LESSON 3:

PERFORM MAINTENANCE

PRE-OPERATIVE CHECK UP OF FARM TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

Imagine that the long, hot summer vacation has finally come to an end and it‘s the beginning of
the school year and you are ready to start working your vegetable gardens. But before that let us check
first our tools, implements and equipment you are going to use.

Grab with your working clothes and personal protective equipment (PPE). Proceed to the shop
to retrieve your tools so that you can start clearing away the last remnants of summer and begin tools to
see that they are covered with rust and dirt that has hardened and crusty globs of oil that have collected
dust last vacation. It seems that you are going to spend more time cleaning breaking the soil for a new
year. Imagine your frustration as you start pulling out all of your and repairing tools on this nice day than
you will actually use them.
 Let‘s start with the basics. Your shovel, spade, hoe, or even the blades on a hedge trimmer will
be a lot easier to use if you take a few minutes to knock some of the rust off the blade. Not only will this
extend the life of the tool, but also it will cut through the soil better, and thus require less effort to use,
if it has a nice sharp blade.

It is a good idea to keep a large whetstone in your shop. A whetstone is an ideal tool to use to
keep all of the cutting edges of your garden tools honed. It will work well on your pruning shear, as well
as many other common garden tools.

The best way to use the stone is to find a way to stabilize the tool that you want to work on. A
bench vise is ideal. You will be able to clamp the tool into place at an angle, so you can work on it.
Clamping the garden tool into place with a vise frees up both of your hands to use the whetstone and
gives you more control over what you are doing. Apply a little bit of lubricating oil to the end of the tool
and carefully begin to work the stone over the blade. Maintain a 30-degree angle between the stone
and the blade to form the ideal cutting edge for your tool. Not only will the edge become sharper, but
you will also be removing any pitting and rust that has formed at the edge of your tool‘s blade.

In instances where the moving parts of your garden tools (such as with of any new pruners,
shears, and loppers) have frozen in place, like springs and pivot joints, you should disassemble them first
carefully break free any rust or dirt that may keep the tool from functioning properly. Clean
accumulated rust and dirt off all metal surfaces with a wire brush. Remove stubborn rust from small
tools with fine steel wool. Using an old toothbrush with some lightweight lubricating oil is a great way to
work fresh oil into the joints of most garden tools. Not only will this fresh oil helps your tool to work as it
was intended, but it will also prevent the formation of rust. Use medium-grit sandpaper to remove rust
on larger tools such as shovels, spades, and hoes.

Once your tools are cleaned, they're ready to be sharpened. When sharpening, try to maintain
the original factory bevel or angle. For pruners, use a whetstone because it produces a very sharp
cutting edge. Depending on the type of whetstone, apply a few drops of oil or water to the stone. With
the beveled side of the blade against the stone, rub the sharp edge of the blade toward the stone in a
curved motion, as if you were trying to shave off a thin slice from the stone.

When working with a file, stabilize the blades in a vise or against a solid surface such as a work
bench to avoid injury and ensure an even stroke.

Always push the file across the blade in a motion away from your body. Move the file
diagonally, so that its cutting teeth are biting into the metal on the tool. When sharpening with a file, do
not use oil; metal filings will accumulate and clog the file's serrations.

Farm implements like ordinary plow and wooden harrow should be checked thoroughly
before use. Loosened bolts and nuts should be tightened firmly. Disc plow and harrow should also be
lubricated on their moving parts like bearings. Tractors should be tuned-up very well by skilled operator.
Check on their oil, lubricant, fuel and cooling system.
Lesson 5
FARM INPUTS AND LABOR
They are defined as products permitted for use in organic farming. These include
feedstuffs, fertilizers and permitted plant protection products. The resources that are used in farm
production. The following are examples:

Seed is a material which is used for planting or regeneration purpose. However

scientifically, it is a fertilized matured ovule together covered with seed coat and it is a propagating
material. Thus, seed is the most vital and crucial input for crop production.

Fertilizer is a chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility.
There are two types of fertilizer; organic and inorganic.

Pesticide is a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to

cultivated plants or animals.

FARM LABOR
LABOR REQUIREMENT FOR LAND PREPARATION
Plowing using animal

Plowing using tractor

Clearing of the land using hoe

Harrowing using hand tractor

LABOR REQUIREMENT IN PLANTING OF SEEDLINGS

Transplanting of seedlings

LABOR REQUIREMENT FOR PLANT CARE

Fertilizer Application

Pest Control

Irrigation

Weeding

Harvesting

Threshing Rice/Threshing Corn

Drying Rice/Drying Corn

Storing
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Graph- a drawing in which the relationship between two (or more) items of information (e.g. Time and
plant growth) is shown in a symbolic way

Gross Income/Sales- the equivalent value of the product sold

Interest- the corresponding value that will be added to the principal as payment for using money of
the lender remains after all the expenses have been deducted from the gross income or sales

Principal –refers to the amount you owed

Volume- the content of a body or object

Acronyms
MAD( Man Animal Day) refers to the number of day/s the work will be completed by 1 person and 1
animal

. MD-(Manday) refers to the number of day/s the work will be completed by 1 person

LESSON 1:

BASIC WORKPLACE CALCULATIONS

PERFORM CALCULATION

It is important to be able to measure and calculate surface areas. It might be necessary to

calculate, for example, the surface area of the cross-section of a canal or the surface area of a farm. This
section will discuss the calculation of some of the most common surface areas: triangle, square,
rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezium and circle

The height (h) of a triangle, a rhombus, a parallelogram or a trapezium, is the distance from a
top corner to the opposite side called base (b). The height is always perpendicular to the base; in other
words, the height makes a "right angle" with the base. An example of a right angle is the corner of this
page. In the case of a square or a rectangle, the expression length (1) is commonly used instead of base
and width (w) instead of height. In the case of a circle the expression diameter (d) is used.

The height (h), base (b), width (w), length (1) and diameter (d) of the most common surface
areas.

TRIANGLES
The surface area or surface (A) of a triangle is calculated by the formula:
A (triangle) = 0.5 x base x height = 0.5 x b x h
Triangles can have many sizes but the same formula is used for all of them.

SQUARES AND RECTANGLES

The surface area or surface (A) of a square or a rectangle is calculated by the formula:
Area=Length x Width
In a square the lengths of all four sides are equal and all four angles are right angles. In a rectangle, the
lengths of the opposite sides are equal and all four angles are right angles. All lengths and widths in a
square are equal. All lengths and widths in a rectangle are not equal.

RHOMBUSES AND PARALLELOGRAMS

The surface area or surface (A) of a rhombus or a parallelogram is calculated by the formula:

Area= Base x Height

In a rhombus the lengths of all four sides are equal; none of the angles are right angles; opposite sides
run parallel. In a parallelogram the lengths of the opposite sides are equal; none of the angles are right
angles; opposite sides run parallel.

TRAPEZIUMS
The surface area or surface (A) of a trapezium is calculated by the formula:

Area=0.5 (Base+Top) x Height

The top (a) is the side opposite and parallel to the base (b). In a trapezium only the base and the top run
parallel.

Another method to calculate the surface area of a trapezium is to divide the trapezium into a rectangle
and two triangles, to measure their sides and to determine separately the surface areas of the rectangle
and the two triangles.