IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS ….

I’ve always enjoyed farm tours, especially when other farmers are on them. It’s not the big picture of the farm itself that’s all that interesting…wood, metal and concrete. It’s often not the farm manager that is that interesting either, although we’ve met some memorable ones. When on other’s farms, most farmers I’ve traveled with are looking at the little things …clever fixits that save a few minutes each day… that they hadn’t thought of…and could adapt to their farm. A different style gate or latch, a retrofitted stainless-steel sink with sloped drain welded together for calf pail and bottle washing, a pipe cut lengthwise to serve as a water trough in a retrofitted tiestall barn to replace water bowls that can be easily cleaned by sweeping down the open pipe with a broom or brush. Those are the true gems that are satisfying to take home after a farm tour.

On a recent trip to Japan to meet with our Zen-Noh colleagues we toured one of their research facilities focused on Wagyu production. The facilities were extremely well-kept and clean, and the animals were impressive. But what caught my eye was a nifty covering for a grain cart/wheelbarrow. It was made of PVC with 1-inch (2.5 cm) ribbed sections that lay freely on the top of the cart. It could be rolled or accordioned open to scoop the grain out and then easily rolled down to keep moisture, flies and dust out of the feed. Our Zen-Noh colleague explained that it was simply a bathtub cover used to keep the bathwater warm after you slip into the tub. Whaaaattt? Great idea! Never heard of such a thing for either the tub or the grain cart. A relatively cheap fix to keep rodents and flying pests out of the cart…not to mention the grandchildren making a game of throwing calf grain at each other. It was exactly the thing we needed at Miner Institute too. Unfortunately, an internet search didn’t find the narrow-ribbed version we saw in Japan, but Walmart showed the cheapest ($55) wider-ribbed style (180 x 80 cm) which we purchased for our calf barn grain carts (see pics). Our calf manager really likes the rigidity of them…can put buckets on top while scooping…and the flies really have to work to find a path underneath. Now to get one ordered for my home farm…and maybe the tub too!

— Katie Ballard

ballard@whminer.com