New Products
Low-profile loaders
Westendorf Manufacturing Inc. has announced that its TA-25 series and TA-26 series loaders are now available and in stock. The new machines are low-profile loaders perfect for operations such as nurseries and small cattle feeders.
Packages for the TA-25 include the company's hydraulic Power-Mount™, Quick-Attach, mounting brackets, manifold, hose kit and 60-inch (in.) bucket with 14 cubic feet (cu. ft.) of heaped capacity.
The TA-26 Plus features a Snap-Attach™, Hydra-Snap™ one-lever multi-unit coupling system, rotational full-range bucket indicator and grease-from-the-end pins. The TA-26 series offers up to 12 ft. of lift height, up to 5,275 lb. of lift capacity and a 72-in. bucket with 19 cu. ft. of heaped capacity.
Both series are available with optional skid-steer-compatible buckets and adapter so you can share your skid-steer implements with your loader.
The new low-profile loader and models TA-160, TA-26, TA-26 Plus and TA-2612 fit New Holland four-wheel drive Workmaster 45 and 55 tractors and Case IH four-wheel drive Farmall 45A and 55A tractors. The TA-26 Plus series will fit John Deere 5045D two-wheel drive and 5055D two-wheel drive tractors.
Options for both series include a precision valve with remote cable control joystick.
For more information or to order online visit www.loaders.com or call the customer sales and support line at 1-888-237-9168.
Real-time centimeter-level positioning
Trimble has introduced its CenterPoint™ RTX™ correction service, a high-accuracy global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-compatible correction service that can offer 4-centimeter (1.5-inch) repeatable accuracy and will be available initially through the company's agriculture division.
CenterPoint RTX is a GPS- and GLONASS-enabled correction service that covers approximately a 1.8 billion-acre swath of central North America, extending from Canada into northern Mexico. The service can deliver a fully converged position in less than one minute at startup within the five central U.S. Corn Belt states from Nebraska to Illinois, so farmers can begin to work immediately.
The patent-pending technology provides high-accuracy GNSS positioning without the use of traditional reference station-based differential RTK infrastructure. In addition to accuracy, in select areas, the unit can deliver a convergence time of less than one minute, enabling work to start immediately. It can also bridge interruptions in the GNSS signals for up to two minutes, avoiding reconvergence delays, while maintaining the same superior-accuracy performance.
For more information visit www.trimble.com/agcorrectionservices.
Updated ag estate planning book
The Agricultural Law Press has published the 16th edition of Neil Harl's popular book Farm Estate and Business Planning in print and all forms of eBook, including the Kindle, Nook™ and iPad, downloadable from the Agricultural Law Press web page dedicated to this book at alp.omnistorefront.com.
This 454-page soft-cover book is an excellent guide for farmers and ranchers who want to make the most of the state and federal income and estate tax laws to assure the least expensive and most efficient transfer of their estates to their children and heirs. This book contains detailed advice on assuring worry-free retirement years, using wills, trusts, insurance and outside investments as estate planning tools, ways to save on estate settlement costs, and an approach to setting up a plan that will eliminate arguments and friction in the family.
The book contains extensive coverage of the tax legislation passed in December 2010, and updates the 26 chapters with recent developments in farm and ranch estate planning and farm and ranch business planning since the 15th edition was published in 2001. The book is written in easy-to-read language and is designed for use by farm and ranch families.
The book also includes discussion of employment taxes, formation and advantages of use of business entities, federal farm payments, state laws on corporate ownership of farm land, federal gift tax law, annuities, installment obligations and charitable deductions, all with an eye to the least expensive and most efficient transfer of the farm to heirs.
Orders are also accepted by emailing or by calling 1-360-200-5666. The address of the Agricultural Law Press is 127 Young Rd., Kelso, WA 98626.
Dual-wire welding model introduced
Lincoln Electric has added the Power MIG® 180 Dual model to its popular Power MIG wire welder line. With single-phase 60 Hz dual 120- and 208/230-volt input power capability, this machine can be used to weld at home, in the shop or out on the job site.
Handling both metal inert gas (MIG) (GMAW) and flux-cored gas-shielded (FCAW-G) or self-shielded (FCAW-S) processes, the new machine is designed for sheet metal welding, light-frame autobody work, and farm and small shop applications.
The 68-pound (lb.) machine features dual input power capability, allowing users to select 120-volt input power for home and generator-driven environments or 208/230-volt input power for shop applications on thicker materials.
No tools are required to toggle between the two input power voltages. Users simply need to attach the correct power cord and twist the locking nut, providing a safe and easy transition from one input voltage to another.
While shipped with a standard MIG gun for mild steel, stainless steel or aluminum welding, this wire welder is also spool gun-ready right out of the box. When paired with the Magnum® 100SG Spool Gun, the 180 Dual delivers enhanced aluminum feeding.
A detachable canvas bag is included for easy storing of input power cables and other accessories. The welder is also designed so that no tools are required for input power changes, wire spool mounting or wire drive service and polarity changes, allowing for maximum up time with minimum fuss.
For more information call 1-888-355-3213 to obtain bulletin E7.28.
One-stop online shop
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), has introduced a new Learning Center at www.sare.org. It's a treasure trove of books, videos, online courses and other information products about sustainable agriculture from A to Z.
Browse the Learning Center and you will find free online access to hundreds of products organized by type or topic, including practical books; how-to bulletins and factsheets; online courses for ag educators to help them share information with producers about best practices, business planning and more; a wide range of products developed by grantees during their research, including papers, presentations, tools and more; videos of innovative practices at work in the field (with related resources for digging deeper); regional newsletters with news and profiles from each of SARE's four regions; and inspiring profiles of successful farm and ranch researchers, along with so much more.
Other site features include easy navigation to grants and education information on any of SARE's four regional sites; a nationwide sustainable ag events calendar; 20 years of research results in SARE's public projects database; and purchasing opportunities for hard copies of the program's information products at the SARE WebStore.
To learn about grant opportunities and research funded by SARE, visit www.sare.org/Grants.
Contest to win five-year lease on a compact tractor
New Holland has announced the Boomer™ 555 Contest. Beginning July 1 and continuing for the next five months, legal residents of the United States and Canada (except Quebec) can enter to win a five-year lease of a New Holland Boomer 30 compact tractor and loader with the industry-leading Boomer Guard5 limited five-year warranty.
To enter, visit the contest's website at www.boomer555.com and describe how you would use a New Holland compact tractor. Qualified entrants, 18 years or older, can enter by submitting their most dynamic, creative entry in words, photos or video. Entries can also be submitted via email or mailed to Boomer 555 Contest — MS#208, c/o New Holland Agriculture, PO Box 1895, 120 Brubaker Ave., New Holland, PA 17557.
Winning entries will be chosen based on originality, quality, inspiration and creativity. Only one entry per household may be submitted. To be eligible, entries must be received by midnight Eastern Standard Time Nov. 30, 2011.