How to Make Your Farm Automatic In the distant past, keeping a farm up and running involved a lot of physical work. From harvesting and planting to controlling livestock movement and feeding, everything was dependent on strenuous manual effort. However, the revolutionary tools and technologies at our fingertips these days have ensured we rely more on brain than brawn, while cutting down on costs. Today, we take a look at some of these innovative shortcuts in a bid to uncover how to make an automatic farm. First of all, automating your farm ensures less work but more reward. It will allow you ..read more

Picking out a Good Livestock Gate Livestock gates are an important accessory around the farm; they help the farmer control and protect livestock. While all gates have the same objective, not all of them are best suited for predator obstruction, animal containment, and forage control. Some are an outright no-no and others are deceptively good but not ideal. Here’s how to separate the wheat from the chaff: Size The size of the livestock gate depends on animal traffic and the kind of animal to be controlled. Bigger livestock will require similarly sized gates to alleviate self-inflicted injuries ..read more

Steel or Aluminum Farm Gates: Which are Better?  Farm gates are essential to farmers for the simple, yet extremely vital, reason that they keep predators out while ensuring livestock stay in and are safe. There are a lot of factors that influence the kind of gate you’ll get, some of which include convenience, affordability, durability, and aesthetic appeal. Both steel and aluminum excel in those parameters, which is why they are among the most popular choices for farm gates, but is there an outright favorite? That’s the question we are setting out to answer today as we take a look at the good ..read more

Understanding Bump Gates Don’t you hate it every time you have to get out of your car to open the gate, then get back in and drive through before getting out again to close it behind you? If you are like most of us, it’s safe to say it’s not a task you look forward to. And that’s where automated entrances come in: they get around the need to hire gate-manning personnel, offering a cost-effective solution that allows you to sit in your car, all the way to your door. In the spirit of tackling one of life’s most repetitive and mundane chores, we’ll be delving into the bump gate opener to uncove ..read more

Best Heavy Duty Driveway Gate Hinges Choosing a good hinge for your driveway gate can be tricky business because there are endless designs and varieties to consider. When selecting one for your specific case, you need to consider the width and weight of the gate, so that the hinge of your choosing offers sufficient support to avoid the presentation looking lopsided. If the gate in question can be classified as heavy-duty, then you’ll need robust hinges that’ll have no problem offering the balance required to ensure the gate doesn’t topple over or have latching problems. That said, here are t ..read more

Benefits of a Cattle Guard & How It Works with a Bump Gate What is a cattle guard? A cattle guard, Texas gate, or cattle grid is simply an assembly of pipes laid out horizontally over a hole in the ground to discourage livestock from crossing over to the other side. The animals’ poor depth perception, coupled with their color blindness, creates an illusion of extreme depth and separation, underneath and between the bars which put off the cattle.  The cattle guard also achieves its function by creating a situation of physical discomfort for the animal. If it somehow manages to ignore its ha ..read more

Here’s a Breakdown of the Best Farm Tools for Disabled Farmers A farm is a busy place. There’s no denying that having all hands on deck is an essential part of establishing a successful farm operation. Operating a thriving business avails a ton of chores and daily tasks, most of which require the assistance of equipment. However, the bulk of farming equipment is primarily built with the fully-able bodied in mind. This leaves about 20% of farmers to compensate, and modify tools – as about 20% of farmers today have a disability of some sort. As a result, the advances in technology and the growin ..read more

There’s no denying that becoming a farmer is a great post-military career. Not only does it afford you the freedom and independence of a life outside the city limits, but farming also furthers your contribution to society. As a veteran, the contribution and sacrifices you’ve made are commendable in every regard. If you were to retire from military service and spend the rest of your life watching reality tv, we would still be indebted to you. However, for many veterans, contribution is in their blood. They spend the rest of their lives in service, and for that reason, there is no better candida ..read more

What is the FVC? The FVC, as it’s popularly known, was founded in 2008. The agencies’ primary goal was ensuring a seamless transition into farming for military veterans. It is a non-profit and non-governmental organization based in Davis, California. Further, the agencies’ mantra and community involvement are all about empowering American veterans to remain major social contributors by feeding the people of their country.  To give you a little background, a military transition or veteran transition refers to the change from military life to civilian status. This can be an incredibly difficult ..read more

Driveway gates are a perfect fit for any home or property. Especially when one of its residents is elderly or pregnant. However, these gate kits are of even more valuable for disabled farmers. We get inquiries from amputees to paraplegic farmers, to veterans with physical and mental disabilities, to elderly farmers with impaired vision and arthritis – and everything in between. Today, there are so many farmers that report having a disability that impacts their farm in some way – about 20% to be exact. Here’s How Driveway Gate Kits Help Disabled Farmers Life on the farm is not easy. It’s espec ..read more