[Billy Anderson]

Hi Jelmer

Thanks for that. I have fired an email of to them. Looks very interesting. I also like the look of the flex. I have asked the question on how it would work on seed bed prep on the raised beds. Although that would be something for the future.

I would be interested to know how you get on when you trial it.

[Billy Anderson]

Thanks Jelmer

Living in the UK i was looking more to europe for more favourable shipping costs and also the french have been quite inovative with horse drawn equipment. I had looked at I&J manufacturing’s two row cultivator but i am scaling up slowly and felt it may a bit over kill for my operations. Prommata equipment has my attention.

[Billy Anderson]

Thanks for that. I started this year with raised beds dug by hand after ploughing a small garden area. next year i hope to expand the garden and im looking for ways to tackle this with the horse. A while ago you sent me links to various different manufactures of equipment in europe. I wonder if the company equivinum plough and tools would work to make raised beds? Many thanks again

[Billy Anderson]

I know it’s been a while since this post was initially put uproducts but it seems the videos won’t work. I wondered if anybody would have a link to these videos. Thanks

[Billy Anderson]

Thanks for the advice. You have confirmed my worries at using the cultimulcher on a raised bed system. I have been doing a lot of research on the 30″ wide beds for intensive market gardening, namely Jean-Martin Fortier book where he farms intensively on 1.5 acres and turns over annually six figures. It certainly seems to be a great system which is getting great recognition.

He has the garden laid out with 16 permanent beds in each plot. 30″ wide with 18″ between them. so there is 48″ center to center all 100′ long. The reason i was drawn to this system is, i have about the same area i can put into vegetables and obviously the potential of what could be earned for that amount of land usage. The guys using the raised beds use the walk behind two wheeled tractors. all with implements 30″ wide. They prepare the bed with a power harrow. When it comes to mowing cover crops, this is done with the flail mower attachment and worked in with power harrow. Obviously the cultimulcher isn’t going to do what the two wheeled tractor can but i am just looking to pick the brains of knowledgeable horse powered farmers and see if there was some other tools out there that could be used to work on an intensive system close to this.

[Billy Anderson]

Hi all

I wondered if i might ask a question. I am short on land when it comes to our vegetable production and have kept it low key due to other commitments causing a time constraint but this year i plan to up prodution. Due to the lack of available land, i intend to use 30″ or 36″ raised beds. I was wondering what width the double tree and neck yoke would be best suited for the team to work each side of the bed?

Also, I know Erica, you use a Shipshe cultimulcher, as i have had questions about it answered by yourself some time ago. I have been in touch with Maynard and i am looking to order the 3′ cultimulcher. I wonder how this would fair on the raised bed scenario and how would it do to work in mowed cover crop in the same beds.

I know this system is different from the bed systems above. I am trying to replicate the systems that some farmers are using on small parcels of land, quite successfully using two wheeled tractors for all the cultivation needs. I am obviously keen to use my horses and would prefer to invest in horse drawn tools.

Many thanks

[Billy Anderson]

Thanks folks. Sorry i should have probably said in my opening thread but I am unfortunately not near VT. I stay in the U.K. Scotland. I got introduced to this forum by John (JAC). I have not posted much, but sat on the sidelines soaking up as much information as i can. You have a great community going on. I have said to my wife in the not to far future a trip to North America and horse progress is a must. It would be fantastic to combine that with a visit to one of these workshops.

There is a severe shortage of people to get any info from in regards to horse powered farming (market gardening) in this part of the world. When i tell people what my dream and intentions are, i get looked at as if i’m mad! This makes the SLOW road to our dream harder to navigate. We unfortunately never made it across to pferdestark in Germany, Europe’s answer to Horse Progress Days, it would have been great for the learning curve. To increase my knowledge I buy modern books on horse farming. (Stephen Leslie’s being the most recent) Subscribe to SFJ and read forums. It would also seem that we were not so as advance when it came to horse drawn equipment back in the day, so getting my hands on old deering cultivators is slim to none. There are however a few walk behind scufflers lying here and there, Ridgers and other bits and pieces, although some of it is best suited to garden furniture.

Our initial plan for next year was to work about 1 1/2 acre on ridges and get the likes of baby carrots, new potatoes etc out to local shops and restaurants. The research we carried out showed they are excited about Horse farmed, organic, fresh produce. We would hope to expand this over the years and move onto different bed systems. We would want to buy equipment that would suit us now but also last us if we were able to expand the farm over the coming years.

