If you are into commercial farming, there are different types of farm equipment that can significantly improve your operations. Commercial farming involves a variety of categories that include but are not limited to the following: animal husbandry, horticulture as well as cereal production.
The primary goal of commercial farming is to maximize production to generate more revenue. However, one thing you should know is that different farming activities are labor intensive. You can achieve high productivity if you have the right farm equipment that can improve effectiveness and efficiency in your operations.
Different solutions can help the farmers to manage their businesses in efficient and sustainable ways. Some of the farm equipment can be small, but they significantly help to save money. Below are some of the essential farm equipment that you can consider if they suit your farming business.
Vehicles
On your farm, it is essential to have different types of farm equipment that can help you to move different kinds of farm produce. A tractor is a must-have vehicle since it can complete the majority of tasks on the farm. You only need to get the right attachments for your tractor, and these vary according to their purposes.
Tractors tow heavy loads and different types of farming equipment on the farm. They also supply power to different attached mechanisms like mowers, cultivators, planters as well as plows among other material. In other words, a tractor can perform almost all forms of work related to tending the fields.
You also need utility vehicles on your farm to perform various tasks. These vehicles can provide passenger transportation services as well as to carry different products around the farm. It is vital to consider cars that have all-terrain capability so that they can perform many tasks.
Other utility vehicles that you can also choose on your plot should have storage facilities for perishable goods. Cars with fixed freezers are suitable on farms that specialize in fresh produce. Special equipment is also necessary for the transportation of fragile products like eggs.
Manure Spreading Machine
Manure spreading machine is a reliable thing that you should consider buying if your business involves different types of cropping. The device spreads the manure in liquid form, and the advantage of this strategy is that the soil quickly absorbs the contents. Organic manure is suitable for farming compared to fertilizers and other artificial nutrients that impact on the environment.
On top of that, food that is produced through organic farming is good for the health of consumers. Many people are turning to organic farm produce hence you can get an opportunity to improve your profits.
The other thing that you should know is that manure is a cheap resource that can significantly increase your productivity. You can also buy machines that can mix cow manure so that you can improve your productivity. The device can help you mix various plant residues with manure from your cattle pen.
credit: Machinery channel
Irrigation Equipment
Commercial cropping is an exercise that requires readily accessible watering systems in the form of irrigation. In different places, rainfall patterns are not consistent such that you cannot sustain all year cropping using this source of water.
You need to get different types of irrigation equipment to keep your crops hydrated. Topographical engineering may be required to make sure that you install the right irrigation system. You can consider some of the following irrigation types on your field.
Surface Irrigation
Furrow irrigation involves the basins that run between crop rows to keep the plants hydrated. While this appears to be a simple form of irrigation, it requires automation to be efficient. New technology in this form of irrigation involves automated slide gates that open during a specific period. You do not need to be onsite every time to operate the watering system.
Overhead Irrigation
The system of overhead irrigation requires an elevated gun or rotor that sprinkles water to crops underneath. The system simulates rainfall and it connects is connected to a network of interlinking water pipes. The system can be stationary, or the nozzles are attached to vehicles with onboard water supply.
Wheel Line Irrigation
The irrigation system consists of a truss with wheels as well as water nozzles that dispense water to the crops below. This kind of irrigation is labor intensive, but it is necessary for fields that are unusually large. You need, and the advantage is that it covers a large area in your field.
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation involves hoses that run through the field and supply water to each plant. This system requires controllers, valves, and pumps to enhance an effective drip irrigation system. This irrigation system does not need your presence so you should install the right equipment.
In-Ground Irrigation
The sprinklers and piping are in fixed locations across the field, and the pumps supply water in predetermined intervals. The irrigation system has sensors that detect the water levels and start to spray automatically. The sprinkler heads can raise or retract automatically due to water pressure, so your presence to monitor the system is not necessary.
Combine Harvesters
Harvesting is quite a challenging process in the commercial farming business. When the crops are ready for harvest, you should remove them before they get worse. Efficiency in harvesting the crops also helps you to prepare the land for the next plant. Without a harvester, the process of harvesting can be labor intensive, and it can also be time-consuming.
For harvesting surface plants, combine harvesters are the right type of equipment that you need for such purpose. Combines come in different forms, and some are tractor-drawn machines. Some of these machines use interchangeable tools or heads that are suitable for different types of crops.
The machine picks the crops then sends them to the feed house for processing. The plants the go to the rotor for threshing and the device can also separate the grain from the chaff. The operator is responsible for controlling processing speeds for different crops.
