Getting the Most Out of Every Dollar Spent on Horsepower
Written by admin on March 8, 2011 – 7:19 pm -Routine tractor maintenance may not make a top 10 list of favorite farm jobs, but neglecting the regular intervals of servicing a tractor's critical fluids and filters not only can decrease a tractor's overall useful service life, it can be robbing producers of the hard-earned dollars spent for horsepower (hp). "Honestly, the biggest things that I see when it comes to increasing a tractor's life expectancy are the routine maintenance issues," says Mark Hanna, Extension agricultural engineer at Iowa State University. "Things like fluid and filter changes may not be a glamorous job, but they are the most critical aspect of getting the most out of your equipment." And Hanna says it's not just the engine that producers should pay attention to. "The... more
Tags: Farm Economy
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Keep corn heads calibrated to prevent yield loss, disease
Written by admin on September 24, 2010 – 8:42 pm -by Jeff Caldwell Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com and Successful Farming magazine. If your combine's leaving corn on the ground in your fields this fall, you're doing more than just losing yield. You may be creating ideal conditions for a disease that's run rampant through fields around the Midwest this year. In this year's corn fields that will become next year's soybean fields, corn kernels left on the ground this year could help sudden death syndrome (SDS) get a head-start next year, says one ag engineer. "Leaving corn in the field during harvest always results in a yield penalty. A recent soybean SDS article shows data that suggest corn kernels may be one of the most likely sites for survival of SDS pathogens with potential to harm... more
Tags: Farm Economy
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AGCO Unveils New Products For 2011
Written by admin on August 17, 2010 – 8:32 pm -Industry-leading technologies in AGCO application, row-crop and tillage equipment add up to significant advantages in machine performance and operational efficiencies Source: AGCO News Release DULUTH, Ga. (August 5, 2010) — AGCO has introduced a variety of new products for tech-savvy professional producers and agricultural retailers. The new products offer innovative features created through AGCO’s customer-driven research and development efforts. Each piece of equipment is proof of AGCO’s commitment to bringing agriculture customers advanced technology and innovative products that will help each of them be efficient, productive and profitable. These new products will be on display at industry events and farm shows this fall. AGCO Introduces... more
Tags: Farm Economy, Massey Ferguson Tractors, tractor fuel efficiency
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AGCO Introduces New, Advanced Tractor Engines
Written by admin on August 17, 2010 – 8:19 pm -While the Tier IV engine emission standards for off-highway diesels aren't scheduled to take effect for a few more years, AGCO Corp. unveiled its new engine technology on February 3. The company says the technology has already been proven in Europe and by introducing it early, AGCO customers will have the opportunity to reduce their fuel use and improve their overall productivity. It also gives the number three largest farm equipment maker a head start on its competition. The company says it plans to begin shipping the new units to its dealers in March for all three of its brands of high-horsepower tractors - AGCO, Challenger and Massey Ferguson - in the 270-350 horsepower range. The company is branding the new off-road diesel engine technology... more
Tags: Farm Economy, Massey Ferguson Tractors, tractor fuel efficiency
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Now is a good time to buy new machinery
Written by admin on July 23, 2010 – 11:40 am -Jeff Caldwell Agriculture Online Multimedia Editor For the last 3 years, the trend lines for tractor sales all followed the same basic pattern. So far, for 2009, that's been true, with one major exception: The line looks the same, only it's a ways lower on the chart. Tractor sales have dropped this year, a sign, some say, of the tough economic times. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), year-to-date sales for 2009 are around a quarter lower than they were a year ago. For the month of May, a total of 17,782 tractors have been sold, AEM data shows, compared to 24,068 at the same time a year ago. That's a 26.1% sales decline. Those numbers contribute to a 66,676 figure for total tractor sales for the year so far, down... more
Tags: buying tractors online, Farm Economy, Used Tractors
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Values on 150-horsepower tractors continue to rise
Written by admin on March 25, 2010 – 7:06 pm -Greg "Machinery Pete" Peterson Machinerypete.com Every day, whether on the phone in the office, responding to e-mails, or when I'm out on the road covering machinery auctions around the country, folks ask me this same question. Inquiring minds want to know. My answer has been the same the last 4 years, "things are selling very well, prices are up." But just my saying it never does it justice. I always want to show folks exactly what I'm talking about, that over the last four years used farm equipment values are indeed up. I like to provide hard proof and let the sale price data tell the tale. So I'm going to do this today. I'm going to show you hard evidence of how used equipment values have gone up. Ok, now what examples should I show you?... more
Tags: buying tractors online, Case IH 7120 Tractors, CaseIh 7220 Tractor, Farm Economy, john Deere 7800 Tractor, John Deere 7810 Tractor, Used Tractors
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The 50th annual Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show Opens March 30
Written by admin on March 13, 2010 – 11:12 am -The 50th annual Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show returns to the grounds of the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh on Tuesday, March 30, and continues through Thursday, April 1. This year’s show features over 430 exhibitors and is expected to draw thousands of visitors from the Midwest and Canada. “As always, exhibitors will be showing a variety of products and services of interest to farm owners and operators,” says Rob Juneau, WPS Farm Show manager. “This includes tractors and field machinery and parts; feed, livestock and manure-handling equipment; ventilation systems; lighting; milking and barn equipment and supplies; financial, insurance and real estate services; and seed, feed and fertilizer.” Juneau adds that the... more
Tags: family farm, Farm Economy
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Saving the Family Farm
Written by admin on March 6, 2010 – 2:25 am -Dan Looker, Successful Farming magazine Business Editor Politicians from rural states often extol the virtues of the family farm. But what is it? And what can be done to save what sometimes seems like another endangered species? Chuck Hassebrook, the executive director of the Center for Rural Affairs laid out a five-step plan for doing both when he delivered a keynote speech Friday at the MOSES conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin. MOSES, or Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, drew some 2,800 farmers and supporters of organic agriculture to its annual meeting to hear Hassebrook and attend 60 workshops on February 25 through February 27. Hassebrook, who grew up on a hog and grain farm near Platte Center, Nebraska, said his nonprofit... more
Tags: family farm, Farm Economy, farm subsidies
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Farm Out Your Financial Woes?
Written by admin on February 10, 2010 – 1:13 am -by Michele S. Byers, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation While some may say the recession is over, jobs are still scarce and many still feel the pinch. If you’re looking for extra income, an interesting hobby or a new business, why not try farming? The New Jersey Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NJ) can help. They are holding two new classes this month on how to start up or expand agricultural businesses. “Farming” often brings to mind images of fields spreading out far and wide, cavernous barns full of cows, and tractors with giant tires. But farming is actually quite diverse. Even small properties can support a surprising array of agricultural products. As NOFA-NJ points out, there are... more
Tags: Farm Economy
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Used Farm Tractors Aid Sustainability
Written by admin on February 10, 2010 – 12:20 am -By Drew Davidson Many small farmers are moving toward a more environmentally conscious model of agriculture. For the small farmer, this move comes with economic risks. By purchasing, fixing and maintaining used farm tractors, the farmer can mitigate his economic risk while creating a new way of sustainable agriculture on his own farm. Most small family farmers are self-taught experts in many fields. They have to be. For them, maintaining and fixing their own equipment is imperative to their economic survival. Therefore, most used farm tractors are in good shape or in easily fixable shape. As their needs change, farmers frequently sell their used equipment. Finding these tractors and other equipment is easy. Most farm bureaus, online farm community... more
Tags: buying tractors online, Farm Economy, Used Tractors
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