High gas prices drive farmer to switch to mules

MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. (AP/May 21) - High gas prices have driven a Warren County farmer and his sons to hitch a tractor rake to a pair of mules to gather hay from their fields. T.R. Raymond bought Dolly and Molly at the Dixon mule sale last year. Son Danny Raymond trained them and also modified the tractor rake so the mules could pull it. T.R. Raymond says the mules are slower than a petroleum-powered tractor, but there are benefits.

"This fuel's so high, you can't afford it," he said. "We can feed these mules cheaper than we can buy fuel. That's the truth." And Danny Raymond says he just likes using the mules around the farm. "We've been using them quite a bit," he said. Brother Robert Raymond added, "It's the way of the future."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90Q70M80&show_article=1
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Farming the old way
By: Susie Quick
Monday, July 17, 2006
Filed under: Sustaining (our farm blog)

There are still farmers in Kentucky , including the many Amish farmers in the state, who forego the tractor in favor of honest-to-goodness horse power. Milford Lowe of Taylor County is one such farmer who relies on a pair of mules to ‘git her done’ so to speak. Driving mules and draft horses through a field is better for the land as it doesn’t impact the soil the way a tractor does, which requires even more tilling, which kills beneficial earthworms and drives the healthy organic matter in the top of the soil further below where it can’t help the crops as much. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Plowing with mules is also quieter so you can hear someone yelling if you are about to disc the family dog. And there is the added bonus of creating your own fertilizer, saving money on fuel costs and helping the environment.

http://honestfarm.org/2006/07/17/farming-the-old-way/