ALL ABOUT TRACTORS By PAUL WALLEM It’s seldom that dozens of tractors of all colors can be seen plowing in the same field. But that was the scene on the Indiana farm of Ed Jernes this fall. Mounted and trailing plows, from two to six bottoms, were behind many tractor brands with two, four, and six-cylinder engines and some black smoke. All the engines were there: gas, diesel and LP. There was a big difference in engine sound, even amongst the two-cylinder tractors. There wasn’t a cab in sight. Thirty-two plowing tractors were in the field, all colors, even a Case dual tractor setup. A number of youngsters sat on their dad’s laps, helping with the plowing. These events bring back a lot of memories, when farming was very different from today. A lot of us will always remember the first tractor we sat on or drove. These are good memories. Christmas tractor parades A few years ago, I described some of the major Christmas tractor-decorated parades in the world. Some of you expressed amazement at the ingenuity and size of the events. Here are two of them again this December: Linesville, Pa., on Dec. 6, again hosted over 100 decorated tractors and some combines. Their first event was in 2014 with six entries conducted in the evening. Now so much bigger, it’s an all-day show. One of Europe’s largest Christmas tractor events was in December in Lubbeke, Belgium, near Brussels. This is an annual event that kids love because tractors constantly honk their horns, and they all sound different. Combines and trucks also enter. There are several other similar events throughout Belgium during the holiday season. A very different event occurs near Lubbeke. Horses instead of tractors are covered with holiday lighting. The growing use of biodiesel The consumption of biodiesel is growing rapidly. Use in 2025 will be an estimated 6 billion gallons. By 2035, that usage is expected to reach 12 billion gallons. Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel that is derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. Interest in vegetable oil as fuel has continued to resurface through the years, but more now. Some of the hurdles of high density and engine deposits have been overcome. Typical mixture of biodiesel is limited to 10 percent of diesel since most engines cannot run on pure biodiesel without modification. 2023 production figures indicate the U.S. is the largest consumer, followed by Brazil. After these two, use in other countries drops sharply. More details can be found on cleanfuels.org. Agrivoltaics – future small farm profit center? Prairie Farmer Magazine continues to report on the progress of the University of Illinois agrivoltaics research plot. Agrivoltaics is the practice of combining solar energy with agricultural production. The U of I plot is experimenting with sorghum, soybeans, switchgrass, orchard grass and winter wheat. By combining solar energy and farming on the same land, solar can cover 50 percent of the area, leaving the rest for farming between and underneath the panels. Small farms are better suited for this practice because the narrow space between the panels is best farmed with 4-row tillage and planting equipment. Carl Bernacci, U of I crop specialist, is doing agrivoltaics research. It is his opinion that corn and soybeans aren’t ideal for this kind of operation because current varieties are bred for full sunlight conditions. Specialty crops are ideal, he believes, such as for brewing and distilling. The return can be stronger for these kinds of crops. Income is derived from the solar lease and also the half-crop that can be grown. Paul Wallem was raised on an Illinois dairy farm. He spent 13 years with corporate IH in domestic and foreign assignments. He resigned to own and operate two IH dealerships. He is the author of THE BREAKUP of IH and SUCCESSES AND INDUSTRY FIRSTS of IH. See all his books on www.PaulWallem.com. Email your comments to pwallem@aol.com. |
