With Thanksgiving Day just around the corner, the season of turkeys and parades and giving thanks is upon us, and there’s no better time of year for counting blessings. From family and friends to warm houses and adorable pets, we all have lots of things to be thankful for.
Hobby farmers should have no trouble coming up with a lengthy “I’m thankful for” list—in fact, there are so many things for hobby farmers to be thankful for, that their lists practically need sub-categorization! Let’s get Thanksgiving week started with a list of five tools that I’m thankful to have.
1. Pruning Loppers
I’ll start my list rolling with my pruning loppers, which receive an incredible amount of use each year. From pruning branches to removing sapling trees and even cutting up the smaller sections of fallen trees, my pruning loppers have served me well by cutting literally thousands and thousands of trees and branches, helping me keep my farm looking manicured and well-kept.
2. Electric Drills
Few tools are more versatile and handy to have on hand than a battery-powered electric drill, which can travel the farm with you and help out with an untold number of simple construction and repair projects. When equipped with a collection of screwdriver bits and drill bits—which are more things to be thankful for!—a good electric drill will be ready for anything.
3. Tractors
What would we do without tractors? Well, we certainly wouldn’t be able to get as much hard work done! A well-built tractor equipped with useful attachments, like a forklift or front-end loader, can allow you to quickly tackle heavy-duty projects that would take days to handle by hand. From baling hay and plowing fields to moving manure and carrying supplies, the amount of time and effort that tractors save us can hardly even be quantified. Of all the tools and machines that farmers have to be thankful for, tractors should probably be at the top of the list.
4. Hay Wagons
While not exactly a “tool” in the truest sense of the word (they’re more like a large accessory), it sure would be hard to move square hay bales without a large wagon, wouldn’t it? In addition to serving a key role in baling hay (carrying around a hundred bales at a time from the fields to your barn), hay wagons can also be used for moving other large items: corral panels, firewood, tools, lumber, you name it!
5. String-Trimmer Mowers
My personal “I’m thankful for” list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning string-trimmer mowers! Some people might not like the hand-pushed design, but I relish the opportunity to slowly guide a string trimmer mower through rough brush and across uneven terrain, keeping grass and weeds under control in places where a riding lawn mower would never dare go.
Now it’s your turn! What tools are you thankful to have?
