How To No Till Farm

Research from the Pacific Northwest shows that no-till wheat production reduces erosion and saves fuel and time compared to conventional production. Other research on no-till production and soil erosion had been conducted in small experimental plots,...

Sharratt and Young concluded that annual no-till spring cereal crops could significantly improve water infiltration and retention and help retain crop-surface residue in the late summer—results that improve soil quality and reduce soil losses from wind...

It didn't work nearly as well as tilling it under, and I had to battle rye springing up in the garden all summer long. Typically, I've done this in the spring; spreading out layers of newspaper topped with organic matter, then planting right through it.

Wherever you see footprints or wheel tracks, you're dealing with some level of compaction, which can lead to a 15- to 50-percent reduction in crop yields, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Perennial herbs, flowers and vegetables exist for every region and can provide an enormous amount of food when well maintained. Synthetic Mulches Synthetic mulches such as biodegradable plastic or landscape fabric can do a lot of the same things as carbon...

To plant seeds, a large piece of equipment is driven over the field to “drill” them in, which can contribute to compaction of the soil. It's a slow process, as my husband and I were both raised with tillers.

The method, known as ECO Farming, is a new concept for farming in the 21st century, says Jim Hoorman, OSU Extension cover crops specialist. “Now we can use advanced knowledge of soils, soil health and soil ecology to work with Mother Nature rather than...

It took my garden about two years of complete no-till practices to reach its full potential. Soon after mowing, add a 3- to 4-inch layer of organic matter. To really suppress the weeds, layer about 10 sheets of newspaper over the soil before spreading...

Through a series of studies on two neighboring farms in Washington, soil scientist David Huggins, with USDA's Agricultural Research Service, determined how standing crop residues affect snow accumulation and soil's water levels across entire fields.

A typical day for her might mean shopping at Austin's farmers markets and stands for impromptu ingredients, as well as calling up farmers and creating an updated list of what's available.

If you don't wait for these two things, you may cause more harm than good to your soil and plants.To see if your soil is dry enough, pick up a handful and squeeze it. Don't go back over a row.

It pushes us to adapt and perfect our growing regime to suit our environment. Firsthand Advice Ridge to Reef Farm your own farm. If you work together with other farmers in your home watershed to improve your downstream environment, you can make a substantial...

A good first step is to meet with a local naturalist or forester to walk through your woods. Fallen logs or timber might be useful for cultivating oyster or shiitake mushrooms. It may be the start of a productive relationship with unusual benefits.

Makes sense to me! I feel like they ‘need' fine, crumbly, newly-tilled soil so they don't get lost in the shuffle, but a no-till zealot gardening friend of mine, swears that that's not the case.

Drawbacks To Draft Horses The most cited drawback to working with draft animals is speed. Not quantifiable in this sense, however, is the exercise or well-documented therapeutic benefits of working with animals.

The time you freed up above could be put towards finding new, more intensive ways to manage your property instead of growing bigger. Again, oil the machine until it hums, then decide if bigger is the answer.

Hand tilling soil with this method will sufficiently break up the soil so that natural elements such as, animals and plant roots will be able to keep the soil loose. In turn, this helps to get nutrients and water down further in the soil, which encourages...

The tool heads vary from a spade-like Big Vee to a narrow Bird Beak. What I found equally interesting was the four faces to the handle, rather than the traditional round handle. The ability to mount various tool heads to the same handle is only one aspect...

Use A Reputable Mill Anyone with a sink and a drum carder might call themselves a mill. (“Domain squatters” hold expired domains hostage to get people to pay for their return.) At minimum, create Facebook, Twitter, Ravelry and Instagram accounts for...

“The better the produce tastes, the more they like.” If you don't grow enough produce, find other ways to contribute. “The students love the locally grown fresh watermelon and cantaloupe , which they get to enjoy in August when school is back in...

“Instead of spending money on newspaper advertising, which is a broad, shotgun type of advertising, our newsletter is targeted to people who have made some effort to contact us and who have taken an interest in what we're doing,” Harding says.

Evaluate your success. Tags customers , farm logo , farm marketing plan , farm products , farm website , marketing your farm Sign makers, embroiderers and commercial printers all have specific requirements for file format and quality that is difficult...

Included in this area is Napa Farms Market , a 5,000-square-foot marketplace featuring products from Bay Area farms. Everything from local milk to bread to eggs fill the menu throughout the year.

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: The NSAC member list connects you with various local groups in your state, like Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service and the Illinois Stewardship Alliance.

Having spent more time than I care to count waging the war against encroaching trees, I've experimented with using many different tools and techniques for keeping them under control and have finally settled into a rhythm that is fairly simple and straightforward.

This is annoying but actually positive. This is not as important as your profile picture, but it should look nice. Do these things and you will see an increase in likes—the currency of business today.

Keep those results in a folder with any invoices and receipts so that if the inspector makes a specific request you can produce it fairly quickly. Whatever the reason, if somewhere in the back of your mind endures the idea that you may want to one day...