Barns & Equipment

While wooden hutches – consisting of a base, flooring and hutch system – are relatively inexpensive to build, they may not be the cheapest calf housing option available on the market today.

You’re ready to trade off a piece of farm equipment, or trade for another farmer’s iron. You’ve looked at the “blue book” value and searched similar sales on various internet sites. You think you are fully prepared to make a bid. But you’d be wrong. You’re not prepared until you’ve made some inspection of and determined value for the tires.

At Farm Credit East, we are often asked about equipment purchases – what constitutes a “major” equipment purchase, how to plan for them and whether to buy new or used. Paul VanDenburgh, an experienced credit officer and tax specialist, recently provided his insight on some of these frequently asked questions.

The typical dairy farm uses a large amount of energy during milking activities. This is due to the frequency of milking and the energy-intensive nature of harvesting milk, keeping it cool and cleaning the equipment with hot water.

If you go tractor shopping, you soon find out there are a bunch of choices to make. Even among tractors of the same manufacturer, you need to know what your present needs are and what your future needs might be to select the best tractor for your operation.

Lighting often represents one of the best opportunities to reduce electricity use on dairy farms, and lighting retrofits typically have shorter paybacks than other energy-efficiency upgrades. Over the last decade, light-emitting diode (LED) lighting has experienced rapid growth and adoption, with prices dropping 90 percent.