Category Archives: How To (How I Did)

Cleaning a golf cart isn’t entirely unlike cleaning a car. You want to be in the right area, have the right materials, and do things properly. Here are Ben Nelson’s four tips for properly cleaning your golf cart to ensure that everything goes well and that you don’t deal with some of the common hassles.

1. Use the Right Cleaner

You should always consult your golf cart manual to note any specifics regarding which cleaners to use. Certain cleaners are ineffective, while others may damage your cart’s coating or paint job. You might end up spending a little more on the right cleaner, but it’s cheaper than paying for a new paint job!

2. Park Your Cart Appropriately

We highly recommend moving your cart to a place where you can clean it without hassle. We recommend an open driveway or other paved areas where you can access every side of the cart. However, don’t clean your golf cart on the grass since certain chemicals in the cleaner may be harmful to the plants and soil.

3. Remove Objects From the Cart

One helpful tip for properly cleaning your golf cart is to remember to take everything out of it before you start. You don’t want the water or chemicals to damage your personal belongings, and cleaning is the perfect time to remove any garbage or trash bags from your cart.

4. Sanitize Specific Areas

Many people who clean their golf carts focus primarily on the exterior and clean the body or tires while neglecting the areas that we frequently come into contact with. After cleaning your cart, we recommend disinfecting and sanitizing areas your hands often touch. Steering wheels, seat belts, radio knobs, and more all accumulate a lot of germs, so remove them whenever you clean your golf cart.

Ben Nelson Golf & Outdoor has a wide range of new and pre-owned carts from many different makes and models. We’re a reliable EZ-GO golf cart dealer and can help you find the cart that works best for your personal or professional needs. For more details, stop by one of our dealerships or contact us anytime, and we’ll do what we can to help you out!

Farming and agriculture are extremely important for our world. Farmers follow many safety guidelines and regulations to deliver good results, which is essential when handling something as vital to society as our food.

Farmers are uniquely responsible for growing and producing healthy animals for different purposes, with the most common purpose being to feed our communities. These tips for raising healthy farm chickens will help you achieve optimal development for your flock.

Clean Water

Providing clean water to animals 24 hours a day is the best way to keep farm animals healthy and thriving. Water is a vital element; without it, animals and even humans will not be able to survive for more than five days. The quality of the water is also essential; the water must be fresh and available, and you must change it daily to minimize bacteria and infection in your birds.

Adequate Food

The food you provide your chickens will determine their growth, consistency, and health, which is why adequate feeding and quality food are essential. A mix of leafy greens, beans, corn, grains, and berries are the perfect ingredients to keep chickens happy and balanced. Organic ingredients can benefit chicken reproduction and increase the quality of their meat.

Hygienic and Safe Space

Providing a clean, safe space will help chickens develop and prevent other animals from attacking them, which could cause significant losses. A clean space is essential because bacteria thrive in humid and contaminated spaces, which could cause animal health issues. Keeping the large space sanitary will minimize campylobacter spread in poultry which could also affect humans if they ingest the meat.

Monitor Behavior

Chickens enjoy running free, but they need a safe space to rest after the sun goes down and somewhere to lay eggs. Monitoring a chicken’s behavior will alert you when something is wrong, ensuring you can take immediate action and prevent the spread of illness to other animals. Common signs of illness in chickens include hiding, inactivity, unusual droppings, and a lack of appetite.

Have a Daily Routine

Chickens love activity, and giving them an active daily routine where they can run around and follow a schedule will provide a better life. A routine will also help you check for unusual behavior to keep your farm chickens healthy. Routines are great for healthy development no matter what the main purpose for your animals is.

Cities are becoming denser with people, concrete, buildings, and cars, and more people are choosing to leave that world, escaping off-grid. It’s a good lifestyle that many people have lived for years, but others are new and unsure of the best ways to live in an off-the-grid home. Instead of living in that uncertainty, read on to learn how you can turn your house and land into a self-sustaining space you’re proud to call home.

Solve Food and Water First

The first thing you need to get to ensure your off-the-grid home is safe and ready for living is access to food and water. Taking care of this first is the most important thing because you cannot do or take care of anything else without food and water.

