Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday is in the books, and the Christmas shopping season is underway. Need help coming up with gift ideas for those farmers on your list? Hobby Farms is here to help! To get your started, we’ve picked out five tool- and machinery-themed gift ideas that are perfect for farmers.
Pole Saw with Pruner
A pole saw allows you to cut high tree branches without a ladder or aerial work platform, which dramatically simplifies the process of removing dead and/or troublesome branches. You can opt for a pole-mounted chainsaw, but manual saws also work well. I have a telescoping model with a built in pruner operated by pulling a string, and I’m delighted with its performance.
Any farmer who likes to keep their trees looking neat and tidy will love to have a pole saw in their toolshed.
Portable Power Station
Does the farmer in your life need a quiet, easy-to-use, off-the-grid source of electricity for remote farming projects? Then they need a portable power station.
This is basically a high-capacity battery (rechargeable via electrical outlet, solar panel or car charger, for example) that can output power through a variety of common connectors: household plugs, USB, etc.
When I need to cut lumber far from a regular electricity source, I use a small and lightweight portable power station to recharge batteries for a circular saw. I have multiple batteries, so I can switch one out and keep cutting while the other recharges. It works great, and that’s just one example of how a portable power station can be used.
Three-Way Hitch Adapter
One of the handiest pieces of equipment I’ve used this year is a three-way hitch adapter installed at the hitch point on the back of my garden tractor. The adapter allows me to install a hitch ball for towing large trailers while still keeping open a hole for the clevis pin of clevis fasteners used by smaller trailers and yard carts.
For good measure, there are two other openings on the hitch adapter that are designed for attaching chains and tow ropes. Before acquiring this three-way hitch adapter, I was frequently removing and reinstalling a hitch ball depending on the type of trailer I needed to tow. Now I can conveniently tow either one with the same hitch.
Simple Soil Tester
While in-depth soil tests are best left to experts at laboratories, the basic qualities of a planting location can be easily gauged by any farmer with a simple soil tester.
I have a four-way handheld tester that operates by inserting the end into the ground and pressing a button to measure the light level, soil moisture, soil temperature and soil pH level. It helped me a lot when searching for the right location to plant blueberries (which require acidic soil), so a simple soil tester is a good place to start when analyzing potential planting locations.
A Subscription to Hobby Farms Magazine
We’ve saved the best for last when it comes to gift ideas for farmers. For inspiration, innovative ideas, equipment reviews, tips and tricks, farming news, instructional projects and much more, a subscription to Hobby Farms magazine brings recurring joy to mailboxes all year long.
Merry Christmas!
