The Sharing Economy Has Gone Big. Like, Ridge Tiller Big.

Yes, yes, we’re in the throes of a sharing economy -- hell, Uber even shared kittens on National Cat Day last month. But farm-equipment shares? Now you’ve got our attention.

The Shared-Use Farm Equipment (SUFE) Pool is a partnership between the Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) that lends out larger farming pieces in an effort to diffuse the costs of effective but expensive gear.

MFT staff member Mike Gold came up with the idea several years ago after the trust launched its Farm Viability Program, for which he serves as program manager. Seeing the breadth of the region’s burgeoning agricultural scene, Gold saw the need for a machinery fractional that could defray costs for both nascent and established farmers. Several less-organized sharing efforts had been launched in the past, he says, but Gold wanted to formalize the process. (Joint equipment ownership, machinery co-ops, and formal rental outfits like Machinerylink.com have paved the way for this sort of program, but the lending model still seems to be a relatively new one.)  For a mere $100 annual fee, members have access to a six-piece inventory, currently made up of a seedbed cultivator, two-shank sub-soiler, plastic mulch layer, strip tiller, ridge tiller, and tine weeder...