land
marketing tools
secondary tillage tools
Find Kent’s complete slideshow at http://acornconference.org/workshop-notes/
Tasks to consider
primary tillage
weeding
secondary (and
tertiary) tillage
mowing
seeding
transplanting
harvest
post-harvest
handling
2-wheel tractors pros & cons
PROS
small & manueverable
easy to operate,
maintain & repair
many tools available
safe on steep slopes
minimal compaction
fuel efficient
CONS
cover ground less
quickly than 4wheeled tractor
barely cheaper than
4-wheeled tractor
few used implements,
new very expensive
can be physically
draining to operate
BRANDS: BCS, Grillo, Goldoni, Carraro, Gravely, Agria, Rapid, Staub
Primary tillage
Task = tilling heavy residues or perennial pasture/hay
rototiller
(many passes)
$500-5000
chisel plow
moldboard
plow
disk
plow
$500
$1000
rotary plow
(2-wheel tractors)
oblique disk
reciprocating
spader
offset disk
cardboard
mulch +
shovel
Simplest
$0.00
$2000
$3000
Most Complex
$5000+
Secondary tillage
Task = preparing seedbed, killing weeds, incorp. light residues
rake
S-tine
cultivator
Tilther
rotary/power
harrow
3-pt
rototiller
walking
rototiller
rotary bed
former
tandem
disk
Simplest
$0.00
$500
$1000
$2000
$3000
Most Complex
$5000+
Rotary Harrow?
less aggressive and less destructive
than horizontal-axis rotary tools
available in sizes for 2-wheel tractors
doesn’t like rocks
Field seeding
Task = Seeding rows into prepped ground
Glaser
Jang JP-1
Earthway
Pneumatic seeders
ex: MaterMacc
Planet Jr.
Johnny’s 6-row
hand
Simplest
$0.00
$200
$400
$600
Most Complex
$2000+
Transplanting
Task = planting seedlings into prepared ground
dibbler/
marker
trowel,
string &
measuring
tape
Water Wheel
Hatfield
thingie
Simplest
$0.00
$200
stirrup/
pinch types
$500
$1000
$2000
Most Complex
$3000+
Weeding I
Task = removing weeds before seeding or planting
AKA “stale seedbed”
S-tine
cultivator
leaf rake
spring tine
weeder
plastic layer
flame
weeder
Simplest
$0.00
$500
$1000
$2000
$3000
Most Complex
$5000+
Weeding II
Task = physically removing weeds from growing crop
wheel hoe
hand hoes
basket weeder
finger weeder
tine weeder
Simplest
$0.00
$500
$1000
row-crop cultivator
$2000
$3000
Most Complex
$5000+
Tractor weeding I
Rear-mounted weeding tools
tool guidance is
either:
1) passive and imprecise
2) active w/second
operator
3) automated, complex
and costly
total cost depends on
guidance and tool
selected
Kress Argus
Tractor weeding II
Front-mounted weeding tools
guidance is either:
1) passive and tiring
2) automated, complex
and costly
total cost is very
high unless already
own tractor w/
front 3-pt hitch
Tractor weeding III
Belly-mounted weeding tools
Depends on
specialized tractor
guidance is usually
active, effective and
easy
total cost varies
with choice of
equipment
Ex: $2000-5000 for good Allis G or
Farmall w/basic tools
Cultivating Tractors Rogues gallery
Allis-Chalmers G
Tuff-bilt
IH Farmall 140
Case-IH 265
(274 is similar)
(Farmall A,super-A, 100, 130 all similar)
Saukville
ENTI
Hefty-G
Fendt 345GT
IH Farmall Cub
IH Farmall 404
Kubota L245H
John Deere 900HC
modern counterparts from Europe
Fobro Mobil D34
Fendt 385GT
Rath Mastertrac Verdura
Mazotti Multi 600
Mowing
Task = destroying spent crops and green manures
and maintaining paths
brush
saw
disk mower
scythe
sickle-bar
rotary mower
(bush hog)
lawn mower
Simplest
$0.00
$500
$1000
$2000
flail mower
$3000
Most Complex
$2000+
Harvest
or k
adf
d bi
ns
bro
goo
Ha
rv
es
g
r
ha ee ta
r v ns r
es
te
r
Task = get crops out of the field quickly
home built root lifter
opposable
thumbs
& knife
Johnny’s
greens harvester
po t
Simplest
$0.00
$100
$250
$1000
at o
dig g
er
$3000
Most Complex
$5000+
Greens harvesting…
…California Style
Post-harvest handling
Task = handle crops efficiently from field to wash station & storage
gravity rollers
harvest trailer
hand trucks
pallet truck
utility carts
Simplest
$0.00
$200
$400
$600
$800
Most Complex
$1000+
Tools that don’t exist
You or someone you know can build them
root
lifter
crimper roller
s-tine bed finisher
More on-farm recycling ideas
rototiller gauge/marker
wheels
heavy cultivator / chisel
potato hiller / weeder
Questions &
Discussion