The Benefits Of Buying Second Hand Equipment For Dairy Processing

By Paul Crowter  |   Submitted On November 24, 2015

For dairy manufacturers around the world, purchasing high quality dairy equipment can make the difference between a mediocre product and an exceptional one. As a result, there are constantly new models of equipment on the market aiming to provide even more efficient processing and a superior finished product.
Despite this, there is a high demand for secondhand dairy processing equipment, and this is not without good reason. In fact, there are several advantages to investing in used machines rather that splashing out on entirely new equipment; here are some of those benefits.
One of the main factors that comes into play when buying equipment - whether a brand new GEA Westfalia separator or Trepko butter packing machine - is cost. The reality is, despite how professional and reputable the company may be, and how fantastic their finished products are, that there is often a strict budget to adhere to.
This is especially applicable when it comes to dairy processing machines, which can be particularly costly when it comes to buying brand new equipment. As new models appear on a relatively regular basis, it is only the companies with the largest budgets that can afford to update their equipment so frequently.
One way, therefore, that dairy companies can obtain great results on a tighter budget is by investing in used equipment rather than brand new items. There are many fantastic second hand products on the market, whether companies are looking for a separator, homogenizes or packing machines, and all at exceptional prices.
Although the items for sale will not be of the latest model they will still be exceptionally efficient and boast a number of great features, depending of course on how recent the model is and what condition it is in. Customers looking at investing in a brand new GEA Westfalia separator are therefore advised to see if a recent used model is available for a significantly lower price.
Another major advantage of investing in second hand equipment is that there is a great deal more variety than shopping from a selection of exclusively new models. Although many more recent designs can feature a range of innovative functions, this may not be necessary for a number of dairy processing companies.
In some instances, buying a model with fewer functions can actually be beneficial, as the item may only be required to fulfill a small number of necessary functions. The second hand market will contain a range of models, both recent and not-so-recent, all of which will offer as many or as few features as you want or need.
Another reason why investing in second hand equipment might be beneficial is that there is now a huge wealth of information about the second hand market available, meaning it is much easier to buy an item of real quality for a good price and get a real bargain.
In addition to this there are many retailers that specialize in sourcing and reselling used goods. These will often only offer the best items available and be very upfront about the quality and functionalities of the item. This gives you the benefit of complete transparency and means that you can get a true bargain without running any major risks.
One thing to be aware of however, is that in demand items will often be snapped up fast. Popular products such as Tetra Pack pasteurizers, Alfa Laval homogenizes or the industry leading GEA Westfalia separator tend to sell very quickly, so anyone interested in purchasing second hand should be prepared to act quickly in order to get the item they have their heart set on.
There are many benefits to buying used equipment, including major cost savings, a surprisingly high level of quality and a greater range of choice than on the new product market. All of these can be very persuasive reasons why used goods can be a great idea for many dairy processing companies.

Machinery World was established in 1999 with the primary aim of providing the dairy industry with access to expertly sourced and competitively priced used dairy equipment of the highest quality. Today, with over 15 years' experience within the industry, Machinery World has bought and sold thousands of machines in over 100 countries worldwide and is one of the most respected and professional new and used dairy equipment suppliers in the industry. In addition to this, Machinery world offers a full engineering and maintenance service, along with assistance transporting its diverse and large holding of stock to clients around the globe for very competitive prices. See the full range of high quality equipment at: http://www.machineryworld.co.uk/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Paul_Crowter/2199320

