Across The Fence recently featured one of the latest projects we’ve been working on: “Improving Handwashing Stations“. This project focuses on a hands-free, mobile handwashing station for use on farms, at farmers’ markets, or in other public spaces. This work was also highlighted in the Bennington Banner on June 9, 2020.
Category Archives: Equipment
Improving Handwashing Stations
A downloadable PDF of this blog post and assembly guide is available here. A video overview of a DIY Handwashing Station can be seen here. Handwashing has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of transmission of human pathogens between people. But, sometimes we are inconveniently far from …
Spray Tables for Produce Farms
If we apply the principles of hygienic design to a spray table it becomes clear that we should think about the cleanability of the materials and the assembly while also thinking about how the materials will hold up over time with repeated use.
Across The Fence: Mean Green(s) Washing Machine (TV Segment on Greens Spinners)
UVM Extension’s own television program Across The Fence did a segment on a project we’ve been working on related to greens spinners. You can watch the video clip here explaining why small farms are making use of washing machines as greens spinners and what we are doing to help make them more feasible.
Washing Machine Greens Spinners: Shopping Advice
This blog post is for those using or considering a converted washing machine as greens spinner. Background For background information on several different types of greens spinners and general thoughts on using washing machine conversions see this blog post. If you’ve purchased a machine and are ready to convert it, see our Washing Machine/Greens Spinner …
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Ag Engineering Downloadable PDF Resources
All of our resources are available here on this blog. However, if you are looking for a printed handout, here is a list. These are all of the PDF documents that we share during workshops, meetings, and presentations. All links will open the PDF in a new tab. You may also want to check out …
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Washing Machine Greens Spinner Workshop
Have a washing machine that you want to convert into a greens spinner? Have you already done the conversion, but want to improve it? Join us for one of two hands-on, intensive workshops this fall focused on getting the job done and doing it well.
Greens Washline from China
With innovative tools becoming more available for salad greens production from field prep through harvest, mixed greens are becoming more attractive for farmers. Postharvest handling and wash/pack still causes a bottleneck for many farms. Today we share some knowledge on a piece of equipment recently adopted at Jericho Settlers Farm in Jericho, VT. This Greens …
Wheels Keep Things Rolling at Root 5 Farm
A PDF of this case study is available for download here. Danielle Allen and Ben Dana own and operate Root 5 Farm in Fairlee, Vermont. This organic vegetable farm on the Connecticut River provides over 200 CSA members, farmers market, restaurant, and wholesale customers with local, healthy food. Over 100 different varieties of crops are …
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Forced Air Cooling: Field Trial Results
Last summer we performed a series of precooling trials using small-scale forced air coolers to cool eggplant, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, zucchini, and roasting peppers. The forced air cooling was done in parallel with standard room cooling and was shown to result in cooling rates ranging from 1.2 to 2.2 times faster than room cooling. This …