What Is Drip Irrigation System

It analyzes the levels of nutrients, contaminants and, depending on the type of test, a variety of other characteristics, such as pH . Think of a soil test as a checkup for your garden.

More people are farming smaller plots, thus more small machinery is necessary. Should I Try Farming With Draft Animals? As Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren numbers increase, that number is likely to continue to rise.

Wright's operation centers on dairy cows, but the principles he's learned can be applied to winter grazing for any type of livestock. “Ryegrass is normally broadcast or drilled into dormant sods of warm-season species,” Ball says.

Although we all eagerly anticipate the arrival of spring each year, we know that the transition from snow to dry ground comes with a price, and that price is an in-between “wet ground” stage known as mud.

Left to their own grubby biological imperative, fly populations expand exponentially until every creature on the farm is rubbing its eyes and stamping its feet. Read the labels of the products you buy to ensure they are not counterproductive to your goal.

By hosting a wide variety of plant species, beneficial insects are attracted, diseases don't proliferate and total crop failures are unlikely. Wetlands help to prevent flooding, improve water quality and sequester carbon.

An optimal Christmas tree height is 5 to 8 feet, and most evergreens are ready to harvest in five to eight years. A Holiday Icon There are close to 15,000 farms growing Christmas trees in the U.S. and more than 100,000 people employed in the industry,...

Here's a great profile on City Commons , a cooperative CSA in Detroit. Don't reinvent the wheel! Your local cooperative extension agent should have a considerable amount of documentation and information on how to start a farm co-op .

Consider going no-till. Also, decomposition of crop residues is slower in clay, which means building up soil structure through introduction of organic matter is going to be easier.

If storing small square bales, stack the bottom layer on their sides with the strings facing sideways instead of up. A sloped top, created by pyramiding the final layers, sheds snow and rain better than a flat one.

Branching Out Your property has boundaries, but your woodland projects don't have to. Ask lots of questions! As you learn, record the important biological and landscape features of your forest in your farm journal to help you organize and plan for woodland...

Plants grow better with this favorable air-water balance and even soil moisture. Drip irrigation can be operated during windy periods as well. The best way to accomplish this is through the use of drip irrigation or soaker hose methods.

Rotate out your pig herd and replant the pasture with cover crops that will fix the trampled soil and provide a new dose of healthy forage. Germination generally takes seven to 10 days with sufficient watering.

Lack of oxygen and a poor ph balance can cause a whole pond of fish to die. Fish and shrimp are cold-blooded animals; consequentially they are complete captives of their environment.

If done the right way, freshwater fish farming can be a great value-added opportunity for your hobby farm. Then pick up the November/December 2011 issue of Hobby Farms for more complete information on starting an aquaculture operation with catfish or...

Acorn finishing is an ancient technique for producing superior-flavored pork—perhaps you've heard Iberian acorn-finished ham is the most expensive, and purportedly tastiest, pork available.

The goal for any gardener, small or large, should be to get the most food out of their growing space. 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.

You can be really fancy and put together a whole spreadsheet of your crop, variety, planting date and days to harvest like Parson does or figure out a record-keeping system of your own.

Really, careful observation is the basis; it's about using all of your senses to farm.” Biodynamic Preparations: How it Compares to Organic Since Biodynamic agriculture views the farm as a self-contained living organism, an essential component of this...

Here are six steps to building a sacrifice area for your farm. Your sacrifice area doesn't need to be large—20 by 20 feet per horse is the standard—but it does need to be in the right location with good drainage, quality fencing and the right footing.

Quite the opposite is true because the cattle are only on the pasture for short periods of time. “That puts them through each pasture about five times a year.” Traditionally, cattlemen have been warned against grazing cattle among trees to avoid soil...

I like that my salad came fresh from a farm a mere 15 miles away, so it didn't have to be transported across three states by a gas-guzzling truck. All this begs the question: Can a huge factory farm really be organic?

“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.

Approximately 4,000 species of bees are native to North America, spending much of their lives in solitary cells underground, emerging to forage in the spring and summer. The result of allowing nature to run its course in your fields, to some extent, cycles...

Here are a few ways to promote grassland bird habitat on your farm without hampering your farm's production. Provide a refuge for grassland birds on your farm with these field-management techniques.

Trough Management Basics Of course, the easiest way to keep your animals water clean is through prevention. Be sure to remove all of the dirt and algae—any that is left will just continue to grow and spread once you fill up the bucket or trough with...

So when my family of five moved to a central Kentucky farm with two empty horse pastures, the next step felt obvious: We drove a few hours south to pick up two black Dexters (the smallest non-miniature cattle breed), a pregnant cow and a steer for the...