How to Sterilise Soil

This is a question we’re asked regularly. It’s usually from gardeners who keep looking at that old discarded compost pile and wondering what to do with it.

Well, let’s leave to one side those issues to do with Green approaches for the moment or feeding the compost again. The chances are, if you have such a pile, you might want to dig it in or use it in your pots but not if the result is going to be lots of inherited weeds strangling your beloved plants or nicely nurtured bugs chomping on them.

So, here are a few ideas - though none of them include Kubota Tractors for once!

1. Bake your compost. Make sure it’s in oven-proof containers and stick them into the oven at about 80-100C for half an hour or so.  HEALTH WARNING – unless you want to find yourself swinging from the rafters, make sure that whoever is normally considered to be ‘in charge’ of the kitchen and appliances (if not you) is either kept fully in the dark or consulted in advance.

2. Place your proto-compost into microwave-proof dishes and simply zap them at full power. The tricky bit here is time because a lot of advice varies on this one. Look this up on the net and form your own view. You’re also unlikely to be able to produce big quantities this way. HEALTH ADVICE – as above!

For more details, please visit - http://www.whitestractors.com.au/blog/337-how-to-sterilise-soil.html

Photos of a White Kangaroo

Many ‘old timers’ have quite a few stories to tell about strange things they’ve seen while out and about in the countryside.

We’ve certainly heard tales about the white kangaroo and maybe smiled but recently up in WA, somebody has seen one and this time caught it on camera.

This isn’t the first time that farmers have been laughed at when reporting strange sights. In many cases, unfortunately, they’ve had to put up with it for the rest of their lives because they just didn’t have a camera available to back up their version of events. However, with the mobile phone, that’s now all changing.

No doubt some of these fantastic stories can be attributed to perhaps having had one too many at the local or an over-active imagination but the world’s a strange place. The mobile phone’s camera might start to prove that more and more in the years ahead.

Anyway, while we were pondering this, it gave us an idea for our newsletter. Read more http://www.whitestractors.com.au/blog/336-photos-of-a-white-kangaroo.html

Your Lawnmower Won’t Start? Top Tips

We get the odd call along these lines – usually from someone who hasn’t purchased through us.

OK, we’re bragging! Apologies…

If you’re in this position though, here are a few top tips about things to consider or try:

1. do you have fuel? Please don’t find this patronising – it’s actually surprising how many people try to start a mower when the tank’s dry. On a related note, if your engine has a fuel line switch, check that’s set to ‘on’ as well;

2. check your spark plug – if your system uses such. If it’s dirty and corroded, then replace it;

3. is the fuel new or new-ish? Starting up with a tank full of “last season’s” fuel can sometimes be a problem. Drain it down, replace and try again;

4. if you have a manual choke, is it working? Trace the cables and pull them to see if it is;

For more details, please visit - http://www.whitestractors.com.au/blog/335-your-lawnmower-won-t-start-top-tips.html

Nutty Talk

We’ve seen a lot of talk in Australian farming circles recently about how to better market nuts.

Now let’s forgo all the obvious jokes, well, apart from the title of this blog (apologies for that!) and get down to business - and this is nothing to do with tractors for sale, Goulburn or elsewhere!

Apparently, a lot of the discussion is about trying to do two things:

1. market them more effectively to what people call the “Millennials”, which seem to be those youngsters that are about 16-18 right now and;

2. reduce or put into perspective, those concerns about allergic reactions etc.

In terms of the first point above, it seems as if young people see nuts as brain food – something that can directly stimulate the cognitive processes.

The marketing people want to pick up and expand on this, reasoning correctly that younger people aren’t worried about their cardio-vascular systems and the health benefits of nuts in those respects. They think that’s an issue for old-timers. They are though, more receptive to the evidence that eating a sensible quantity of nuts on a regular basis can help stimulate aspects of your grey cells and what they’re up to.

For more details, please visit - http://www.whitestractors.com.au/blog/334-nutty-talk.html

Spotlight And Offer – M7

M 7-1 series 0% p.a. promotional interest rate

Take advantage of Kubota’s competitive finance rate of 0% p.a. on M7-1 series tractors for a limited time only! See details below.

DETAILS

Term 36 months

Repayment frequency monthly

Minimum deposit 20%

Minimum financed amount $4,000

Credit criteria, terms and conditions apply

Offer expires 30/06/2017

Offer is only available for ABN holders who are using the equipment predominantly for business purposes. Credit provided by Kubota Tractor Australia Pty Ltd ABN 72005300621, Australian Credit License Number 442007. Terms, conditions, fees charges and credit criteria apply.

Specifically designed for the farming professional who wants a versatile and hard-working tractor, the M7-1 is powered by a next-generation 6.1 litre, four-cylinder diesel engine, incorporating Kubota’s clean-air technology and available in 130HP, 150HP or 170HP variants.

For more details, please visit - http://www.whitestractors.com.au/spotlight/333-spotlight-and-offer-m7.html

Do You Exercise Enough?

Once again, we suspect our title here has caused a few people to blink twice.

How can anyone working in farming not get enough exercise? Surely the idea’s ridiculous?

Well, maybe not.

Let’s be provocative for a second. We’re not saying it’s the same thing as driving a family car but if you’ve just spent more or less the entire day behind the wheel of a tractor then you might not have got a lot of exercises.

Climbing in or out of the cab a few times to check something or have lunch, doesn’t quite count. It’s also possible you’ve just spent a lot of hours ‘doing the books’ or repairing/cleaning equipment. That’s two more examples of time-intensive work on a farm where exercise isn’t involved.

There might be many others too.

For more details, please visit - http://www.whitestractors.com.au/blog/332-do-you-exercise-enough.html

Top Garden Lawnmower FAQs

Here are some of the most commonly heard FAQs covering domestic lawnmowers.

What are the advantages of electric rotary cutters?

Typically, these are nowadays encountered in smaller domestic environments.

As their name suggests, they’re usually an electric motor driven by a lead connection to the mains supply. The motor drives a circular rotating blade or sometimes a plastic cord.  

Their big plus points are usually that they’re light to manoeuvre and can be quite effective mowing at steep angles. They’re also usually fairly simple in design and maintenance terms.

On the downside, they’re not usually considered viable for larger areas and trailing electric cables can be a concern both in terms of range and safety (use a circuit breaker when using one of these).

Are zero turn mowers dangerous on slopes and uneven ground?

No – this reputation goes back to some teething troubles back in the very early days of this type of mower. That was a LONG time ago now!

For more details, please visit - http://www.whitestractors.com.au/blog/330-top-garden-lawnmower-faqs.html