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![NRCS This Week mast head](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090111095327im_/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/images/mastheaddshadow3.jpg)
Money Saving Farm Equipment Innovations
![WaterJet Stinger](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090111095327im_/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/images/waterjetstingermed.jpg)
WaterJet Stinger |
Innovation lies at the core of the American spirit and the
Aberdeen, Idaho, Plant
Materials Center (PMC) is no exception. So radically different than
its predecessors, D. Boyd Simonson's WaterJet Stinger and its powerful spray —
used to “dig” out holes in the soil for planting tall cuttings — might actually
be considered a discovery. “In the semi-arid West, it’s important that
plants installed in a riparian zone have their roots in the deepest water
table of the year,” says PMC farm manager and Simonson’s supervisor Brent L.
Cornforth. “I’ve found other high-pressure water jets don’t hold-up well to the
pressure and pounding of boring holes.” Consisting of a complex array of hoses,
valves, and power pumps atop a small platform that moves on small tank-like
treads, the WaterJet Stinger is simple to transport and operate and is capable
of digging a narrow shaft over six feet into the soil.
“We have found that a three-person WaterJet Stinger team works well with one
member of the team running the WaterJet while the other two members haul the
cuttings and plant them in the holes,” said Simonson, a biological science
technician at the Aberdeen, PMC. “It gets the job done like nothing else
I’ve ever used.”
The spirit of innovation has resulted in the modification of farm equipment that
has greatly improved the productivity of the PMC. “Historically, innovation in
farming practices is one of the areas where a new invention such as the cotton
gin or a modification of existing equipment has resulted in an enormous impact
in agricultural output. Such innovations have enabled us to plow, grow, harvest,
and distribute agricultural products more quickly to an ever expanding world
population and to address environmental needs as well,” said Simonson. An
innovator by nature, Simonson has altered, invented, and modified farm equipment saving of hundreds of
man hours at the PMC. According to Cornforth, if these inventions and
modifications were implemented throughout the nation, they could potentially
save farmers thousands of dollars in labor costs.
For more information, see the
WaterJet
Stinger technical note.
Your contact is D. Boyd Simonson,
NRCS biological science technician, at 208-397-4133.
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