Older farmers are disproportionately likely to be killed in tractor rollovers because they have slower reflexes and are more likely to use older tractors without rollover protection, Schwab said. The level of field work means more stress on farmers and their equipment than at any other time. The kindergarten teacher described her husband as the kind of farmer who would postpone harvest for a day to fix a grain augur that had been behaving erratically rather than risk working with unsafe...

Winners of antique equipment show named. Votes have been counted for peoples choice. There was a nice turnout for the Antique Machinery and Tractor Exhibit at AppleFest in spite of inclement weather. A 1930 Deering Ideal reaper shown by Wayne Curry of Cedaredge received the most votes in the machinery category. Lynn Oliver of Cedaredge caught the attention of most of the voters for his 1949 John Deere Model B tractor.

While both only seem economical for a farmer with more than two thousand acres of cotton, farmers say any relief from labor costs is welcome. While the John Deere version uses about 100 more gallons of diesel for the same 12 hour period, their picker can run non-stop. Case I-H's the one in all cotton picker allows farmers to harvest their entire cotton crop with as few as two people. In the Ag Expo fields their competing side by side, but each promises to make the task of harvesting cotton...

This year, Nelson said John Deere has unveiled several new lineups of farm equipment, including its largest tractor ever. Nelson said being a part of Expo for all 30 years helps solidify John Deere s reputation as the leader in farm equipment. It will allow farmers to bail and wrap cotton as it is being harvested. The company also showed off its new sprayers, row crop tractors, mower conditioners, self-propelled harvesters and its I-Tech guidance system. Being at Expo gives the company a...

He likes using his four antique tractors. They clicked in meetings the farmers have, and this year they're sharing a booth at the market, which will close Oct. The late freeze caused Brewington to lose 85 percent to 90 percent of his peach crop this year, so he hasn't had a lot to sell at the market. Ken Easler was looking to make a few dollars when he stumbled across a man who would become one of his best friends. He grew up in the Beaumont community and his family bought land with peach...

The winery also received a state grant last year to help purchase $60,000 of other mechanical equipment to reduce manual labor needed for harvesting and maintaining its 35 acres of vineyards. A mechanical grape harvester at Chateau Chantal vineyard and winery along M-37 looks as peculiar as it is efficient, as technology in the grape and wine industry evolves as did machinery that harvests wheat, corn, cherries and other agricultural products. Winemaker Mark Johnson still favors...

After the parade, farmers and their families sat side-by-side in the fire station, sharing stories and a chicken meal that benefited the fire department. But when your mode of transportation is a tractor that caroms along at 7 or 8 mph that quick drive becomes a journey. Van Horn said he hoped for maybe 25 or 30 tractors after planning the first-time event for about four months. But the tractors and about 200 participants stretched almost 2 miles along the nearly 12-mile route. Slow and...

Changes in immigration laws and new guidelines on human contaminates in crops make labor shortages the greatest threat to today's agricultural economy. Over-planting and then thinning is a method most farmers use to obtain an optimal agricultural yield. Modern day agricultural producers depend upon hundreds of hired laborers to meet critical crop processing deadlines. The CTM is unaffected by weather, time of day, illness, immigration laws, pay rate, and lowers risks of crop contamination....

Along with blacksmithing demonstrations and a display of antique washing machines, the festival strives to show how crops were harvested in the days when gasoline-powered tractors were still a novelty and horses were a common sight, Leners said. Glen Brinkman, adviser for the Blue Valley Antique Collectors Association, said along with field demonstrations of plowing and oat threshing, some of the activities going on at the barn will include pressing sorghum into molasses and pressing...