Parlier, Calif. – On Sept. 1 the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources opened an equipment‑lending library at the Kearney Research and Extension Center. The library, funded by the regional F3 Local (Food, Farm and Innovation) grant, provides small‑scale growers in Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Madera and Merced counties with access to brand‑new farm machinery at heavily subsidized rates.
How the program works
Farmers who operate less than 80 acres can register after completing a short classroom session and a hands‑on training workshop. Once approved, borrowers may check out equipment for up to four days, paying between $10 and $50 per day depending on the size and type of the machine.
The initial catalog lists 33 items, including tractors, spreaders, mowers, transplanters, weeders and seeders. All equipment is maintained by the library’s staff, led by F3 Local Equipment Lending Library coordinator Amber Butland and agricultural technician Jose Ramiro Ortiz Pellegrin.
Local growers welcome the resource
Grape grower Albert Smith, whose family has farmed southwest Fresno for generations, said the library is “a godsend.” Smith has already borrowed a compost spreader for his operation, S&A Farms, and estimates the program has saved him thousands of dollars that would otherwise have been spent on a purchase.
“Everything you do starts with a good machine,” Smith explained. “When I see all the colors and models, I imagine what I could accomplish if I had that equipment at my disposal.”
University leadership backs the initiative
UC Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources Glenda Humiston helped cut the ribbon and emphasized the library’s long‑term vision. “We are committed to this lending library being successful because it will serve as a template for more of these across the state,” Humiston said.
Humiston added that locating the library on a research campus fosters direct collaboration between growers and UC scientists. Those conversations can inspire new product development and research projects tailored to the real‑world needs of California’s agricultural community.
Future expansion plans
The university plans to replicate the model at its other nine Research and Extension Centers, as well as at community colleges and county fairgrounds throughout California. Upcoming training sessions are scheduled for Oct. 7 (classroom) and Sept. 30 (hands‑on cover‑crop seeder workshop), with additional dates to be announced.
For more information or to register, growers can visit the F3 Local Equipment Lending Library webpage at ucanr.edu/site/f3-local-farm-food-innovation/lending-library.
Original reporting: Fresnoland — read the source article.