The reason i thought about compact tractor tools was the ease it is for me to get them. There are no manufacturer’s of modern horse drawn equipment here. There are in Europe but there tools are not so well marketed or so well known about as Pioneer or I&J etc. There is a company in England who import from the Amish and that is where i have bought some of my equipment. This is why, when i go to invest in any equipment, i want to be sure its right for the job.

George: Your right, and thanks for advice. I have some tools and again i’m slowly pulling a collection together. My weldings not bad but not great either 😆 for any tricky stuff i have good engineering friends who help out.

After reading your last post Dominiquer, and keeping myself in mind that i want to start growing in ridges, getting my hands on old walk behind cultivator and ridger should be my first port of call. What would you suggest for a harrow that would follow after the plough but could also be used on to create a nice tilth for beds?

Thanks again for all your inputs.

[Billy Anderson]

This is interesting. I have just come of the phone to Simon Lenihan tonight regarding this harness and setup. I bought a set of this harness that gets imported from your guys over there. Sizing has been a bit of a problem. I bought webbing harness and have had to burn extre holes through the webbing to get the desired fit. When using on the single horse in swedish shafts on my forwarder and im asking him to yield over in tight spaces the shaft is falling in behind his leg. I have adjustable front traces but think i may have to shorten them more and bring the ring further forward. Keep the harness snug all round and the back pad on top of the withers like the swedish harness is.

[Billy Anderson]

Accross the pond here i feed ours wrapped bales. We have two different moisture content types. Silage which is wet and for cattle only, def not for horses. Then Haylage. not as dry as hay or wet as silage. Haylage is great for keeping condition on them. Swear buy it for the bigger horses. The farmers produce these specifically for horses. Bale has to be used within 10 days or so, or starts to spoil. They are chopped and wrapped tighter. Good value for money but hell of a weight. easily over half ton which makes transporting and moving them a problem.

[Billy Anderson]

I have a three wheel cart i intend to power up also. Fitting a motor to turn a PTO i can visualize and with a little guidance, possibily manage to achieve this. Hydraulics i cant get my head round! Where would one get plans for such a project?

[Billy Anderson]

I was reading on another forum about guys who had converted Bush hogs to ground driven horse drawn but there were no pictures and searching the web is not coming up with anything. Have any of you guys got any experience or seen this done??

[Billy Anderson]

I ordered this book a couple of weeks back and it arrived at beginning of this week. Hardly put it down. couldn’t have come along at a better time. We have Just bought a place with few acres and are looking forward to living the dream. This book will be invaluable help in answering many questions.

[Billy Anderson]

@Eli 40077 wrote:

God may have Made the Farmer of yesterday. But man created the mess we have today. I started with 40 cows and in 20 years sold with 200. From my first day in Ag class untill my last day in tech school I was taught to be a good farmer I needed to produce as much I could fo as little as I could. We never talked about quality of life or beliefs. And that was before the banks, feed mill, and all the others who profit from my expansion got a hold of me. I am not at all against Education but it was my education that taught me to build a farm in the end I didn’t want to run. I think we need to teach more quality of life and less profit. I still own my farm land and if I could turn back the clock I would do things differently but wouldn’t we all. Eli

P.S. I still drive a Ford

Trouble is there are very few of us who think like that and human nature as it is, is all about more is better and enough is never enough. The sad fact is The few that are about quality of life get left behind. Even in this age when people talk about sustainability the environment, unemployment etc most are blinded when money is involved. We have probably all been there at some point in our younger life’s. But aren’t we the lucky one’s that have seen the light.? Progression has a lot to answer for in all walks of life. Machines are consistently replacing manual jobs. Traditional skills done away with and forgotten. With an ever increasing population i really don’t see how jobs can be sustained! The governments the world over talk the talk but bring out legislation that leaves the small business out on the shelf, not being able to afford to keep up. I feel fortunate that i have this passion for the land, working my horses and what they can achieve. All together is gives me an inner peace that nothing else could!

[Billy Anderson]

Hello George

Great picture. Have you any of you snow ploughing?

i was checking out your website. Im impressed with the work you do and how you manage it all. How many Acre do you work?

[Billy Anderson]

How many of you guys have a fair amount snow through winter? On some of the pictures i see posted there always seems a fair bit.

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