10 Follow us on @BetterFarmingON Better Farming | June/July 2024 Many farmers have a few pieces of older equipment sitting around their properties, whether it’s for frugal or sentimental reasons. With higher machinery prices, many producers are opting for used models when upgrading their equipment. Others may see the time and labour-saving value in having newer equipment. When asked how old their equipment was on average, 54.2 per cent of Better Farming readers said that theirs would be between 10 and 20 years old. The average age of equipment was between 20 to 40 years for 29.2 per cent of farms, older than 40 years for 8.3 per cent, and younger than 10 years for 8.3 per cent. Below, readers share details on their oldest equipment and if they have any plans to upgrade them. Veronique, Wellington County: “Our oldest piece of equipment is from 1998.” Brady, Kawartha Lakes: “My combine is the oldest piece of equipment I own. It’s a Gleaner L3. I had a 1998 sprayer but upgraded to a 2018.” Joan, Grey County: “Our oldest equipment is 75 years old. We upgrade equipment when we see a good replacement.” Brian, Waterloo Region: “We have used our solid manure spreader for over 20 years. We are keeping on the lookout for a newer one at the right price.” Geoff, Bruce County: “We try to keep tractors for 10 to 15 years and try to renew one piece of equipment a year.” Brianna, Lanark County: “Our potato planter/digger and bagger set is over 100 years old. We are planning to upgrade our crop drying equipment and some hay implements.” Ben, Huron County: “Our loader tractor is 51 years old.” Jessica and Bryon, Huron County: “Our oldest is a 1956 John Deere 620. We also have a John Deere B and John Deere H, but they’re not used for farm work. At this point, we’re not planning to upgrade any equipment. We took over the farm in 2021, and all the equipment is paid for, works, and Bryon can do any repairs that are required.” Michel, Russell County: “Our oldest is 23 years old.” Barclay, Wellington County: “The oldest piece is a John Deere 2755. We aren’t upgrading because we can’t afford anything new at the moment.” Bill, Elgin County: “Our oldest equipment is 49 years. We are not upgrading at this time.” Eleanor, Leeds County: “Our oldest is 50 years old or more.” Daniel, Simcoe County: “Our oldest piece is our disc harrow.” Janet, Wellington County: “We have two tractors from the late 1970s. We plan to upgrade our liquid manure pump this year.” Doug, Middlesex County: “We have a tractor that is just turning 30 that we use to spread manure. We won’t be trading until absolutely necessary, as the cost of the upgrade makes it prohibitive even when looking at potential time saved.” Larry, Brant County: “Our oldest is 60 years old. We have no upgrades planned.” Gerald, Niagara Region: “Our oldest equipment is a 1987 John Deere 2550 tractor, but that’s just for running augers. My main line of equipment is newer than 2010. I want to upgrade the sprayer (a 2012 AGCO Spra-Coupe) and combine (2012 John Deere S660) and header (John Deere 635F Flex Head). With current pricing on equipment and higher interest rates, combined with lower commodity prices, it may not happen for a bit yet.” Louis, Chatham-Kent: “Our oldest equipment is a John Deere 1120 tractor from 1973.” John, Prince Edward County: “Our oldest equipment is a 1920s Ace Bottom plow that we use for the flower fields. Everything else is from the ’70s and ’80s.” BF Digging Deeper HOW OLD IS YOUR FARM EQUIPMENT? Some producers don’t plan to upgrade older equipment any time soon. By Emily Croft Farmers may keep older equipment for a number of reasons. Emily Croft photo
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