Challenging Harvest Taking Toll On Farm Equipment

Nov 04, 2019

Farm machinery is being put to the test this year as harvest continues to drag on into November.

Ryan Wiebe is the service manager at Green Valley Equipment (John Deere) in Altona.

He had some advice for producers.

"Keep fuel conditioner in your tanks. Nobody wants to gel up when it gets cold, and if you have summer fuel in there, that's a possibility."

Wiebe says they've been hearing about issues with tracks clogging up with mud.

"We have found that using a sprayer winterizer to spray it down helps thaw the frozen mud and ice out of there. That's been working well. If at all possible, clean it out as frequently as possible before it freezes up, while it's still softer."

Wiebe recommends storing machinery inside overnight if possible to help with startup in the morning. Another piece of advice is to store fire extinguishers inside overnight or in the cab to make sure they work if needed.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.