E-Farms shows Full Plate Farm it needs more electric farm equipment
Full Plate Farm in Ridgefield, Wash - photo courtesy of Full Plate Farm
When Full Plate Farm’s Danny Percich learned about E-Farms from his neighbor, David Morgan of Plas Newydd Farm, he initially couldn’t believe there was a program out there like it.
E-Farms is a partnership of Sustainable Northwest, Forth, Wy’East RC&D, and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The program lends electric farm equipment to farmers, ranchers, and others at no cost. In turn, E-Farms collects feedback on the borrower's experience.
Percich manages around 10 acres of land at his farm in Ridgefield, WA. Through the E-Farms program, Percich borrowed an electric Polaris UTV from mid November until the beginning of this year.
“After a day, I was like, ‘We need to get something like this,’” Percich said. His crew instantly loved it, too.
Percich says the electric Polaris UTV was quiet, not smelly, and easier to use and maintain compared to diesel or gas models. Most importantly, though, he loved how it was an environmentally cleaner farm tool to use.
Percich and his crew largely used the UTV to haul vegetables and other crops out of their fields, along with other farm chores. It makes their lives much easier as their fields stand on some hills, and since they specialize in winter vegetables, the ground is often wet and slippery when they are harvesting.
“There were no negatives at all,” Percich said. The borrowed E-Farms UTV lasted as long as they needed it, and Percich could plug it into any outlet on his farm to recharge.
Electrifying farms not only benefits the farmer, but also the customers. Without associated gas, oil, and other maintenance costs, farmers like Percich can deliver food to people’s plates for cheaper and keep prices lower.
After Percich’s loan on the electric Polaris UTV finished, he immediately began his search to buy one for his farm. He ended up purchasing a used 2016 electric Polaris UTV.
“I really like that it is so quiet and clean. It keeps the peace of the rural area where we live,” he said.
Percich wishes there were more programs like E-Farms to give more “incredible” opportunities like this. “It really allows people to get a sense of how they can integrate those pieces of equipment into their farm,” he said. “It's a great opportunity and a benefit for the farm community, but also the community at large.”
If Percich gets the opportunity to work with E-Farms again, he hopes to test an electric tractor.
