What I Love: Farmers’ Favorite Tools
Farmer: Josh Egenolf, The Wayne-Egenolf Farm, Bloomington, IN
Farmer: Josh Egenolf, The Wayne-Egenolf Farm, Bloomington, IN
For Josh Egenolf, of the Wayne-Egenolf Farm, his chain saw is essential during the cold season. “I am a maniac with my chain saw,” he says of his professional-grade Dolmar, manufactured in Germany. “It allows me to restore order to the farm in the chaos of the winter months.” – Jake O. Francis
Farmer: Eric Parletta, Adelaide, Australia
Eric Parletta’s farm in the Adelaide foothills is the last one of its kind in the area. A prime producer of spring onions, parsley, radishes and golden and red beetroot, Parletta took over from his father and his family “still do things the old fashioned way”. Asked what his favorite tool is, Parletta answers with a smile, “Well, it’s gotta be my tractor.” – Leanne Amodeo
Farmer: Shadrack Musvakwa, Nairobi, Kenya
Shadrack Musvakwa lives in Nairobi and comes from Kakamega, a sugar-growing area on the equator in the west of Kenya.
“I sharpen my slasher every morning with a file and carry it with me all day. Plants grow very fast in our soil and a slasher is great for cutting back the grass and weeds that grow up everywhere; I use it for everything. My slasher is extremely sharp and can be dangerous; it’s easy to cut yourself. I always hold my left hand behind my back when I am using it.” – Miles Bredin
Farmer: Tim Mueller, Riverdog Farm, Guinda, CA
“I love my dog, Quilo, for his joyful, exuberant approach to each day,” says Tim Mueller of Riverdog Farm. “He whines and stamps his feet a quarter mile before we turn onto a field road. When we stop, he bounds out of the truck, leading the way. He wants to help with everything, and is learning to help gather our pigs.” – Laurel Miller
Farmer: Alain Moueix, Bordeaux Château Fonroque, Saint-Á‰milion, France
Owner of Bordeaux’s Château Fonroque says his favorite piece of farming equipment is a dynamizer. “We’re a biodynamic wine estate so we use it to make the field sprays for the vines and the vineyard,” said Alain Moueix, an agricultural engineer. The dynamizer basically spins the necessary herb or plant product in water at such a high speed that it causes molecular chaos, allowing the plant’s healing properties to diffuse throughout the liquid, Moueix explained. – Sophie Kevany
Farmer: Giacomo Tincani, La Basia Farm, Lake Garda Region, Italy
Giacomo Tincani is the scion of the family that owns and operates La Basia, a vineyard, equestrian center and agriturismo in Northern Italy. Tincani relies on his Chippewa Boots in all farm situations. “I bought them on my first journey in Georgia,” Tincani says. Since then, he says, “they have been my passe-partout (all-purpose) – I always use them when I walk onto a farm, no matter the duty. I love their handiness: the sensation of getting ready in a second to step in the mud, or into the rain or snow. And I like to take a moment every once in a while to take good care of them.” – Jake O. Francis
Farmer: Radell Schrock, Season’s Bounty Farm, Harrisonburg, VA
If Radell Schrock’s Earth Way garden seeder broke today, he’d buy a new one tomorrow. Versatile and portable, it’s a tool he uses “all the time” to sow seed and mark rows at his Season’s Bounty Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. With different discs for different seeds, the seeder helps him plant quickly and often ”“ key to a market farmer’s success. – Andrew K. Jenner
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