Many off-grid dwellers have a rainwater collection system or have access to a lake or river, along with a heavy-duty filtration system to keep their water contaminant-free. When it comes to food, many have a chicken coop and a small garden that meet all their daily needs. Experiment and find what you want or need for your off-the-grid home.

Make It Feel Like Home

One of the best ways to make living in your off-grid home comfortable and enriching is to make it feel like a home. Part of what makes a house a home is the community you’re in and the people around you, but that’s not that easy when you’re off the grid. However, it is still entirely possible. You need to find what makes you feel comfortable and safe and bring that into your home.

To make a place feel like home, it must be cozy, and there’s no better way to make your home cozy than with some simple lighting and all-natural interior decor. Also, many people want their outdoor space to feel like home too. You can accomplish that with some comfortable chairs and yard decorations. For example, a great yard decoration for patriotic folk is an American flag. Assembling an outdoor American flag set is easy. Then, you can sit back, watch your flag fly, and relax in your off-the-grid house that you turned into a home.

Think About Location for the Entire Year

Another variable you must consider is your home’s location. Consider all the weather that affects your area and how that would impact your off-grid life. For example, would icy/snowy conditions limit road access to your home? This might not be a huge issue in Tennessee, but it is still a factor you should consider early to be certain your home ends up in the right place.

Take these tips for living in an off-the-grid home to transition smoothly and efficiently to your new private sanctuary. It’s more than solace away from the world’s chaos and the hustle and bustle—it’s your home.

Many believe that livestock animals can withstand uncomfortable temperatures because they’ve evolved to live outdoors. However, this idea is only partially true. Just like people, animals can become very ill and even die from heat exposure caused by extreme temperatures. Whether cattle, pigs, goats, horses, or other animals, your animals will need adequate protection in order to survive and thrive. Learn how to protect your livestock from heat stress to keep them comfortable, happy, and, most importantly, healthy.

Provide Adequate Shelter

Unfortunately, giving your animals a singular shaded area isn’t enough to keep them cool. Often, the danger arises when animals start to bunch up, as this increases body heat and defeats the shaded area’s purpose. A good shelter should have fans, adequate ventilation, plenty of floor space, and be high enough to allow air movement.

Consider building earth mounds to keep animals apart. If you’re struggling to find a solution that ticks the boxes, you can convert fabric storage buildings into livestock shelters. If you’re looking to save a little extra cash, one of the environmental benefits of fabric buildings is their ability to utilize natural airflow to cut down on energy costs.

Adjust Their Diet Accordingly

Naturally, livestock animals will drink more water the hotter it gets, and they’ll need a bit of a diet and schedule change to maintain their body temperature. They’ll need about double the amount of water, so extra tanks may be necessary. Additionally, tanks and waterlines should remain in the shade and shouldn’t go above 80°F. There should also be enough trough space for each animal. As an estimate, cattle need about 2-3 inches of trough space per head.

In terms of diet, keep in mind that the digestion process increases body heat. Feeding a small portion in the morning and a bigger portion in the evening helps animals stay cooler when night comes around. Ultimately, you should avoid moving and handling animals as much as possible during the hottest times of the day, which is typically from about 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Consider adding more fat and fiber to their diet to decrease the heat created in ruminant animals during the fermentation process.

Offer Various Cooling Options

The best way to protect your livestock from heat is to provide them with various cooling options. While having enough ventilated shelter space is important, animals can’t stay in one place all day and will want to move when their body heat makes the space too warm. Sunshades, portable shade structures, sheds, and canopy trees are all excellent options that give animals a choice in case their current spot becomes uncomfortable.

Consider running water along the roofs of shaded housing to cool down the area or run water on the ground to keep hooves cool. You may also want to think about spraying down some of the animals with water during the hottest hours of the day. Alternatively, if you want to cool down the ambient temperature, running mist sprinklers in and around the shaded housing will do the trick.

Remember, livestock animals can become just as uncomfortable and sick as humans if exposed to the heat for too long. Give them plenty of shade and water, and look for signs of heat stress throughout the day.