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  • From: Scott Breneman <sbreneman AT yourgoodwill.org>
  • To: "'market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] potato diggers--Willsie
  • Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:24:48 -0400


Richard,

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with the digger, weeds, and
for posting the video--very helpful to hear how things work outside of the
showroom, catalog and website!
We grow organic and find weeds a real challenge also--five foot redroot and
lambs quarter and also mow prior to harvest.

For anyone interested in shaker types--there are Spedo and Checchi & Magli
potato digger/shakers on Youtube--some are side delivery and some drop the
potatoes straight behind the machine.

Scott




Message: 1
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2010 10:48:42 -0400
From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] potato digger/shakers
Message-ID: <7C520E73-DD91-4554-8AA8-FA8E31B52A46 AT zoomtown.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Most commercial diggers I have seen are modeled after the chain style
diggers. I have had zero experience with the Italian types.

I just shot video of my Willsie Equipment digger I purchased in February.
This is the first time digging large scale like this and my biggest problem
are weeds. I grow on river bottoms and the weed banks regardless of well
cultivated things are will always be a problem. THis year my cultivation was
interrupted by lots of rain four weeks prior to harvest and we had an
explosion of giant rag weed.

You can see in the video just how bad the weeds are. This year has been the
worst I think...a perfect storm for the later season weeds with rain every
four o five days and extreme heat.

So I just mow the tops down a week prior to harvest. The potatoes are
already dying back so the weeds do not effect yields...just harvest.

I need a straight pass though to run the weeds out of the digger. The
Italian types have that bend in the basket for side delivery and I think it
would make my problems worse. Of course, I could be wrong, but I think the
straighter pass is more...simple.

I REALLY like the digger.

Anyways, just my .02

Willsie is partnered with a Michigan company to handle US sales and I like to
keep my money as close to home as possible. I've asked them to send me more
info on it so I can share. As with all farming equipment its a balancing
act...like anything manufactured these days.

Videos of the digger, including a 180 degree walk-around and digging in weeds
can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWiQ2Y3zZ20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibQFO5pQ1js

We've posted photos of the entire process on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=171985&id=298060066757&ref=mf


Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106
http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com
rstewart AT zoomtown.com
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End of Market-farming Digest, Vol 91, Issue 9
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  • Re: [Market-farming] potato diggers--Willsie, Scott Breneman, 08/11/2010

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