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Why use equipment• Replace Labour – make work easier
• Improve quality/producJon
• Ease pinch points in producJon Jming
• Physically do jobs you can do by hand– Plow– Lay plasJc Jghtly–Mow
– LiN weights
Type of system long term?• Max 2 acre market style garden?• What about Livestock?• Is good farmland very limited?• What system is best suited– All by hand • Most work, least cost, most efficient use of space
–Walk behind tractors• Easier, faster, more expensive, and sJll quite efficient
– Larger Tractors (40 hp and up)• Much easier, much faster, much more expensive, less efficient use of space
$$ What is a reasonable?• Our basic cost proporJons?– Crops: 25%DC, 50% Labour, 25% Farm– Livestock: 50%DC, 25% Labour, 25% Farm
• Try to allocate 10% of gross sales to equipment and other capital improvements every year.–Want to see overall farm net worth constant or rising all the Jme. Usually do a full assessment once a year and spot check throughout.
How to spread the $
• Lease – expense the equipment
• Outright purchases – 10% tax rebate in NB– Up front Purchase – 3% savings possible– Purchase over Jme • ie: 12 month no interest
• ie: 72 month with monthly payments
Making the choice!• $ Spent versus $ Saved– Tunnel paid in first year– Bed shaper and plasJc mulch layer pays annually
• MulJ-‐use equipment– Tractor with loader– S-‐Jne culJvator
• Equipment with the most hours uJlized
Borrow/Rent, or Own• Borrowing or renJng can be ideal– Round baler for 120 round bales a year– Get to know the neighbors– Buy a trailer so you can transport equipment
– “Borrow” and fix up an old implement
• Own the items you use a lot and don’t have other access to
• Benefit of using a more tradiJonal tractor–More likely to find a bush hog then a BCS flail mower
New or Used• Are you a mechanic?
• Do you have employees using it?
• Does it have lots of moving parts?
• Can you find it used?
Few other Factors• Concurrent Use– Self powered zero turn mower
– Gator – Truck with flat bed
• Changing Implements / FuncJons– Belly mount versus 3 point hitch
• Maximizing labour in busy Jmes– Ex: PlasJc mulcher versus a vacuum seeder
– Gator or UTV
Other Equipment for Efficiency• Vacuum Seeder
• Storage boxes and bins
• Storage faciliJes– Truck box– Heated/cooled rooms
• Drum Washers
• Furnace
• Flame Weeders
• Covers and Sand bags