Equipment Roundup
Firestone Ag Offers Winter Tire Care Tips; AGCO Opens New Tech Training Center
In this Equipment Roundup, DTN/Progressive Farmer looks at Firestone Ag offering winter tire care tips; AGCO opening a new technician training center; and California Farm Credit organizations supporting a new program to train aspiring Hispanic farmworkers in language skills, digital literacy and leadership.
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WINTERPROOF TIRES IN 4 EASY STEPS
Firestone Ag offers four tips for getting the most out of your tires this winter:
-- Tip 1: Maintain tire pressure when temperatures drop.
Regularly checking and adjusting your tire air pressure is one of the most effective ways to extend tire life and carry heavy loads efficiently. Checking tire pressure in the winter is especially important since pressure is directly related to temperature.
-- Tip 2: Be cautious of frozen ground.
Take extra care driving over rutted and rough frozen ground and stubble, especially for livestock operations and when clearing snow.
-- Tip 3: Monitor winter storage.
Whenever possible, store equipment inside. Tires left outside on ice or snow are more prone to cracks as the rubber stiffens in low temperatures. For equipment in winter storage, monitor tire pressure to avoid finding a flat tire come spring. Due to permeation, a tire will typically lose around 1 PSI per month. To account for this natural, slow loss of PSI over time, regularly check the tire pressure of your tires in storage.
-- Tip 4: Optimize your tires for winter conditions.
Tires built for fieldwork might not perform well in snow and ice. Adding weight to your equipment can help improve traction on icy or snowy ground. Tire chains can give your equipment the extra grip it needs in slippery conditions. Work with your local tire dealer and experts to ensure you are getting the correct chains for your tires and are installing them correctly to avoid unnecessary damage.
In the South, wet ground can heighten soil compaction and rutting, while reducing a tractor's traction. Ensure your tire inflation pressure is optimized for the weight of the tractor. Properly inflated tires allow tractors to create an ideal footprint, spreading the machine's weight over a larger area to minimize soil compaction and enhance traction.
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AGCO OPENS TECHNICIAN TRAINING CENTER
AGCO Corporation announced it has opened the AGCO Technician Training Center at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois. The 22,000-square-foot facility is the home of the school's AGCO Agriculture Service Technician Associate in Applied Science degree program. Made possible by a $5 million donation from AGCO, the center provides instruction specific to the company's machinery and precision ag technologies.
To learn more about the AGCO Agriculture Service Technician degree program, go to https://agtechnician.com/… and www.Parkland.edu/AGCO.
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NEW PROGRAM FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING FARM EMPLOYEES
California's Center for Land-Based Learning is launching a new program called AgHiRE, designed specifically for the state's Spanish-speaking agricultural workforce.
"(Employers) need workers to be as skilled and efficient as possible," said Marisa Alcorta, the center's apprenticeship program director. The program is the newest component of the California Farm Academy. It has been designed to equip employees with critical language skills, digital literacy and leadership training that will enable them to move up in their organizations.
"For 30 years, the center has provided programs for students, beginning farmers and aspiring farm managers," said Jacob DeBoer, regional marketing manager with American AgCredit. "The new AgHiRE program (benefits) workers and employers alike. Programs like these are invaluable assets to California agriculture."
Farm Credit organizations supporting the center's programs are AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Fresno Madera Farm Credit, Golden State Farm Credit and Yosemite Farm Credit.
The first AgHiRE class of 25 began the program in early December and will finish in mid-March after 87 hours of instruction. The center plans to offer another course next winter and to add an advanced course as well for farm workers who already have most of the basic skills.
For 30 years, the Center for Land-Based Learning has focused on training the next generation of farmers, agricultural leaders and natural resource stewards.
Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com
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