Reviewing Farm Tools
There are a lot of farm products out there most of them I'm sure probably seen if you've been around a cattle farm or you already have them and have your own opinions, but if not then maybe you'll find something here that you just have to have. Here is my review on some tools that aren't necessary for day-to-day life but might make some things just a little bit easier or not. Enjoy the humor in my reviews.
We acquired one of these because my dad requested a silage knife for Christmas and when you type that into the internet this is what you get. We were skeptical at first and my dad had to watch a few youtube videos about how it worked, but now he keeps it in the tractor and uses it everyday. This fancy yellow stick has a nice handle for a grip and on the other end there is a small razor blade that you open out when you use it. You can reach over a bale with the blade end and pull the blade across to cut apart the net wrap or even your silage plastic. It is a whole lot quicker than using a pocket knife and takes less effort. I am really impressed with the quality of this for being just plastic, I'm pretty sure we have run over this with the skid steer or at least gotten close and its still in one piece and still bright yellow. You can also replace the blade when it gets dull. Highly recommend for people who don't carry a knife on them at all times or are a little weaker.
Actual Silage Knife
After my mom's failed first attempt to find one of these (see above), we found one on ebay. Basically this is just a fancy saw for hay/silage. The blade is about two feet long and there are two handles on the end. Frankly, we rarely use this its kind of just decoration in our house now. When we got it we were not feeding whole bales of silage to our cows because we didn't have as many so my dad used it a bit and it was functional, but not as fast as a chain saw. Now, that we have a TMR mixer we don't bother splitting bales. These are not common tools anymore so the ones we found were 'vintage' so they were a little rusty and not the best looking. We could live without it, but it would make a cool decoration if you hung it on your wall or in the barn.
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| This is the exact one we use |
This is a great tool, and I think most people have them at this point, my dad uses it almost daily. I however keep messing up reading it so it hasn't been too helpful to me. The ones with the screen and short locators are the best ones. It is nice that it tells you the direction of the short if the fence is messed up because that helps save some time when walking the fence to find it. Everyone that I know that has one of these would recommend it. Once again the one we have is just off of Amazon and has held up great, We haven't had any problems with the battery or reading it.
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| This the handheld cattle prod we use, nothing fancy |
This little invention while effective is not exactly my favorite. I am not a huge fan of shocking the cows when we work them because it jolts them a bit and they don't like it, and I don't like when the cows make sudden big movements. I am concerned for my own safety. However, I do see the appeal if you are working a large group of cattle and are in a hurry. We usually just give them firm pats on the behind or poke them with a regular stick to get them to go through the shoot. I won't use this product, but others do and really like it.
Working Cattle Dog
Is this really a product? I do not know but they can be helpful tools. If they are trained. We had high hopes for our Australian shepherd Blue Healer Mix when we got him, and while he has been a good boy he's not the greatest with the cattle. He makes a great protector and will follow you anywhere right by your side, however at times he gets very frightened by cows. He let's the calves chase him, won't go near the big ones some days. Other days though he will chase a cow back into the fence and herd them. He just is not consistent and does not listen. I will always recommend having a dog on the farm, but as for a working cattle dog, make sure they are trained and good listeners otherwise their just freeloading in exchange for entertainment.
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| This is our farm dog, Groot, and some of our barn kittens |
Barn Cats
While we are on the topic of reviewing animals let me review my favorite farm tool: barn cats. I absolutely love cats and barn cats are no exception, in a way they are actually better. Not only are they excellent mousers, they are great at getting rid of other small animals as well. If you feed them a little they will become friendly. There are also bound to be kittens a couple times a year, and nothing is better than kittens. They are so sweet to cuddle and great entertainment when they are young and playful.
Four-wheelers
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| Our four-wheelers look a little older than this, but you get the idea |
These are great inventions. Great for getting around the farm and pasture quickly and with less effort. You can carry tools on the racks or really anything. They are also fun to just ride. Everybody needs to feel like a kid every now and then. Totally worth the investment, or buy a cheap broken down one and fix it up for a good winter project, that's what we did with both of ours. Definitely worth the hype.
Some of these are obviously helpful and maybe you didn't need a review to be convinced of that, but hopefully my experiences and views will help if you're looking for a little gift for your farm or if you were just curious about what other people think.
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