Equipment Sharing Co-ops

Is there a piece of farm equipment that you need only now and then? Is it something you could imagine sharing with nearby farmers in order to avoid footing the entire bill? The NFU New Farm Project supports equipment sharing among farmers in two ways:

1. By lending NFP-owned equipment to farmers.
2. By offering financial support to small groups (co-ops) who plan to share a piece of farm equipment cooperatively.

Please note that equipment sharing opportunities through the NFU New Farm Project are available only to National Farmers Union members. Click here to learn more about NFU membership.

Here’s how you can benefit from either of these opportunities:

NFP shared equipment

• Honey extractor (3 frame, hand crank) – contact Kathy Rothermel at 613-385-8569
• Bush hog (5′) – contact Tibrata Gillies at 613-483-2320
• Utility trailer (5′ x 8′) – contact Ian Stutt at 613-353-6622
• Hi-way sander/spreader (spreading rock, sand, lime, etc.) – contact Ian Stutt at 613-353-6622
• Earthway Seed Broadcaster (seeding cover crops) – contact Ian Stutt at 353-6622
• Poultry Processing Kit – contact Mike Voith at 613-353-6380
• Set of 12 sickles – contact Ian Stutt at 613 353-6622

Borrowed NFP equipment is to be returned to the contact person within a reasonable timeframe, as agreed upon with contact person. All those borrowing NFP equipment are required to sign an NFP Use of Equipment Waiver (pdf) that will be available at the time of pick up.

Start you own Equipment Sharing Co-op

You can start your own Equipment Sharing Co-op with nearby farmers by identifying a piece of farm equipment would be useful to the group and then submitting a proposal to the NFP Coordinator listing the co-op members and a plan for sharing the ownership, use, maintenance, transportation and storage of the equipment. If the proposal is approved, the NFU New Farm Project will reimburse up to $1000 of the cost upon submission of a receipt and a signed Passing on the Gift agreement to the NFP coordinator. Please contact us for more information.

This Equipment Sharing Template (pdf), developed by an existing co-op, will help get you thinking about the key issues you want to consider when planning an Equipment Sharing Co-op. It is recommended that members of each co-op draft and sign an equipment sharing plan in order to avoid unforeseen challenges (i.e. damage, repair costs, etc).