Purpose:In order to develop strategies to prevent farm-work accidents relating to agricultural machinery, influential factors were examined in this paper. The effects of these factors were quantified using logistic regression. Methods: Based on the results of a survey on farm-work accidents conducted by the National Academy of Agricultural Science, 21 tentative independent variables were selected. To apply these variables to regression, the presence of multicollinearity was examined by comparing correlation coefficients, checking the statistical significance of the coefficients in a simple linear regression model, and calculating the variance inflation factor. A logistic regression model and determination method of its goodness of fit was defined. Results: Among 21 independent variables, 13 variables were not collinear each other. The results of a logistic regression analysis using these variables showed that the model was significant and acceptable, with deviance of 714.053. Parameter estimation results showed that four variables (age, power tiller ownership, cognizance of the government's safety policy, and consciousness of safety) were significant. The logistic regression model predicted that the former two increased accident odds by 1.027 and 8.506 times, respectively, while the latter two decreased the odds by 0.243 and 0.545 times, respectively. Conclusions: Prevention strategies against factors causing an accident, such as the age of farmers and the use of a power tiller, are necessary. In addition, more efficient trainings to elevate the farmer's consciousness about safety must be provided.

This study aimed to improve the method for determining the position of the center of gravity for agricultural tractors. Methods: The proposed method uses trigonometric functions and coordinate transformation. Data were measured according to the ISO 789-6 test procedures for the center of gravity of agricultural tractors. The height calculated using the proposed method was compared with that determined from an AutoCAD drawing. To find the center of gravity of the tractor, the algorithm for finding the intersection of the two lines was used. Results: The vertical height from the ground to the center of gravity is 682.06 mm. The vertical coordinates obtained from the calculation and the drawing were the same. Conclusions: The developed method uses trigonometric and polar coordinate transformation. The method was compared and verified with the AutoCAD drawing results. The results indicate that users can apply this developed method instead of the plotting method which is an inconvenient and time-consuming. Further, users can program Microsoft Excel to easily determine the vertical coordinate. In addition, researchers will propose this method to the ISO as a standard method for determining the center of gravity in accordance with ISO 789-6.

Purpose:This study was performed in order to obtain basic data for policy development and R&D to sharpen competitiveness in domestic agricultural machinery industry by analyzing the recent status of demand and supply for tractor, rice transplanter(riding type), and combine. Methods: Basic data from 199,275 units of tractor, rice transplanter (riding type), and combine was offered by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative. Those agricultural machines were supplied by the government's loan support from 2003 to 2012. Results: Recent supply of tractor is only 13,000 units or so per annum, thereby being stagnated. Rice transplanter and combine in 2012 corresponded to 3,810 units and 2,490 units, respectively. The domestic market share of the imported agricultural machinery accounted for 60.0% in tractor, 99.5% in saddle rice transplanter, and 80.9% in combine, thereby having been sharply increased 33.1%p, 42.0%p and 53.6%p compared to the ones in 2003. Life spans of tractor, combine and saddle rice transplanter are 3.7, 3.7 and 4.2 years, respectively. Among the discontinued models, the one less than 300 units supplied was occupied up to 70~85%. Conclusions: The domestic demand and the export expansion are needed through developing a model of agricultural machinery of having competitiveness to domestically activate agricultural machinery industry.

Purpose: This research suggests a method of establishing criteria for working area and operating cost for a long-term lease of agricultural machinery. Methods: Eight crops were selected-three food crops and five open-field vegetables-and agricultural machines used for sowing, transplanting, and cultivation in dry-field farming were analyzed. Results: The break-even acreage for agricultural machinery under a long-term lease was found to differ by agricultural machine, ranging from 1.0 to 5.8 ha. In terms of arable land area, the break-even acreages for harvesting machinery and transplanters were 15.6 to 26.1 ha and 6.1 to 8.6 ha, respectively. The working area lessees should secure was divided into two cases: (1) 2.0 to 11.6 ha when leasing individual agricultural machines (sowing and transplanting) for a long-term period, and (2) more than 10 ha when farmers who cultivate beans, potatoes, garlic, onions, and so on lease sowing and transplanting machines as a set. When agricultural machinery was leased for a long term, the operating cost and working time were reduced by 27.6 to 74.4% and 2.5 to 21.6%, respectively, indicating considerable effect. Conclusions: A long-term lease project needs to be promoted to overcome the limitation of short-term leases of agricultural machinery. The local government should lead this project and facilitate the mechanization of dry-field farming. The department in charge of agricultural machinery lease projects needs to set the working area to cover the rate and maintenance cost for farmers who lease agricultural machinery for the long term.

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