UC Ag Extension Opens Equipment Lending Library in Parlier

Grape grower Albert Smith says everything starts with a good machine, and with new equipment often costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, borrowing can be a lifeline for small-scale farmers. The F3 Local grant, funded Equipment Lending Library launched this month at the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center in Parlier, offering tractors, spreaders, mowers, transplanters, weeders and seeders at $10, $50 per day.

Farmers with operations under 80 acres in Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Madera or Merced counties can borrow gear after completing classroom and hands-on training. The library team, including Tracy Celio, Amber Butland and Jose Ramiro Ortiz Pellegrin, works with UC Small Farms Network advisors to identify needs and conduct outreach. Smith has already checked out a compost spreader, saving thousands and improving soil health.

UC Vice President Glenda Humiston called the launch a decade in the making and emphasized its potential as a statewide model. Future sites may include UC’s other Research and Extension Centers, community colleges and county fairgrounds. Human, researcher collaboration, she noted, helps shape technology development based on real-world farming feedback.

First reported by Fresnoland.

Prepared with AI assistance from the cited sources.