News

Mining industry provides lessons for farmers

An ag consultant is encouraging farmers to identify areas of waste on the farm to capture cost savings.

Allen Bonthuis with AIS Construction Equipment tells Brownfield there are many similarities between material-handling businesses like mining and farming, “These guys are people that do the things that we think are extra. They make a living moving material and to us, that seems like the thing that just has to happen to get it out of the way.”

He says operating a loader, tractor and feed mixer on the average dairy costs about $100 an hour and moving equipment just 100 feet can add up, “If we can save you one hour a day, 365 days a year, you’re talking nearly $40,000 in savings in one year.”

Another example Bonthuis says is replacing a tire alley scraper with a hydraulic one which can provide a savings of more than $32,000 annually.

Bonthuis recently spoke about seven areas of waste farmers can identify during the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference.