Farmers Looking For Options To Combat Wet Fields

Farmers are weighing their options when deciding on equipment upgrades that might help them get into the field sooner during this wet fall.

One option is to install tracks on a combine or tractor.

Mark Krahn is the branch manager at Greenvalley Equipment (GVE) in Altona.

"There's a lot of interest and a lot of talk around tracks these days on combines," he said. "Tracks will greatly increase the flotation of your combine so there's lots of conversations around that. It certainly will help us get across that mud a little easier and not cause ruts."

Krahn says many growers have learnt from their experiences in 2016 and are going straight to tracks to help get the crop off.

Another option is a flotation tire, according to Ken Hildebrand, owner of Sunvalley Tire in Winkler and Altona.

"The tire doesn't roll up with mud as easy, it flexes a little better so it rolls off," he said. "Compared to duals, where the duals tend to roll up with mud and just make big ruts and it's just been an amazing tire that has been working really good."

Hildebrand notes flotation tires are extra-wide which helps to reduce soil compaction.