Equipment Maintenance

Farmer-to-Farmer Learning Module  

Learning to Maintain Equipment

Getting Started

In this learning module, we'll talk about maintaining equipment on your farm. Few skills are as necessary for farmers as machinery maintenance. Yet many new farmers have little hands-on equipment experience. That's why the Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network teamed up with Fulton Farm at Wilson College to offer an Equipment Maintenance and Winterization Workshop.

The workshop, held on October 14 at Fulton Farm in Chambersburg, gave new farmers the confidence to tackle preventative maintenance chores on their own.

Doug Schaufler, Senior Project Associate with Penn State Farm Services, provided a hands-on tutorial to help participants keep their farm tractor and tillers running smoothly. He explained the differences between gasoline and diesel engines, and how to maintain the safety, emissions, air, fuel, and hydraulic systems. He also showed participants how to winterize their equipment at the end of the season. Participants changed air, fuel, and oil filters.

The day also included a tour of Fulton Farm, a working farm on campus that offers classes in sustainable agriculture and sustainable living, and produces vegetables for the Wilson College dining hall, several farmers markets, and a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

Now that the field day is over, 

·       Is equipment winterization on your fall to-do list now?

·       Will you be able to better maintain your equipment next season?

·       What are some other equipment-related workshops that you would find helpful?

We hope you'll share ideas with other farmers about your equipment maintenance issues or about any other farming topics of interest. Please post your thoughts to the blog below. Thank you!