While the list of projects on your to do list is probably never ending, everything seems a little less pressing once harvest is done. While many of you are moving into anhydrous application or maybe doing some trucking, we thought we’d compile a list of some of the best shop and office projects to tackle during the winter months. This is prime time to get some of those nagging tasks off your list, get a little more prepared for next year, and stay warm inside!
1. Take a look through all the fliers about winter meetings and jot a few down on your calendar. While we know winter can turn into meeting overload, now is a great time to pencil in a few of the ones you are most interested in, and think about a few topics you were hoping to learn more about this year. In some sense, all sorts of meetings going virtual is a blessing. You have the opportunity to tune in to a lot of different meetings on so many agronomic and farm management topics—all over the US!
2. Start on major planter overhauls. Planning on adding on some upgrades? Electric drives? Automatic row cleaners? New closing wheels? Adding on hydraulic downforce? Retrofitting a fertilizer system? Now is a great time to get going on those projects—when you don’t feel the pressure of planting season breathing down your neck!
3. Do a repair audit. Take a walk around all your equipment and check out high wear items. Check bearings on the combine, planters, and tillage equipment. Look for worn flighting on augers and wear on sickle sections. Be really nit-picky and find those little repairs. Spending time doing them this winter will save you during the critical times of planting and harvest.
4. What about some shop upgrades? You spend a lot of time in there—make it a nice place to work. Clean up some of the clutter, organize the bolt bins, build an improved shop hoist. I took a look at what lots of farmers have mentioned online as some of their favorite shop improvements, and other than a heated shop (duh…), improved lighting was also mentioned a lot. Putting in LED shop lights is going to improve visibility and reduce your electric bill. A win-win!
5. Dive into those dream projects you’ve been putting on hold. Have an antique tractor that you’ve been wanting to rebuild? This is your time! Wanting to put a flatbed on one of the work trucks? Do it! Don’t get so caught up in the farm to-do list that you forget that taking some time for “fun” projects is a much needed break.
What projects do you have lined up for “shop season”? Let us know what you are planning on working on these next few months!
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