Horticulture
Horticulture extension.usu.edu Beginning and Small Acreage Farms: Nonmotorized Tool Selection Sheriden Hansen, Dan Drost, Melanie Stock and Katie Wagner Small Farms Extension Specialists Farming on 2 acres or less can be challenging, be too expensive to own. especially when considering equipment selection. It is Small scale growers often find that nonmotorized important to carefully consider the equipment equipment requires more labor but is better adapted options available. Tools should be cost-effective, task to the farm. Renting or borrowing larger equipment and operation appropriate, of high quality and can eliminate capital investment in underutilized durability, and provide labor savings. Appropriate tools, improving farm profitability. equipment contributes to farm viability by enhancing Tools and equipment for small farms. Using the labor efficiency and crop quality. This fact sheet correct tools and equipment create labor savings, briefly describes equipment beginning farmers reduce the time spent on a specific process, and commonly need or use on small farms. improve farm efficiency. The most expensive tool is not always the best tool. Prices are provided to help Factors to consider when choosing estimate the cost of new equipment only. Look for equipment. When selecting tools and equipment, durability, functionality, and practicality before consider the crops being grown, the space being purchasing new equipment. Some key activities managed, the frequency of use, and the available requiring tools and equipment include site preparation, finances to help determine equipment needs. planting operations, site management, crop harvest, and postharvest handling. Potatoes require different tools for planting, crop management, and harvest than bell peppers. Site preparation. Site preparation involves Tomatoes grown on plastic mulch (plasticulture) as loosening and inverting the soil, incorporating soil the farm’s primary crop will require different tools amendments, eliminating weeds, and preparing the than the basil grown to compliment those tomatoes.
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