Honey Farms: Take a Tour and Become Part of a Larger Movement

By Laurel Abell  |   Submitted On July 21, 2016

Honey farms are becoming an increasingly popular cottage industry. Almost anyone can start a backyard beekeeping sideline business. Those with larger urban yards or small semi-rural or rural properties can go bigger and actually start honey farms. In these latter cases, a profitable honey farm can turn into the primary source of income for an individual or a family.
For decades, Americans moved away from connecting directly with the producers of food. Instead, they relied entirely on big chain grocery stores to supply their nutritional needs. They bought milk every week but had never actually milked a cow or even ever saw a cow being milked. They bought honey in bear-shaped plastic containers but had no idea what a bee hive looks like or had even an inkling how bees turn flower nectar into honey!
Luckily, this is all changing and local honey farms are part of this larger movement! People have a renewed interest in buying locally grown food and supporting local farmers. They go to farmers markets so they can talk directly to the farmers who are producing the tomatoes, leafy greens, peaches, and raw honey they buy. They also want to feel more connected to the food they eat so they visit the farms that produce the eggs they feed their children. They want to see with their own eyes how the chickens are treated and what the chickens eat. They don't just automatically believe the term "pasture-raised" printed on a cartoon of eggs. Likewise, they have a keen interest in seeing the bee hives that produce the honey they feed their families.
With all of this renewed interest in people wanting to know where their food is coming from and how it is produced, farmers often give tours of their farms.
Sometimes they even host celebrations with music, craft booths, games for the kids, and other festivities to draw people in. Some communities have organized festivals around a locally produced crop with multiple farms signing up to give tours of their farms. For example, the Sequim Lavender Festival takes place every July on the Olympic Peninsula where locals and tourists can visit several lavender farms in the region, timed perfectly of course when fields of lavender flowers scent the local air.
Honey farms have joined in on this fun and many are now offering tours and the response has been tremendous. In some cases, such as Hunter's Honey Farm in Martinsville, Indiana, they do this on an ongoing basis with a certain set weekly schedule. They are visited by private patrons or by organized groups such as a student field trips to see how beekeepers raise bees and how bees collect honey. Some honey farms only give tours are at certain times of the year, sometimes in association with a local festival. Regardless of the schedule, the response is generally overwhelming.
Many honey farms also have a small store where they sell their own honey but also other bee related gift items such as beeswax candles and beeswax soap. Like wine tastings, honey farms may also offer samplings of different varieties of honey they produce and or sell. Some honey farms, such as Boyle Bee Farm in Queen Anne, Maryland, set up special demonstration hives that allow a closeup look at how bees perform their magic! Big Island Bees in Hawaii created a museum where people can go and learn about how bees make honey and about the need for bee conservation. They provide a screened area to protect people from being stung while they show them the queen and worker bees in the process of making honey up close.
We encourage you to look for a honey farm tour in your region!

http://www.hiveandhoneyapiary.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Laurel_Abell/2312141

FAQs - First Aid on Farms

By Eby M  |   Submitted On September 29, 2015

  

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An image of the rural tranquillity and beauty of farming is a powerfully persuasive one that is commonplace in much of our culture.

However, the reality of 21st century farming in the developed world is usually a thousand miles away from the imaginary utopia of a pseudo-19th century backdrop.

Today's farms are largely production facilities with, for example, significant amounts of farm machinery in use. Almost inevitably where you have human beings and powerful moving machinery in close proximity, accidents happen and that's why the following FAQs on first aid for farmers might be important to you.

Please note that nothing below should be read as qualified first aid medical advice.

What sort of first aid training should people working on farms have?

There are first aid training courses designed with farming personnel specifically in mind.

What they might cover may vary slightly from one course to another but they will all certainly include basics such as how to respond to:

• Coronary and circulatory emergencies, such as heart attacks and strokes etc.
• Electrocution
• Crushing or cutting injuries, including blood loss
• CPR
• Wound dressing
• Choking
• Etc.

How much basic first aid equipment should I have on-site?

That depends very much upon the size and nature of your farm, the first-aid skills you have available and the law.

Certainly no responsible farming business should be without a substantial and good quality first-aid kit sufficient to meet the minimum requirements of the law.

In other situations, it might be advisable to have on-site or easily accessible, things such as defibrillators, blankets and emergency oxygen. A healthcare professional will advise you about this on an approved course.

Should I always attempt first aid in a crisis?

Certainly if someone has suffered a sudden attack of illness or an accident, you should provide whatever assistance is appropriate for the circumstances. In essence, simply talking to reassure someone while waiting for an ambulance could be considered to be a form of first aid - assuming that was all that was required.

First aid training is all about recognizing the nature of the problem and the most appropriate actions to take pending the arrival of expert assistance. That can and does save lives.

Sometimes first aid training is also about teaching people when not to intervene but to wait for a qualified professional instead. For example, trying to get someone who has been injured to drink, whilst waiting for qualified medical assistance, might be ill-advised and possibly dangerous.

In some cases, apart from making the injured party comfortable, it may be more appropriate to do little or nothing and applying unnecessary or inappropriate first aid may actually make the position worse.

That expertise needs to be learned.

Why are there insurance issues involved?

If you have some form of professional agricultural insurance, there will probably be a clause requiring you to comply with all the legal obligations associated with your type of business.

So, for example, if you fail to provide minimum first aid facilities as required under law, you may be putting at risk elements of your professional insurance cover in certain circumstances.

However, this can be a complicated area. It would be sensible to speak to your insurance provider in order to obtain the full details of what they will expect you to provide, as a minimum, in the area of first aid facilities and trained staff, in order to meet the obligations inherent in your policy.

Read more about agriculture machinery and used agriculture machinery from Whites Tractors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Eby_M/2140360

From Trash to Savory Mushrooms

By Dan Hakari  |   Submitted On February 19, 2016

  

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Every morning, millions of people wake up with a cup of coffee. Because of our addiction to the black drink of the heavens, about 1.6 billion cups of coffee is drunk everyday around the world. What if we could use those coffee grinds to grow food and reduce landfill waste at the same time? Using such "waste" to grow mushrooms can be the way of sustainable farming and food production.

