Jun 2, 2020
Where do you turn as a small farm when your equipment is obsolete, dilapidated, and/or difficult to replace?
Joining us today is Lydell
Steiner from Dalton, Ohio. He is the director of sales at Tilmor, a
Marketplace for small growers, where you can develop, collaborate,
source and stock tools for the small farm industry.
Tilmor’s roots are of a small
fourth-generation family farm with more than 50 years of experience
designing and manufacturing turf and agricultural equipment. Many
small growers face unique challenges and often rely on older,
obsolete equipment that was developed many years ago for mechanized
cultivation.
Tilmor’s goal is to produce a variety of
implements for planting, cultivation, harvest, post-harvest, and
more. These implements are built to last and fully supported by
Tilmor, making it easy to find and purchase the equipment you need
to maintain your farm. If your small farm is in dire need of an
upgrade, this episode will provide you with all the information
you’ll need to take that step into the present and
beyond!
You’ll hear:
What Tilmor does for their clients 0:49
How far Tilmor’s reach of operations is 2:40
Why we are seeing a shift back to mechanical cultivation 3:56
Where a farmer should start when getting into mechanical cultivation 6:45
How to build a mechanical cultivation system 9:38
How different shovels serve different functions 14:30
How Lydell approaches cultivating plastic with fingers 17:49
What Lydell sees farmers doing with some of the more challenging soil conditions 20:21
Some common mistakes Lydell sees farmers making 23:52
About Lydell’s mentors in his farming journey 27:46
How Tilmor is doing with their current team 33:38
How Tilmor communicates their vision with their employees 38:46
Where Tilmor currently focuses their marketing efforts 40:20
Where you can find out more about Tilmor’s field days 43:44
The biggest mistake Lydell sees newer farmers making 46:16
Lydell’s favorite farming tool 49:15
What kind of products Tilmor offers 50:22
What sets Tilmor apart from other cultivation companies 58:14
Where you can find out more about Lydell and Tilmor 1.02:34
About the
Guest:
Lydell
Comes from a fourth-generation family farm (certified organic since
2006), with more than 50 years of experience designing and
manufacturing turf and agricultural equipment. While operating the
farm, they needed reliable, appropriately-sized, affordable tools
and equipment for smaller acreage, and they couldn’t get them.
Agricultural equipment manufacturers were focused on large,
industrial farms, and they were left with purchasing and trying to
maintain older equipment. They realized that other farmers like
them must be having the same challenges...and Tilmor was
born.
Coming from a family of farmers, they understand the work that goes into supplying fresh vegetables, fruit, and grains to the local community. They understand the complexities of growing crops and the many decisions that need to be made each day to manage: labor, water, soil, planting, weeding, feeding, picking, cleaning, packaging, market logistics, and much more. With their decades of manufacturing experience, they’re committed to developing tools and equipment that are designed, built, and distributed for the farmers who are supplying their communities with the fresh, locally-grown goodness they’ve come to know and love.
Resources:
Website - https://www.tilmor.com/en-us
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tilmor_products/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TilmorProducts/