Equipment Maintenance
Nobody truly enjoys making repairs in the field. John Epperson may not mind it as much as most. He’s put plenty of thought and ingenuity into making sure he can get to the field with the tools he needs to make repairs in a timely fashion.
Seth Spicer, who farms east of Imperial, is one of the many strip-till crop production adherents in southwest Nebraska.
Storage space for equipment was at a premium for John Epperson, Hanover.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy recently released its “Greenest 2010 Vehicle” list. Small-car and SUV hybrids topped the energy-miser listing with green scores reflecting high fuel economies and low emissions scores.
As fuel prices continue to climb, your tractor maintenance routine
can help you save energy. Making a few small adjustments in the day-to-day operation and following a consistent maintenance schedule can improve your fuel efficiency.
Agco Corp. executives invited some 230 dealers from seven states who operate within a 150-mile radius of its Independence, Mo., parts distribution center to a special dealers meeting that also featured a ribbon-cutting and tour to officially open the center as a full stocking depot.
If you’re still riding high after last year’s harvest and a mild winter, don’t let rising fuel prices bring you down. Take a few minutes to consider fuel efficiency, weight distribution, wheel slip and ballasting as you prepare your tractors and field equipment for spring operations.
Technology can be great when it saves money and places inputs precisely. Eric Fuchtman of Creighton and his father, Clifford, have integrated technology into their cropping system, utilizing 20 years of soil test results for nitrates to vary the rate of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer applied over the 1,000 acres of corn they raise.
The frustration was evident on their faces. As young FFA tractor operators struggled to back a four-wheeled trailer into a tight spot, they became impatient with the process.
In September, when Danny Clayton came to the Respess Farm in Pantego, N.C., to speak at the North Carolina Cotton Field Day about pickers that feature onboard module builders, one farmer came up, pointed to some round modules in a field across the way and asked him, “What is that in the field, out there?” No doubt the farmer was joking, but the round modules of a John Deere 7760 and the mini-modules of a Case ME 625 setup are still not often seen in the field.
Last March, Dennis Gengenbach’s full-time employee suddenly quit, leaving the Smithfield farmer in the lurch for the coming cropping season. “It’s hard to keep good help today, especially with such big equipment and the precision technology that goes with it,” says the 61-year-old farmer.