Tunbridge Visit – NEAPFD 2010

photos and text by Lynn R. Miller of Singing Horse Ranch

This last fall I paid a surprise visit to the Northeast Animal Power Field Days in Tunbridge, Vermont. Got in early to find a rainy, sloggy time; the field trials of new implements had to be curtailed. Instead draft animals brought the pieces into the open barn to be looked over, discussed, and coveted.

This event, which was started a few years back by Carl Russell and Lisa McCrory, has been held each fall at the lovely, tucked-in, Tunbridge Fairgrounds. Early on its short history, all the folks identified with the event saw it encompassing a wide spectrum of cultural aspect as pertained to farming, woods-work, and the culture of the countryside. And so the doings have expanded to include workshops, talking sessions, films, demonstrations, and trade stuff that works out in concentric circles from the notion of sharing an interest in animal power to now encompass the wider small farm community of New England. This regions rich and abiding history of insular self reliance is abundantly represented by displays, presentations and attendees.

While there I had some exciting discussions with folks pertaining to the latest efforts of the Small Farms Conservancy. (I am chomping at the bit to share stuff with everyone but we are needing to protect process first.) But those conversations invited a peek at the future of the NE Animal Power Field Days. I am happy to report that this important fledgling event has evolved into a organization and a set of mergers that will protect its future. When everyone is ready to make it all public we will share with you when and where the next year’s event will be held.

Unlike Horse Progress Days, which can’t seem to shirk its push to the repeat drama of large hitch implements, the Tunbridge event rather dramatically focuses on single and team working hitches that fit the northeastern landscape and culture. This is most definitely a show for the small farmer and logger.

It was at this year’s event that I met Ben Jahnes and got to see first hand his center fire mower conversion which we show-cased in the last SFJ. NEAPFD is a perfect venue for new companies, entrepreneurs working on animal power, and farm shop inventors like Jahnes, to allow a knowledgeable group of horsefarmers and loggers preview rights at their goodies.

Beginning with the photo above the remaining pictures all show I & J Implement’s impressive PTO Trail mower which was on hand at this year’s Tunbridge event. This unit features the European Bursatsis oscillating twin sycle mower components. I & J has balanced this seven foot mower on an appropriate trailer frame and set the workings to interface perfectly with their own ground drive forecart. Lifting is hydraulic and does require that the forecart be outfitted with a hydraulic pump (either motorized, ground drive or hand pump). Note the offset rotating cam assembly to run the opposing knives. I spoke on the phone with Jake from I & J who told me that they demonstrated one of these units at the Southern Horse Progress Days and that it made short work of some heavy lodged materials which would have choked down most any other mower.

At NEAPFD Donn Hewes of New York lent me a hand by pointing to and lifting the spring-load bar clips in the photos. Donn is one farm shop inventor genius with innovations to his own credit (i.e. a slick mower-conversion to PTO forecart he had on display at Tunbridge). We were both very impressed with the I & J unit and could see it as a bridge to a whole next generation of appropriate technology for animal power.

This unit can be run at any angle including a full ninety degree vertical. For roadside, hedgerows, and special applications (possible Lavender rows?) this mower might be just the ticket.

We’ve come a long way in mowing innovations in the last few years as evidenced by the Brisk and Jahnes Center Cut mower designs, the improvements noted by Nordell and McQuail and many others. Just no telling the leaps we will see in the near future. It’s up to us, as potential end-users, to keep the process ‘honest’ and ‘real’. Let us, at Small Farmer’s Journal, know what you think, what you are thinking about, and what aspects to mowing (any all farm work) you feel would benefit from new designs.