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The farming industry is one that is constantly progressing. Farmers are always on the lookout for ways they can speed up processes and run more efficiently, whilst of course also improving their crops, cattle feed and alike. Thus, it is not uncommon to see new trends crop up (excuse the cliché) all of the time. Bearing that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the top trends in agricultural machinery that have been running riot throughout 2019 so far…
Fertilizer application equipment
There is only one place to begin and that is with fertilizer application equipment. The incorporation of this probably won’t come as a shock to many who are involved in the industry. The use of fertilizer has definitely been around for a while now, but if you were to rewind the clock a mere decade or so you will see that it was extremely basic. This incorporated the likes of sprayers to apply liquid fertilizers and dry fertilizer carts. Yet there was practically no side-dressing equipment as found today, such as the nitrogen split application that is being commonly used at present.
Utility vehicles
The use of utility vehicles in relation to farming is growing by the day. These are essentially all-terrain vehicles. You can use TripLog to track mileage on them. One of the great things about utility vehicles is that there is a monumental selection to choose from, thus you can find one that fits in with your budget and your farm. They are extremely versatile. You will benefit from the utility of a Jeep, the maneuverability of an ATV and of course the versatility of a small tractor. A lot of farmers credit utility vehicles as improving their level of efficiency rather substantially.
Diet feeders
Most farmers will agree that a diet feeder is a machine that is extremely important in modern agriculture. This is a machine that mixes and distributes the cattle’s feed. As a result, all cows will receive the right amount of nutrients. This is essential when ensuring your farm reaches top levels of quality and efficiency.
However, the issue comes when deciding what diet feeder to purchase. If you take a look on the internet you will see that there is a wealth of diet feeders available for you to choose between. How do you determine which one is right for you? After all, you cannot make your decision solely based on cost as you do not want to suffer at the hands of a poor quality machine. So, what should you be looking out for?
The first thing you need to do is ensure you purchase the machine from a company/brand with a leading reputation in the industry. Read reviews that have been left by previous customers in order to determine whether this is the case. After all, you want to buy a machine that has a good reputation for providing high levels of quality and lasting for many, many years.
In addition to this, when the price is taken into account, you not only need to think about the actual cost of the machine. Running costs are just as important, if not more so. You need to sit down and carefully forecast the running costs in relation to the machine you are considering. It goes without saying that it is imperative to run as cost-efficiently as possible.
On a final note, one quality a lot of people overlook is the noise generated by the machine. Unfortunately, this is something that only tends to be acknowledged by business owners once the purchase has been made. By then, of course, it is too late. Thus, make sure you do your research beforehand and go for a machine that operates at low noise levels. This represents one of the ways you can do your bit for the environment as well.
Stalk destroying machinery
Last but not least, the final trend on the list is stalk destroying equipment. Any farmer will know that the stalks at the bottom of corn plants are a real pain. They can damage tires substantially and thus lead to significant costs. However, several companies are beginning to produce stalk destroying machinery and equipment. Thus, you can expect to see the utilization rise as farms with a large of corn plants start to invest.
