Editor’s Note: I was researching this subject when I found the following article. I’m still in need of a small (8′ to 6′) pasture aerator that would be appropriate for a large yard, too.

Aerating your lawn is one of the most important things you can do to keep your lawn healthy and attractive. According to the Lawn Institute, the aeration process reduces thatch build-up in your lawn and opens passageways for air, water and nutrients to reach grass roots. In drought conditions, aeration allows moisture to reach thirsty roots. During times of heavy rain, aeration allows air to penetrate the turf and dry up excess moisture before it becomes a source of disease.

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Tags: aerate,agriculture,Farm and Field,lawn_aeration,lawn_aerators,thirsty_roots
Categories: Farm and Field
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There are several types of tractor mishaps that result in injury. Common mishaps are:

* by-pass starting
* front-end loader incidents
* rearward tractor rollovers
* sideways tractor rollovers
* falls from tractors
* tractor runovers
* caught-between crushing
* PTO stub shaft entanglements

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Tags: agriculture,electrical_connections,equipment,Farm and Field,front_end_loader,front_end_loaders,hydraulic_lines,hydrostatic_transmission,moving_objects,new_tractors,power_shift,shift_type,starter_motor,stub_shaft,tractor_rollovers,tractor_safety
Categories: Farm and Field
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The following is an edited transcript of an email I wrote to a friend. Hopefully you’ll find some usable information in it.

Question:

What are the rules regarding hauling a trailer on the interstate? if i have a gooseneck, my truck, and a load of hay, do i need permits and logbooks? Even if there is no monetary gain involved? Kelly wants me to bring down a load of hay when i come but i don’t think that legally i can. i doubt i can dodge the scales and police for eighteen hours!!

Answer:

You’re asking a hard question. Without writing a book, here’s my best advice…..

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Tags: agriculture,commercial_operator,dot,equipment,federal_agriculture,gooseneck,gross_weight,hitch,logbooks,pickup,raw_unprocessed,safety,state_lines,state_texas,ton,trailer,trailers
Categories: Farm and Field
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BENEFITS

• Maximized forage production
• Provides a healthy environment for livestock
• Good for the environment, minimizes the risk of runoff and leaching of pollutants from livestock
• Looks better, it’s visually pleasing to see healthy pastures

Pasture Management should really be called “grass farming”.  Think of your pasture grasses as your crop and the animals as your method of harvest.  Matching the amount of grass with the amount eaten by the animals will reduce waste and prevent the need to make hay, which raises the cost of the feed and can lower quality.

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Tags: agriculture,Farm and Field,forage_production,grazing,Livestock,pasture,pastures,pasture_grasses,pasture_management,prairie,range,topsoil
Categories: Farm and Field
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Rich Sanders, USDA/NRCS
Agriculture is intrinsically linked to the environment: roughly half of all land in the lower 48 States is farmland, including cropland, land in the Conservation Reserve Program, pastureland, and rangeland. Both crop and animal production generate pollutants that enter the air as well as surface and ground waters. The Natural Resources Conservation Service estimates that the annual loss of soil from water erosion is approximately 1.07 billion tons per year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, based upon areas sampled, that pollutants originating from this runoff contribute to an estimated 60 percent of impaired river areas, 30 percent of impaired lake areas, 15 percent of impaired estuarine areas, and 15 percent of impaired coastal shoreline.

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Tags: agriculture,Farm and Field,grazing,Livestock,market,pollution,production,topsoil,wetlands
Categories: Farm and Field
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by: Charles V. Schwab, Don Goering, and Laura Miller

Agriculture is a unique industry because children can be exposed to potentially dangerous situations 24 hours a day. The farm is both a work and a home environment for many families. Without a separation between these two environments, children can be exposed to tremendous risks. However, care and guidance from adults can reduce the risks for children living on Iowa farms. In the United States last year, more than 300 children died in agriculture-related accidents. No other industry includes children in its injury and death rates.

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Tags: agriculture,children,farm,rules,safety
Categories: Farm and Field
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