Dave Kennell and the electric tractor

Here is a picture of Dave with the electric tractor. As you can see, this is an unusual tractor. It is a cultivating tractor that is designed to give the operator an unobstructed view of the soil you are driving over. This allows you to closely monitor your cultivating tools and to put them as close as possible to the crop plants. Dave's right hand is on a fender, under which is mounted a new hydraulic powerpack. That little black motor delivers an amazing amount of force and it powers the front and rear hydraulic cylinders.

Mushrooms and my electric tractor

I just finished seeding 30 oak logs with Shitake mushroom spawn and I hope to do 50 more logs this weekend. If all goes as planned, I will be bringing Shitake mushrooms to the market this fall or in the spring of 2009. As soon as I finish the mushroom logs, I will start planting seeds in my hoophouse. That will signal the end of most of my winter activities as I shift my attention over to taking care of plants. Fortunately, I am just about done with my big winter project- an electric tractor. My neighbor Dave Kennel and I are putting the finishing touches on my newly converted electric Tuff-bilt tractor. I am so excited about this tractor, as it has great potential to increase the efficiency of my farm. We will be posting more detailed information about the tractor and how we converted it in future posts.