"Purchasing a Bobcat for general farm use has been a lifesaver -- for loading hay, cleaning out fence rows, hauling rocks, etc.," writes Jeff Suess, Henley, Missouri. The Gehl skid steer saves me time, labor, and my back. I use it more than I thought I would," says Bill Haas, auto vinyl care bellevue, ohio.atv ready to rodeoatvs are near the top of the list of products rated by stockmen''s survey[tm] respondents. well over half of participants cite a favorite brand or model. "i''d be lost fence without my atvs," says marty green of grand mound, iowa (pictured above). he jumps on either his polaris 300 or 400 4x4 every day april through september tools and auto vinyl care to check calves for scours, pinkeye and lameness, to check cows for heat detection, to fix fence, and to move cattle to different paddocks.

farmers and ranchers have strong opinions about the equipment and products they operate and use, according to fence results from the first successful fanning magazince stockmen''s survey [tm]. the survey asked livestock producers to rate products they like best -- 14 categories in all. the lists in boxes (below and on the following pages) represent the brands with the highest response rate and also include editor''s selections of tools popular vinyl models with pricing, minus options and add-ons.a key finding of the survey goes beyond mere opinion. many producers cite a piece of equipment as a reason for how they are able to improve their operations. and, the product types they report are across the board -- from the biggest tractor to the fence smallest type of computer hardware.

* balers are the implement most often mentioned in the survey. producers also cite purchases of new feed grinders and mixers, as well as silage and haylage products. "we purchased tools a walder manufacturing hoop bagger last year, and our haylage is the best it can be. there''s no wait for hay vinyl to dry down -- better protein, better overall feed volume, writes frank e. grossmann, portage, wisconsin."digital scales on the feed grinder fence save time and feedstuffs," says monte thompson, zanesville, ohio, citing his top management change.housekeepinga number of products come into play when housing livestock, and producers point to several items that save them time, labor, and money. tools products listed in the survey include portable livestock shelters, scales, fans, and bulk feed bins and feeding systems.