FARM EQUIPMENT AND FARM IMPLEMENTS

1. Tractor

There never was a more broad category of farm

equipment than this one. If only choosing a tractor
were as simple as choosing a color—though many
farmers with brand allegiance will tell you it is.

Tractors (one of which is pictured above) are

available in sizes appropriate for farmers with 1 acre all
the way up to those working 1,000 acres or more. As
versatile as these pieces of farm equipment are, a
tractor is a pretty common-sense purchase for small-scale farmers. You want one that has
the right amount of horsepower and the right hitch rating for the work you plan to do with
it. Farm Journal’s AgWeb offers a guide to determining the size of tractor you need for your
farm. Hobby Farms has guides including 8 Things to Consider When buying a Tractor and 4
Tractor Types to Consider for Your Farm

2. ATV/UTV

All-terrain vehicles (or four-wheelers) and utility

vehicles (think hefty golf carts) are really fun pieces of
farm equipment, yet they’re also really handy. If you
have a large property, it’s nice to have an option besides
walking everywhere. ATVs and UTVs are great for
hauling your harvest or equipment. They can tow small
trailers, and you can get attachments for many models.

3. Wagon

A farm “wagon” might be akin to the little red

wagon you had as a kid. On the opposite end of the
spectrum, it might also be a large, four-wheel wooden
piece of farm equipment designed for moving hay. There
are wagons at many levels in between, too,
and numerous uses for wagons aside from hauling hay.
4. Backhoe

If digging is your thing, a backhoe is your tool; if

you don’t plan to dig holes on a regular basis, you’d be
better served to borrow or rent a backhoe rather than
purchase your own. Backhoes can be purchased as
separate hydraulic implements for some tractor types.
According to the Louisiana State University Ag Center,
most backhoe attachments are designed to dig as deep as
10 feet.

5. Front-End Loader

While backhoes look like fun, front-end loaders can

be considered more useful on the small-scale farm on a
regular basis. Not all tractors are equipped to handle a
front-end loader, but if yours is, you can dig, move bulky
items (including loose things such as soil and manure), lift
heavy items and equipment, and perform some land-
grading tasks.

6. Cultivator

Cultivators are used for—you probably already

guessed this—soil cultivation. In particular, cultivators are
used for weed control before planting into a bed, as well
as incorporating crop or weed residues and preparing a
seed bed. Cultivator tines can be properly spaced to be
used in a garden bed or crop field after plants are growing
to remove the weeds from around the plants. It takes
someone with a steady hand to drive the tractor in a
straight line and not hit the vegetable plants with the
cultivator.
7. Cultipacker

Cultipackers are pulled behind tractors to firm

seedbeds before seeding to set up your planting for good
seed-to-soil contact. Following up broadcast seeding with
a cultipacker pass will press the seeds into the soil.

8. Plows

There are more types of plows than you anyone

cares to name. Select the right combination of plows for
your farm based on your soil type, your type of crop
production and the condition of the land.

9. Harrows

Harrows are pulled behind a tractor or ATV to level

the soil surface, redistribute crop residue and disturb
weed germination. You can attach a harrow to another
implement that’s attached to your tractor to save time
and expenses by making fewer passes through your field.
Harrows are also handy for breaking up manure in the
pasture and smoothing out riding-ring surfaces.

10. Farm Truck

Sure, you can get by farming with your Prius or

Mini, but when you need to put a goat in the hatchback,
you might wish you had a truck. A host of small, midsize and full-size trucks can fit your
farm’s needs. Consider whether you need to pull a trailer, make long trips, put a cap on the
bed or drive it through your fields. Once you know what kind of tasks you expect your truck
to perform, you can find the right size and look at the makes and models available to you.

Wagon

Front-End
Loader
 Backhoe

Tractor

ATV/UTV
Cultivator