Handy farm tools: Rake
<b>A rake can make farm work <br>faster, easier</b><br>Farmers tend to associate a rake with urban compounds, where the tool is commonly used to loosen the soil, in light weeding, ground levelling, and removing dead grass from lawns.
By Stella Naigino
A rake can make farm work
faster, easier
Farmers tend to associate a rake with urban compounds, where the tool is commonly used to loosen the soil, in light weeding, ground levelling, and removing dead grass from lawns.
However, a rake can also be handy around the farm. It can, for instance, be used to help gather in one place for easier handling, scattered grass and other organic material, especially when it is going to be used as mulching material or raw material for compost manure making.
At the postharvest handling stage, a rake can be used to evenly spread out crops like coffee, maize, beans and other cereals and legumes that need to be put out in the sun to dry.
If you are a poultry farmer, you need a rake to evenly spread the litter that might have accumulated in one corner. It can also be used to turn over the litter so that it ages uniformly.
However, a rake used to handle dirty material like poultry litter should not again be used on foodstuff like coffee or maize. If there is only one rake available on the farm, then it should be thoroughly washed with soap, after being used to handle dirty material, before it is used on foodstuff.
In nursery bed preparation, a rake can be used to remove stones and other solid debris that would affect the seeds germination rate. It can also be used to create furrows in a bed where the seeds are to be planted.
Rakes are usually made out of steel, plastic or bamboo, while their handles are made out of wood.
In case it is made out of metal, care should be taken to protect from the element that favour rusting otherwise it will go rusty and weak.
It should not also be left lying around with the teeth pointed up, as someone can accidentally step on it and get hurt.
A rake can make farm work
faster, easier
Farmers tend to associate a rake with urban compounds, where the tool is commonly used to loosen the soil, in light weeding, ground levelling, and removing dead grass from lawns.
However, a rake can also be handy around the farm. It can, for instance, be used to help gather in one place for easier handling, scattered grass and other organic material, especially when it is going to be used as mulching material or raw material for compost manure making.
At the postharvest handling stage, a rake can be used to evenly spread out crops like coffee, maize, beans and other cereals and legumes that need to be put out in the sun to dry.
If you are a poultry farmer, you need a rake to evenly spread the litter that might have accumulated in one corner. It can also be used to turn over the litter so that it ages uniformly.
However, a rake used to handle dirty material like poultry litter should not again be used on foodstuff like coffee or maize. If there is only one rake available on the farm, then it should be thoroughly washed with soap, after being used to handle dirty material, before it is used on foodstuff.
In nursery bed preparation, a rake can be used to remove stones and other solid debris that would affect the seeds germination rate. It can also be used to create furrows in a bed where the seeds are to be planted.
Rakes are usually made out of steel, plastic or bamboo, while their handles are made out of wood.
In case it is made out of metal, care should be taken to protect from the element that favour rusting otherwise it will go rusty and weak.
It should not also be left lying around with the teeth pointed up, as someone can accidentally step on it and get hurt.