Over the course of our last share offer we raised £58,000 and this has enabled us to invest in Farm infrastructure and most excitingly for the field team a new tractor. So I thought it important to write a short piece explaining why we needed a new tractor and a little about the tractor we bought.
Why do we need a tractor at all?
- On the acreage we are farming and planning to expand into it is crucial to have a tractor. Gone are the days where a farm would employ 15+ people on a holding this size, the rise in the expense of wages and the decrease in the value of food has meant that farms have had to look for ways to cut their labour bills and this has inevitably led to an increase in reliance on machinery and chemicals. Obviously as we are an organic farm we do not use chemicals so this makes machinery our only way of cutting labour costs. (One day maybe we will have so many volunteers we wouldn’t need to use much machinery?!)
- Our old Ford has been worked very hard over the past few years and has started to show some signs of decay, major oil leaks, and a clutch that has seen better days, plus an assortment of other minor problems. All in all it was decided that rather than pour money into fixing a tractor that was past its best, it was sensible to invest in a tractor more suited to an expanding growing operation. There are also certain features our old tractor did not have that will greatly improve our operational capabilities. These are an ultra-slow gear, a front loader, increased horse-power and improved control.
- Although past its best the old Ford will happily serve us in a supporting roll for a few years to come. In fact, being able to have two tractors will be a great help as those of you who have helped at squash or potato harvests will be aware, having to wait for one tractor to relay trailers between field and yard is not very efficient. Now we will be able to harvest continuously with the new tractor while the old one ferries loads to the yard. If we have a good year it would be nice to spend a small amount on the old tractor to help her last a few more years.
- We bought a Valtra 6550 - Valtra tractors represent the culmination of two traditions:Finland’s Valmet andSweden’s Volvo BM.
- Age – 1999 - The younger age of this tractor means it is a lot more efficient on diesel than the old tractor; it will also be more reliable than the old one that had a habit of breaking down at very inopportune moments.
- Horsepower – 105hp (4.4 litres) – This will enable us to use deep working equipment at higher speeds than previously possible, which will mean we have to use the tractor less times to prepare a piece of ground, therefore lessening our carbon footprint and reducing compaction to the soil.
- Min speed – 0.2 kmh – this ultra-low speed allows us to plant crops at closer spacing, improving yield per acre and again allowing us to reduce our carbon footprint by having to cover less ground. This especially applies to Allium crops (onions etc.) that normally get planted at a 15cm spacing that was just not possible with the old tractor’s gear box.
- Front loader – Crucial in the large scale management of composts and farm yard manure which need regular turning. It also allows us to cut down on double handling of winter storage crops that can be harvested straight into bulk storage bins and transported directly to the winter storage cold store.
- Increased control – This tractor comes with a host of features that allow us to be a lot more precise with the way we use rear mounted attachments on the tractor. In short they will reduce wear on the tractor, allow precision preparation of ground and reduce damage to soil structure.
Many Thanks
Andy Dibben
Farm Manager
