Falher (Rural Roots Canada) – Farmers are very innovative, always coming up with new tools and practices to solve everyday problems on their farm.

One such person is Jessica Carlyon, the owner of Hired Hand Hardware, who also farms in Little Smoky in northwest Alberta.

Carlyon builds and sells a slick tool that cuts, pulls and wraps bale string or wrap from a hay or straw bale while feeding or putting in bedding.

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She says the Twine Ripper, which has a spring-loaded retractable blade, has a big selling point.

“Primary feature is you don’t have to take your gloves off in the wintertime when you’re on the ground pulling strings. And a multi-purpose tool to be able to pull the strings out of the bale, so you don’t have to use your fingers,” says Carlyon.

It even has a pick to break away ice if needed.

She says the original design came from a farmer from southern Saskatchewan.

“He made them throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, and then got busy with life and stopped making them. During that time, my parents had bought them for our family farm, and so I grew up using one on the farm to feed hay and straw bales to the cattle herd.”

To find out more about the twine ripper click here.