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Howdy Farmers,

I am looking for specific tractor models, old or new (manufacturer, model, and year) that veggie growers have really liked, so that I can search them used on TractorHouse. Our situation is this...

My partner and I are tooling up to break ground on a 6-8 acre, diverse vegetable CSA in Sebastopol. We are researching tractors, and deep into the classic "one tractor conundrum". With the ability to only afford one tractor, we would like to have a versatile one. We'd like it to be able to do primary tillage, as well as has have properly spaced and thin enough tires to get it into our shaped beds to help renovate beds for second-plantings (to undercut, disc, rototill, or spade), to weed the furrows and to possibly flame-weed (if we can find a 60" tractor mounted flame weeder). We will cultivate in-row manually the first years.

Our requirements are: ~50 horsepower, 4WD, 60" center-to-center tread

Howdy Farmers,

I am looking for specific tractor models, old or new (manufacturer, model, and year) that veggie growers have really liked, so that I can search them used on TractorHouse. Our situation is this...

My partner and I are tooling up to break ground on a 6-8 acre, diverse vegetable CSA in Sebastopol. We are researching tractors, and deep into the classic "one tractor conundrum". With the ability to only afford one tractor, we would like to have a versatile one. We'd like it to be able to do primary tillage, as well as has have properly spaced and thin enough tires to get it into our shaped beds to help renovate beds for second-plantings (to undercut, disc, rototill, or spade), to weed the furrows and to possibly flame-weed (if we can find a 60" tractor mounted flame weeder). We will cultivate in-row manually the first years.

Our requirements are: ~50 horsepower, 4WD, 60" center-to-center tread spacing with thin <13" rear tires, a front end loader, and gearing or a transmission that can go slow enough to run a spader. We could pay ~$30k for the right machine.

This tractor does exist new. It is the Kubota M7060 outfitted with a creeper gear and thin 12.6" rear tires. Shone Farm in Santa Rosa and New Family Farm in Sebastopol have this tractor. But at $50k, this is outside of our budget, and is too much tractor for our site and scale.

I have looked at cheaper new Kubotas (L and MX series) and John Deeres (5E series), but while some of them meet many of the requirements, one key element is missed. For example, the John Deere 5055E is the right horsepower and size, 4wd, can have a loader, but it's lowest gear is a touch fast at .9mph, and right now our dealer is essentially saying "not possible" for thin rear tires.

I'm seeking advice, and if farmers could share specefic model numbers and years, of any "Goldilocks" tractors they have used and loved @60" spacing, with low gearing.

Thank you!

David

We ran it and tested it in my Sunol field yesterday. I would describe it as an autonomous universal tool carrying platform.

Demos in CA, AZ and hopefully NV. Ping me if you would like to host a demo or attend a demo(this week in Bay Area and one in watsonville)..it’s going to Bakersfield from there and Yuma for a bit before coming back to CA. I am helping to co ordinate northern Cali demos.

For now, we have a rotovator and sprayer. Looking for a seeder to rent for the demo. Bed width 80inches. Can’t pull high draft like ripper or subsoiler, but works with most PTO implements and those using three point hitch.

I can’t seem to attach the video I took yesterday. Will try again.

cant upload. But this is a YouTube link: https://youtu.be/oQb9qngmCoY

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) and the Farmers Guild is hosting a Small Farm Tech Expo December 8-9 in Forestville, where we’ll showcase technology, equipment, and tools useful for small to mid-scale farms through workshops and demonstrations.

We’re looking for farmers and ranchers, technical advisors, and industry folks familiar with solar, irrigation management tools and tech, and/or whole orchard recycling who are interested in hosting or participating in a one hour workshop on December 9. For industry representatives, we’re looking for someone who can speak to specific considerations around choosing and managing a system or technology for the farm without explicitly promoting a specific product. Growers and ranchers, we want to hear about what tools and tech you've used as well!

You can submit a workshop proposal through this link

If you’re interested in being part of the expo or have any questions, please reach out to emily@caff.org.

We are pleased to announce that a new series of 26 instructional videos on vegetable production is being launched through the University of California’s Agricultural and Natural Resources You Tube channel beginning this coming Monday, May 13^th. We encourage you to sign up at the You Tube channel to begin receiving weekly reminders of new video “premieres” that will be released every Monday morning at 8 o’clock.

Professors from four California universities, UC Davis, Fresno State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Chico State, at which vegetable production courses are offered, teamed up to prepare and produce the videos. The series covers a full range of related topics and while primarily focusing on California, also includes topics from beyond the State as well.

We encourage your help in getting the word out about this series.
If I can be of further help, please call me at (559) 303-9689.

Farm

We are pleased to announce that a new series of 26 instructional videos on vegetable production is being launched through the University of California’s Agricultural and Natural Resources You Tube channel beginning this coming Monday, May 13^th. We encourage you to sign up at the You Tube channel to begin receiving weekly reminders of new video “premieres” that will be released every Monday morning at 8 o’clock.

