The economics of small farms in the High Country have always been challenging, and recent inflationary trends around land, fertilizers, fuel, and other agricultural inputs have only worsened matters. Cooperative Extension has always been dedicated educating farmers about paths toward agricultural profitability, but these challenges require innovative approaches. One way that Watauga Cooperative Extension and Watauga Soil and Water have developed over the past few decades is keeping a stable of shared-use equipment: between the two offices, growers have been able to access equipment such as biochar kilns, subsoilers, a potato digger, a seed drill, and more. Thanks to a grant from the Tobacco Trust Fund of NC, Cooperative Extension can now add small scale tillage and cover crop equipment to this range of offerings.
The Tobacco Trust Fund grant has enabled the purchase of two BCS 853 two-wheel tractors, along with a range of implements that these small tractors can power. Unlike what most of us picture when we hear the word “tractor,” these BCS tractors are walk-behind units, ideal in managing patches of ground from ¼ acre to perhaps a couple of acres. These tractors and implements are available to working farms in Watauga and surrounding (Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, and Wilkes) NC Counties for field preparations, cover crop management, and related farm tasks. These tractors are not available for home garden use; growers wishing to use them must have a USDA Farm Tract Number and identify the crops produced for sale and intended markets.
Available implements include a drop-spreader for cover crop seeding and small-scale lime applications, a rotary plow for primary tillage, a rototiller for incorporating amendments and heavier secondary tillage, a rotary harrow for shallower secondary tillage, a strip tiller for planting seedlings into cover crop residues, plus both a roller-crimper and a flail mower for terminating mature cover crops. These tools can allow new farmers to prepare moderate areas of ground for market gardening. They can also facilitate existing and experienced farms in the region the opportunity experiment with innovative equipment (cover crop rollers, rotary harrows, strip tillers, etc.) and practices (managing cover crops for soil health, etc.) ahead of any significant investment in new equipment of their own.
Any farmer wishing to access this shared-use BCS. tractor equipment must complete two rounds of safety and operation training: a workshop and a 1-on-1 session with Cooperative Extension. The first three workshops are scheduled for late August, 2026, to be held the afternoons of Monday, 8/17, Monday, 8/24, and Thursday, 8/27. Each workshop is limited to six participants in order to insure everyone gets a close look, some hands-on time, and a good understanding of the equipment.
Registration for these free workshops is available at the following links:
Monday, 8/17 –
Monday, 8/24 –
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/two-wheel-tractor-operation-tickets-1994019063697?aff=oddtdtcreator
Thursday, 8/27 –
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/two-wheel-tractor-operation-tickets-1994019200105?aff=oddtdtcreator
More workshops will be planned for September and later months on an as-needed basis. For more information about the opportunity, email Area Agent Richard Boylan at rj******@**su.edu or call Watauga Cooperative Extension at 828-264-3061.