Being the recyclers of nature, mushrooms can break down plant matter into sugars using lignocellulosic enzymes. This means they can use a wide range of urban wastes like used teas, vegetable and fruit cuttings, dried leaves, sawdust, brewery waste, paper, and much more. In addition, they require less space than other crops; some mushrooms can have twice the yield mass versus compost mass used to grow them. Due to these properties, urban mushroom farms can be setup in relatively ease compared to traditional farms; best of all, many of these by products are given away for free.

Making use of urban wastes to grow mushrooms have always been part of the industry. During the 18th and 19th century, cultivated Agaricus bisporus, or white mushrooms, were grown on horse manure, which was plentiful during the time; plus, there was a need to get rid of them off the urban streets and horse tracks. Today, white mushrooms are grown using cattle and poultry manure mixed with straws.

Of course, there are some precautions when dealing with by-products and food. Most importantly, polluted industrial and agricultural wastes are concerns for mushroom growers using by-products of other industries. Mushrooms are known to accumulate metal ions. By-products tainted with mercury, lead, and cadmium will jeopardize the safety for consumption.

Another issue with some mushroom production is the use of logs as the medium to grow them on. Shiitake mushrooms are usually grown on wood logs as they are naturally decomposers of fallen trees in the wild. As such, 100,000 trees are used yearly. This practice is of course not very sustainable. Using sawdust and straw blocks as a substitution can be used but some claim that the taste is inferior to natural log.

Although many urban centers are starting to improve municipal waste composting facilities to help with the waste management, using the waste to grow mushrooms just sounds a lot more delicious since they are a good source of vitamin B, ascorbic acid, dietary fiber, and bioactive compounds. In fact, you can grow them at home. I would suggest using oyster mushrooms, since they are the easiest to grow, using your own coffee grinds and kitchen waste.

If you like interested in learning more about growing mushrooms using waste, read my more in-depth article on turning trash into savory mushrooms.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dan_Hakari/86568

5 Reasons Why Farmers Should Adopt Eco-Friendly Organic Insecticides, Fungicides and Fertilizers

By Rosario Berry  |   Submitted On April 12, 2016

  

Organic agriculture is currently one of the world's fastest growing sectors within the food industry, primarily due to the increasing awareness among consumers about the environment and their own health. Increasing numbers of consumers are shifting towards the organic diet and this has consequently led to an increase in number of farmers who are now switching from the more traditional farming methods to techniques that are far more eco-friendly.

This increasing trend is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down and with further studies in recent years showing just how harmful the chemicals that are used in traditional farming are to both our health and the environment, one can understand why.

This is why the transition to organic farming and the use of products such as an eco-friendly pesticide and an organic fertilizer from leading manufacturers on crops is important for anyone involved in any kind of farming whether it is for industry farming or for home farming.

Take a look at five big reasons you should be considering making the change from the traditional chemical pesticides and fertilizers to the eco-friendly organic insecticides, fungicides and plant nutrient functionality fertilizer:

Ease of transition

One of the biggest benefits of moving over to organic agriculture is that the transition is an easy one. Big changes aren't necessary in farming methods apart from using specially developed products such as eco-friendly pesticides to deal with pests safely and an eco-friendly fertilizer to help the growth of crops in a safe manner.

Decrease in production costs

Another huge benefit is that eco-friendly agriculture is actually cheaper than traditional agriculture. This is because the biological products available from industry leading firms are usually less costly than their chemical filled pesticides and fertilizers. In general, it is believed that around 30% savings can be made on these products.

Healthier soil

The ingredients used in an eco-friendly organic fertilizer or pesticide will help to nourish the soil and its microorganisms while the chemicals and their toxic residues in traditional products will slowly kill the microorganisms and affect the quality and fertility of the soil. This hence could lead to healthier soil that can be sustained for decades.

More money to be made

As is already commonly known, organic products in the stores generally cost more than the standard products. The reason behind this trend is that the current demand for these food products is presently higher than the actual supply and this scarcity allows for higher prices and higher profits for farmers due to the demand. Reliable estimates predict that the demand for organic food products won't be slowing down over the next decade.

Great for our health and the environment

Finally, the main reason as to why you should be making the switch to organic agriculture is because of the health of our planet and our people. The chemicals used in traditional farming products are dangerous to our health and to the environment too. By making the switch and using an eco-friendly organic pesticide and organic fertilizer, you will be doing your part at helping the environment.

Conclusion

As you can see above, there is really no reason to not think about switching over to organic agriculture. It is safer, it is cheaper, it can yield more profits, and it is not even difficult to make the transition. Most importantly, using organic agriculture and products such as an eco-friendly organic insecticides, fungicides and plant nutrient functionality fertilizer will be great for the health of both the environment and the human population.

Rosario Berry is a professional freelance writer, like to introduce Nature and Future. By switching and using an Eco-friendly Organic Insecticidesand organic fertilizer, you will be doing your part at helping the environment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rosario_Berry/1668823