Best Sprinkler System

Fortunately, digging a few drainage ditches can solve the problem! If you want to get fancy, you can consider installing permanent drainage pipes in places where mud puddles are an annual occurrence.

Misters A more modern approach is to install portable fly-spray mist devices above your stalls or wherever your animals congregate, such as in run-in shelters or small sheds. Spray Repellents A variety of aerosol sprays can be used to treat your barn.

By taking these areas away or significantly altering them, wildlife is forced to find alternative paths, which may lead them to direct contact with other desirable crops. This doesn't mean that no equipment is necessarily used for field preparation on...

Markets For Christmas Trees Susy Morris/Flickr Christmas tree production costs $5 to $10 per tree from establishment through harvest, but can yield annual returns per acre between $600 to $1000, according to the Oregon State University Extension Service.

Organizing a Cooperative David Owen/Flickr Depending on the kind of farm cooperative you are looking for and your goals in working cooperatively, you might decide to form one—though, I won't lie, it's not for the faint of heart.

The University of Missouri Extension says: “Cover crops are often helpful on poorly drained fields when you are trying to plant early. Consider going no-till. Traditional tilling methods that turn under crop residue speed organic decomposition, making...

Sky-high machinery and fuel costs and the lack of affordable haying-crew labor is driving up the cost of putting up hay . Do's and Don'ts of Hay Storage Indoor Storage Protect valuable hay from the elements by storing it under cover in a building that...

Fallen logs or timber might be useful for cultivating oyster or shiitake mushrooms. Soil type influences the plants that can grow. If you understand the character of your woods—both the plants that grow there and noteworthy features such as streams,...

Clover , like alfalfa, is a common pasture legume, though it's considered superior in nutrition—there's a reason for the old adage, “Happy as pigs in clover.” Of all the clover varieties available, lardino—a white clover up to four times larger...

Finding Knowledgeable Assistance One of the major drawbacks of working in aquaculture is that the knowledge base is much smaller than that of crops that are more traditional. Working in the restaurant world has provided him with an immediate market and...

If done the right way, freshwater fish farming can be a great value-added opportunity for your hobby farm. Tags hobby farm To wrap your head around the construction of an aquaculture pond, use the diagram below to jog the pond-construction thought process.

American persimmons will ripen in late fall and drop when the weather turns cold, so if you can get your pigs close to a stand of persimmons at the point you need a jacket for morning chores, do it.

Head lettuce is nice because generally you are transplanting it into a row with maybe 30 days or so left until it's ready to harvest. The goal is a dried bean, though you can harvest beans green.

An easier route is to use the charts provided by seed companies (like those from Johnny's Selected Seeds ) and guides from your state cooperative extension (like Colorado State University's “ Sample Planning Guide for Raised-Bed Garden “).

Biodynamic techniques were brought to the United States in the 1930s by Steiner's associate Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer. Much like a web, each organism on the farm—from the smallest microbe to the largest bovine—serves a critical function.

What is the availability and cost? Common sacrifice-area footing types include wood chips, sand, gravel and geotextile fabric. A great sacrifice area will have well-drained footing built up to reduce the mud that your animals will inevitably end up standing...

“The Northeast has millions of acres of underutilized, degraded farm woodland and overgrown former pastures that would be suitable for silvopastures,” he says. “By going to the silvopasture system, I've been able to generate four or five incomes...

According to a report released by Cornucopia Institute (www.cornucopia.org), an organic watchdog that promotes economic justice for family-scale farming, Wal-Mart sources organic products from what are essentially factory farms, as well as from Third...

“In addition, you can add manures to land that will be cropped for human consumption or recreational activities, but the 190 days pre-harvest or use restriction should be followed.

At the end of the growing season, our bodies are tired and the days are growing shorter, cueing us to move toward rest. With the use of cover crops, this hands-off approach allows autumn-sown seeds to help you prepare beds for the spring by revitalizing...

Grassland birds contribute to biodiversity, and their habitat aids in improving water quality and watershed health, so promoting habitat on your farm can benefit both birds and farmers, both in the short term and the long run.

If your trough or buckets are really dirty, you may need to scrape some of the gunk off with a putty knife. Buy New Troughs I love buying farm equipment used, but water buckets and troughs are something I always buy new.

In the end, we ended up selling our couple of cows, having learned the final lesson that we were better at pasturing pigs than cows, but not before getting a deep education in planning grass pastures for effective cattle farming.

This single-stomach digestion system makes horses more susceptible to digestive issues. Managing a horse farm requires managing their needs, their owners' needs, the needs of the land and the needs of the infrastructure.

Tomatoes Last, but certainly not least, are all the wonderful types of tomatoes you can train to grow up trellises or garden netting. For example, cucumbers, peas and pole beans only require lightweight support, while pumpkins, gourds, squash and melons...

Draft horses can also be spooked by loud equipment, noises or stings, sending them momentarily running off with you or the equipment. Not quantifiable in this sense, however, is the exercise or well-documented therapeutic benefits of working with animals.

A simple digital camera or cell-phone camera can be useful for capturing photo records of your equipment and livestock. Products, such as the EasyKeeper Herd Manager , are available to help track livestock, their health and sales.