Top Farm Bureau Award Goes to Illinois Farmer Inventor
A cash grain producer from Champaign, Illinois, earned the grand prize in the Farmer Idea Exchange competition at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual meeting.
Frank Holdmeyer
Published: Jan 12, 2010
Paul Berbaum and his "Auger Dolly" won a year's use of a New Holland TV-145 bidirectional tractor. Berbaum's Auger Dolly allows a bin auger to be transported across the ground and inserted into the bin by a single person.
"About a year ago I put up a new bin with an 8-inch unloading auger and the rest of my bins had 6-inch unloading augers,' explains Berbaum. "I decided it would be most efficient to use one auger and motor so I updated the other bins and built a prototype dolly.
Paul Berbaum
Berbaum is considering commercial production later this year.
Three other top award winners of $500 each were also announced Monday.
"Most Innovative" award went to DeWayne Jones of Warren, Indiana. His Mojo Spray Remote is a radio frequency remote control system designed to allow producers to operate the spray boom while away from the controls. "This allows you to perform pre-spray inspections, tip cleaning and repair without having to return to the cab.
Floyd Simpson
Floyd Simpson, Belmont, Ohio, developed the "most widely useable" concept. Tag-Sav-R is a hand-held tool that safely removes most two-piece livestock ear tags from the live animal without cutting near the eyes. "I had cattle and sometimes put tags in backward or used the wrong tag," says Simpson. "The first unit I made using an old shopping cart." The tool is now available commercially.
A Mega Tobacco Stripping System earned Bobby Joe Critchelow, McDaniels, Kentucky, "most cost-effective" award. Designed to help streamline the system of processing larger bales of tobacco, it helps large tobacco farmers stay productive and efficient while maintaining safety in the stripping room and ensuring the quality of the bales.
DeWayne Jones
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