• Refurbishing our second tractor
• Procuring implements, tools and fertilizer to accompany the tractor
• Hosting another successful send-off fundraiser for the tractor
• Shipping our second container to Burkina Faso
• Creating a video to recap year one (big thanks to Melissa Smith for her help) 

Our second tractor, a Farmall 460, needed to have a few seals replaced, fluids changed, brakes adjusted, etc. before we sent it off. Additionally, we procured an 8-foot mounted Allis Chalmers disk, a 3-bottom mounted International plow, two tons of donated fertilizer, a penetrometer soil-testing probe, a grinder, spare tires and parts, a full set of tools for repairs, and 20 soccer balls.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Maurice and Terry from our team, we were also able to include a flat-bed hay rack which will be used for transporting grain, water, building materials, and other goods. Louis Ricard and Terry Garvert enlisted the help of Josh Stahl, who generously lent us his shed, and Kent Gilmore and Pat Harrison who lent us their tools and assisted in construction. This wagon will increase the usefulness of the tractors, provide revenue for the cooperative during the dry season, and provide much-needed transportation to the region.

Once all of the items were in order for our shipment, we hosted a sendoff fundraiser at Louis and Corrinne’s house with well over 50 people in attendance. During the event, we convened many who had helped with the project, shared our progress and answered questions. The enthusiasm and generosity of those present was unparalleled in my experience. Not only did we raise enough money to complete our current shipment, but we also raised nearly enough to send a third container of equipment to another farmer cooperative in need!

With another fundraiser on the books, we immediately prepared to ship our equipment to Burkina Faso. We assembled everything at the Matter warehouse in St. Louis Park, and on March 9th, our container was loaded and ready to ship. We expect our container to land in Tema, Ghana, this Tuesday May 2nd, and it should arrive in Fada N’Goura, Burkina Faso around May 15th. Myself (Mark) and another volunteer will be traveling there later in May to assist with the unloading, training, and preparation for a new planting season starting in June.

Our second tractor all dressed up for the fundraiser

Christine and I posed for the camera at the fundraiser

We had over 50 people in attendance

8 foot Allis Chalmers disk

3×16 International Plow

Terry loading the tractor onto the container

First, we learned that the economics of working in small, oddly-shaped fields necessitate fuel efficiency. Our Farmall 400 is a gas tractor, meaning that it consumes at least 25% more fuel than a diesel tractor of the same size. Additionally, gasoline costs 20% more than diesel in Burkina Faso. This not only costs the farmer cooperative money, but also requires additional trips to the field with fuel tanks on Justin’s motorcycle. Lastly, we learned that local mechanics only have experience working on diesel tractors, so diesel engines will be more familiar to them. On the positive side we learned that the Farmall’s versatile 2-pt hitch, simple transmission and power work well in West Africa.

With all of this in mind, we purchased a Farmall 460 diesel tractor from a collector in Larchwood, Iowa in early December. Our tractor is a 1959 model, and has 6 cylinders and 62 horsepower. It has the same hitch and transmission as the Farmall 400 we sent last year, which means that operation and parts will be very similar across the two models. The 460 was treated gently, having served as a dressed-up mower and parade tractor for the past 20 years. We are having it looked over by a mechanic who goes to our family’s church, and will have it on its way to Burkina Faso by March 1st.

We are actively procuring other equipment as well. So far, we have purchased a 3-bottom mounted plow, which will allow for quick transportation across distances. Other equipment we are looking to purchase includes:

• Mounted 10-foot disk
• Running gear on which to build a flat-bed wagon
• Grinder
• Thresher
• 500 lbs of IH tractor weights
• LOTS of spare parts

If you have leads on any of the above, please let us know! We are thrilled to be sending another container in a couple of months, and we could not do it without the help and generosity of you, our donors and supporters. Thank you!

Speaking of next May, we plan to have another tractor on the ground before tillage starts in early June! Our incredibly generous donors have already contributed enough to purchase another tractor and set of equipment. Last year, our shippers told us that it would take 30 days for the tractor to arrive, so we sent it on April 11th. In reality, it took 75 days to arrive, finally showing up on June 25th. This meant that we missed over half of the tillage season. To preclude the possibility of this happening again, we plan to send out tractor before March 1st.

Additionally, Maurice has undertaken the responsibility of filing our official paperwork to obtain 501(c)(3) status. We expect to be approved by early 2017, which will be a big boost to our fundraising efforts and access to opportunities.

Lastly, the results of our tillage experiment will be in sometime next week, and if the pictures are any indication, the numbers should be encouraging. I have posted a couple of recent pictures below. I will provide more details in my next post.

The sorghum in the picture above was planted in a plot tilled with manual hoeing.

 This sorghum was planted on the same day in a plot tilled with the tractor-drawn plow.