Professors from four California universities, UC Davis, Fresno State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Chico State, at which vegetable production courses are offered, teamed up to prepare and produce the videos. The series covers a full range of related topics and while primarily focusing on California, also includes topics from beyond the State as well.

We encourage your help in getting the word out about this series.
If I can be of further help, please call me at (559) 303-9689.

Farm Progress article coverage: https://www.farmprogress.com/extension/uc-video-series-teach-about-vegetable-production?NL=WFP-01&Issue=WFP-01_20190510_WFP-01_37&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2&utm_rid=CPG020000030

Press release copy is below:

New video series to spark interest in vegetable production of the future

A 26-episode weekly video series will debut May 13 on YouTube to help train the next generation of vegetable crop workers and increase their use of effective stewardship practices in vegetable production.

Projections for near-future retirements of people working in California’s agricultural production, marketing and post-harvest handling sectors indicate severe re-staffing needs in the coming years. Technological advances have reduced manual labor in agriculture, but increased the need for skilled labor to maintain the sustainability of the vegetable industry.

“We already see it happening,” said Jeff Mitchell , UC Cooperative Extension vegetable crops specialist. “Robotic machines are now used for lettuce-thinning in Salinas, but these technologies must be serviced by an educated workforce with knowledge in both mechanics and science.”

Mitchell assembled a team of professors from California’s public universities with agricultural programs – UC Davis, Chico State, Fresno State and CalPoly San Luis Obispo - to pull together a series of videos designed to spark the interest and begin training future farmers and ag workers in sound agronomic, economic and environmental stewardship skills. The team received financial support from the California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crops Block Grant Program.

“We know that maintaining California’s leading role in producing abundant, safe vegetables is critical not only to Americans’ health, but also to the state’s economy,” Mitchell said.

The video series is offered on the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) YouTube page on a playlist titled “Expanding the Capacity and Training of a New Generation of California Vegetable Producers.” UC ANR is the outreach arm of the University of California which, among other services, provides agricultural research, teaching and advising in all California counties.

Each Monday morning from May 13 through Nov. 4, a new video will premiere in the playlist. The video length ranges from 47 minutes to 7 minutes. The videos will also be made available to high school and college ag professors to use in the classroom.

“We believe that this series of videos on vegetable production will have broad interest beyond the classrooms,” Mitchell said. “The agricultural industry, students in other parts of the United States and the world, and the broader public all have an interest in understanding how the vegetables we eat are produced at the ever-increasing scale at which they are needed.”

The videos depict state-of-the-art technologies and techniques that are in use in many production regions of California today, vegetable farming systems used in other parts of the world, and increasingly popular cottage farming systems that are popping up in urban areas for easy access to healthful foods.

To receive a notification of each video premiere, follow the UC ANR Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/UCANR .

while working and doing my homework on my small acreage farm bot, i came across an interesting use case for automation in the field.

i spoke to the founder and got some details. It is made for soil core extraction and has a couple of depth/densities option.

while working and doing my homework on my small acreage farm bot, i came across an interesting use case for automation in the field.

i spoke to the founder and got some details. It is made for soil core extraction and has a couple of depth/densities option.

Hi Folks,

Below are links to 3 new videos that I made that I thought might interest you. I presented them at the American Society of Agronomy annual meeting earlier this month in Baltimore. The cover crop juicing video was presented during a symposium focused on improving nutrient management in organic systems, and the other two videos were in a symposium focused on long-term cover cropping research. Take care, Eric

-Juicing cover crops.... Are you Nuts? Maybe, but hear me out! 11:16 Minutes

-Lessons from long-term cover crop research in the "Salad Bowl of the World" 10:31 Minutes

-A quick trip to the "Salad Bowl of the World", 4:54 Minutes

Good Morning

We are looking at using a tiller/ bed shaper as a one unit combination. Anyone out there using that combo now? What's your set up, manufacturer, horse power, bed height? And most important what are the draw backs, or pit falls to trying to use these two as one unit?

Thanks Ken

1x1x4' tree stakes $.45 apiece.

do you have leaning trees or DON'T want leaning trees then these are the stakes for you.

minimum order 20,000

For sale: complete plastic mulching system includes mulch layer, Holland 1265 Mulch Transplanter, bed shaper with lifter attachment. Also 5 rolls of 4000', 1.25 mil black/silver plastic mulch. All equipment is in very, very good condition. Ready to go to work. $4500.00 Contact Ralph Rittenhouse at 707 245-5183 or elderbrocfarm@yahoo.com.

I am considering purchasing a flail mower for my 20 horse tractor and am having trouble getting detailed information on them. Does anyone have experience with them and can you recommend a brand? I am hoping that a flail mower will breakup a very mature (dry) cover crop to be left as mulch to protect the soil. Do they cut up some weed seed such as fox tails?