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Efficient Use of
Resources by Farms
Blacksburg -- Prosperous farmers are finding they must place increased emphasis on efficient use of all available resources such as labor, land, machinery and available operating capital if their operation is to remain profitable. To maintain efficiency it is many times necessary to switch to different crops or farm enterprises, said Easley S. Smith, associate professor of agricultural engineering at Virginia Tech. Other methods of maintaining or increasing efficiency include changing field layouts, changes in production practices, eliminating or combining several operations and addition of new or larger machinery.
U. S. Department of Agriculture figures show that from 1950 to 1964, farm output per man-hour increased about 2.3 times. In the same period new tractors increased from about 28 to 60 horsepower.
“With the present use of more and larger machines and more costly labor, farm operators must continually question each operation to see what can be done to make it more efficient,” Smith said.
A recent study in Alabama has shown parallel terraces increased row crop machinery efficiency 16 per cent when compared to conventional terraces. Parallel terraces eliminated many of the short rows, thus reducing the turning time required. Smooth, wide, grass-covered turning areas can also save considerable turning time as compared to small, rough turning areas, Smith added.
Whenever possible, small irregularly-shaped fields should be combined into larger areas with longer rows. Turning areas at the ends of rows should be wide enough to permit the operator to complete the tum without backing. Backing a tractor to complete a tum, Smith said, may require up to five times as much time as to make a semi-circle turn. Ditches and other obstructions should be eliminated wherever possible.
Increased field efficiency obtained by reducing lost time through good field layout may make it possible to farm more acres with a given size machine or amount of available labor. It may also permit the use of smaller and less expensive equipment for a given acreage.
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