Types Of Irrigation System

The arrival of spring also means the arrival of troublesome wet ground and mud puddles. Rubber boots will also be useful—after all, you're working around a puddle!— and I personally advise wearing safety goggles if digging in hard or rocky ground.

Natural Predators Releasing flying insects on your farm to get rid of flies might seem counterintuitive, but it's a natural, environmentally friendly means to eliminate the types of flies that cause the most harm around your barn.

Insect pests are also less likely to be attracted to field sites with diverse plantings, or they're outcompeted by predatory insects—what we'd consider to be “good bugs.” Reliable Field Guides Even the most experienced farmer, wild or otherwise,...

While a Christmas tree farm does require year-round work, on a small scale, they can be managed with part-time labor until harvest time and still yield a few hundred dollars per acre in profit.

Cooperative Principles As mentioned above, cooperatives must be member-owned and democratically run to meet the goals of its member farms. As a rule, it's easier to start small and specialized and broaden as is feasible—just like farming itself.

Thankfully, long-term no-till practices can improve compacted soils, building up organic matter and inviting faster water absorption while also allowing the soil to drain and be ready to plant or fertilize sooner after rainfall than land that has been...

When you harvest quality hay , it's dollar-wise to preserve it so it lasts. Materials you can use to help insulate hay from wet soil or concrete and provide some ventilation include telephone poles, wooden pallets and tires.

Bringing the Forest Home Before you do anything, learn what you've got. Some woodland owners actually create sanctuaries for rare plants. Soil type influences the plants that can grow.

It is most effective when it lies on top or slightly below soil level andis placed over the soil and hose. These devices are low pressure but share characteristics with high-pressure sprinklers.

Reseeding Your Pasture An intensive rotation schedule is ideal for both soil and pig health, but space and time constraints can often beset best-laid plans. If you've ever seen a pig root out a mouse nest, you'll understand how this inclination can be...

Faced with the possibility of loosing his entire crop Nat says, “We didn't know what to do so we just ran out to the nearest grocery store and bought 200 lbs of sugar, dumped it in the pond and miraculously that fixed the balance.” Nat readily admits...

Use this visual diagram of an aquaculture pond to consider the best way to build your operation. If done the right way, freshwater fish farming can be a great value-added opportunity for your hobby farm.

While we view forest treats as supplemental to the rations we provide, we're also very happy to shave down the feed bill when our animals add pounds walking the woods. It's worth walking the woods to find the checkered-bark trunks on your land because...

Your yields may vary depending on season and variety, but you will almost certainly get two crops for the price of one. You can sow turnips with other crops, too, but keep in mind that at around 55 days to maturity, they take longer than most others on...

This rotation will keep the pests guessing, the soil nutrients building and your vegetables growing as strong as possible. Next to each season, fill in what you'll plant there. Some crops will be in the field for more than one season.

They are used in small amounts and in a specific fashion. If having a truly sustainable farm is your goal, read on. It still operates today as the only Biodynamic certifying agency and is active in 45 countries.

You don't want to see your pastures get torn up by your cattle's, horses' and sheep's hooves, but you don't want them to spend all of their time indoors either. Protect your pastures, as well as your animals' hooves, with these six simple steps to creating...

Forage You can potentially harvest a cash hay crop , and forage eventually becomes a high-protein feed source for the livestock and supports pasture health. For these reason, Mack Evans of Jakin, Ga., integrated silvo­pastures on his farm.

About the Author: Cherie Langlois is an HF contributing editor who runs a 5-acre hobby farm in Washington. Divided on the issue of going organic, the Carkners continued growing raspberries conventionally, finding it easy to employ synthetic chemicals...

There might be a demand for it in your area if you live near the mushroom-growing industry, such as in California, Florida and Pennsylvania. Even raw manure—especially horse manure—is valued by mushroom growers.

“I may only want kale because I want those leafy greens in the spring, and when that's finished, often those plants are discarded,” she says. Maddock recommends letting perennials, such as asparagus, fill this niche.

Because these species nest on the ground and so much of their habitat is not in the public sector, a good portion of the conservation burden lies on the farmers and ranchers who own these grasslands.

I use that and a toothbrush for any small areas my larger brush can't reach, like under heating elements. 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 water...

It was more than their conversational brilliance that made me long for a bovine presence in my life—I wanted buckets of fresh milk and grass-finished steak on the dining table whenever possible, and the distinct challenge of effectively pasturing large-scale...

If horses are in your blood and a horse farm is on your mind, educate yourself about farm management before making it a hobby or a career. There are also performance-horse facilities that have indoor riding arenas to be cared for, clients paying thousands...

Most watermelons, however, are too big and heavy for vertical gardening, but with slings, you can grow icebox and personal-size varieties on sturdy trellises or netting. Structure Choices Vertical gardening relies on a variety of structures that provide...

Your best bet is to get some training, and then when you're ready, find a local breeder or horseman and let them get you set up. Suffolk : A good and energetic field worker, the Suffolk is strong, powerful and eager to work.