The harvester expels the plant debris through its back, and this remains in the field. The residue then goes for baling for other uses like making stock feed. A combine harvester is a beautiful machine that can perform various tasks at the same time. It is also useful, and it saves time during the harvesting process.
credit: New Holland Agriculture
Head Types
Different types of heads are suitable for various crops.
- Corn head: the blades that work in a reciprocal mode cut the stalks then send the corn into the feedhouse.
- Forage harvester: you can use this machine to pick plant material and cut foliage from the field.
- Pickup head: it is suitable for short-grain harvesting
- Cotton picker: the strippers pick bloomed cotton and other plant matter. It then separates cotton from seed through either gravity or rotation. The barbed rotating spindles are responsible for removing the cotton seed from the plant. The doffer removes the cotton from the plant.
- Cane harvester: the machine has saws that can shred sugar canes from top to bottom then feed them through vertical augers. The sugar cane then goes directly to the feedhouse.
Exclusive Harvesters
There are also exclusive combine harvesters that are specially designed for root crops that are delicate. Some of the plants that require exclusive harvesting machines include vegetables like potato, carrot, beet, garlic, onion, spinach as well as bean among others.
You can also procure exclusive combine harvesters to pick a variety of orchard produce that includes apple, peach, mango, apricot, lemon, pear, plum as well as grape among others. These types of farm produce are delicate hence unique harvesters can improve efficiency and care in the harvesting process.
You can also consider a nut harvester if you are into nut production. This machine grabs the trunks of the trees then shakes them to drop the nuts. The method is faster than using manual labor to harvest things like nuts or almonds from your farm.
Grain dryers are also essential on the farm to facilitate quick harvesting of crops with shorter growing seasons. When the plant is ready, you can deploy a harvester and then transfer the plants to dryers for further processing.
Incubators and Brooders
If you are into poultry production, you need incubators. These are very important since they help in the maintenance of a proper environment that is suitable for the care of chicken eggs. Mass production of eggs requires proper facilities that can promote successful hatching of the chicks.
On the other hand, the day-old chicks also need proper care so that they can develop healthily. A brooder is the best place to put the chicks soon after their hatching so that they are not affected by cold weather for instance.
Husbandry Equipment
If your business involves animal husbandry such as rearing dairy cows, goats or sheep, you need specialized equipment for milking them. Dairy cows, for instance, produce large quantities of milk such that special milking equipment is required. You need to acquire new automatic milking technology.
A milking system for your cows is essential for your dairy business. The system consists of four milking shells that have softened rubber liners. The shells attach to the teats of the animal, and they suck milk by using pressure from the pulsators. The cow’s milk passes through a heat exchanger on its way to a chilled bulk tank.
You can also consider buying an automatic milking system that represents a modernized version of a milking machine. With this system, the animal can voluntarily choose the period for milking. The system uses a robot that senses the animal’s teats and cleans them when the animal is ready for milking.
The system automatically releases the animal when it finishes the milking process. The other equipment you need to improve the success of your dairy business is an automated feeder. The automatic feeding system is crucial in that it can increase productivity as well as milk quality.
Automatic Feeding Systems
There are different types of automated feeding systems for your cows that you can choose from various suppliers. Each system is easy to integrate into your farm so that it can suit the needs of your animals. On top of this system, you should make sure that you put in place milking and feeding sheds to provide quality shelter to your animals.
You should also make sure that you have a good barn with proper ventilation for your dairy cows. A perfect barn is a fundamental requirement since it gives your cows a high level of comfort. A cow needs quality comfort to ensure that its milk production yields also increase.
A good barn pays off during winter or summer season since it significantly reduces the cost of energy as well as ventilation. It is imperative to make sure that your cows are not exposed to extreme weather conditions since these can affect the yield of milk.
Surveillance Drones
Drones are essential devices that you should have on your farm. You can use a drone to observe the crops remotely but in real time. You can deploy a drone to all parts of the farm, and it gives you real-time images.
A drone also helps you to monitor the movement of your animals, and you can inspect the entire plot remotely. This UAV is smart in that it can help you to improve the management system on your farm. The device also saves you time and energy from conducting a physical inspection of different activities on the plot.
Modern drone technology can also facilitate aerial application techniques like spraying pesticides and fertilizers. Established farmers can acquire cropdusters or small planes that can perform the process of spraying pesticides. However, cropdusters require expensive facilities like hangars and runways. As a result, a cropduster is not a viable option for small to medium agricultural operations.
The advantage of a drone is that it is cheaper than using a plane to spray the crops. A quadcopter is also easy to operate since you can perform all the activities remotely. You can run the drone from the ground using a remote control like a Smartphone.
