Last week I received several deliveries of equipment and farm tools. After months and in some cases years of researching and fantasizing about equipment, it is an exciting day when your new toys arrive in the mail.
The biggest and heaviest toy is an attachment for my walking tractor, a power harrow. The power harrow has multiple sets of tines that rotate in a stirring action working the soil but not over-pulverize the soil. I plan to use this attachment for vegetable bed prep instead of a rototiller.
I also purchased a single steel wheel hoe with a plow set, which will allow me to more effectively weed, furrow, plow and cultivate the crops. The last tool to arrive was the broadfork with heavy-duty steel tines. The broadfork is used to manually break up densely packed soil to improve aeration and drainage while preserving the topsoil structure.
All this equipment will allow me to be more efficient with my time on the farm, which in turn will allow me to increase the farm’s production. I was able to purchases these tools this year because of a Kiva Zip loan provided by 122 awesome lenders!