Types Of Lubrication System

The tricky part is actually digging such a downhill ditch because water tends to gather in areas where the ground is low already, and creating a drainage area that is even lower may or may not be possible.

While effective, full traps can be ugly and smelly. Feed-through System A feed-through chemical known as an insect growth regulator disrupts the pupal stage of the fly life cycle. Clear the Manure Obviously, manure piles are prime breeding grounds, but...

When getting to know your unique site, be sure to consult as many local sources and field guides that are at your disposal. A wild farm co-exists with its wild neighbors. Diversity Wild farming is about respecting and emulating the natural wild biodiversity...

You might not think of weeds as a problem for grown Christmas trees, but when the trees are small saplings, weeds can easily grow taller than they are. Every region and market has different things to know, and people who've been doing this for a while...

Not only do we buy our dairy goat feed from them, but they worked with us to custom formualte a GMO-free lactation feed that would have been unavailable to us in any other way. We've recently formed one with a few other small-scale farmers in our area.

Heavy surface residue can be lightly incorporated into the soil in the fall by drilling cover crops to aid drying in the spring.” They go on to state that medium- to well-drained soils can generally tolerate heavy residue without hindering soil drying,...

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 doesn't leak and has good ventilation. If you decide to stack large bales, arrange them the same way, but only if you have...

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 uses. Is the soil sandy or clay?

While many pastured poultry growers operate on a standard, portable-pen system, pasturing pigs can present a bigger challenge because, when given the chance, these large animals will root and compact a luscious patch of green pasture into a mucky, barren...

Working in the restaurant world has provided him with an immediate market and there is nothing he enjoys more than taking his young daughter with him strolling down to the pond in the early morning or late afternoon to check on his crop and feed the shrimp.

Tags 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 prawns. If done the right way, freshwater fish farming can be a great value-added opportunity...

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.

Radishes Radishes might be the perfect intercrop. One great way to make the most out of these crops is to plant a second, faster crop alongside them in their beds. Your yields may vary depending on season and variety, but you will almost certainly get...

You can draw your plots in any shape you want, but Parson points out that longer, rectangular blocks are easier to work using a tractor than shorter, square blocks. Group those crops by family and season of planting and harvest.

If you take Steiner's lectures as the foundation, a very complete, beautiful picture emerges.” He's been a Biodynamic farmer since 1983 and believes that in order to transition, a farmer needs a lot more than just economic motivation to drive him or...

In each of these situations, you need an area to “sacrifice,” knowing you will never have productive forage here, for the greater good of your land. Frequency of manure removal will depend on concentration of [animals] housed in the lot.” Depending...

“The goal is also to create synergy, symbiosis and sustainability.” Silvopastures provide multiple income sources, and they generate revenue at different intervals during production to fill in gaps between the harvest of one crop or another.

The prevalent mindset is still ‘spend as little as we can for as much as we can get.'” Organic Certification & Maintenance Farmers planning to label their crops “organic” must adhere to standards outlined in the USDA's National Organic Program.

It can be applied directly to growing vegetable crops. Well-composted manure is valuable to gardeners, landscapers and farmers without livestock, especially if your compost is weed-free.

Cover Crops Fall-planted cover crops are considered green manure because of the work they do to improve soil fertility. It does, however, require a little technical expertise, which can be learned from joining up with local seed-saving groups and referring...

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2014 issue of Hobby Farms. Plant Native, Warm-Season Grasses The initial cost of planting warm-season grasses, such as Indian grass, switchgrass and big bluestem, is higher than that of their cool-season...

Slimy film can still build up in the trough even if there is no visible algae. Often, contaminants can't simply be removed by rinsing. As an added bonus, the fish won't need to be fed.

Rotate cattle into the warm-weather pasture when temperatures reach 70 to 95 degrees F —the grass should be ready then because you seeded earlier in the year. And as summer offers you a great opportunity to treat and inspect the cool-weather pasture...

Basic equine first-aid skills are a must for anyone involved in equine management. Some areas with large horse populations have manure-removal services, too. For all of these reasons, special care needs to be given to the pasture management , nutrition...

Avoid sites shaded by trees, barns or other structures. Unlike horizontal gardens that you typically grow in long, straight rows or large raised beds, gardeners use narrow strips of soil with plant supports either freestanding or attached to walls.

Horses have higher labor costs. Appearing like large Clydesdales, their feathering make them good for transport and carting, but not as good for field work. (When was the last time you saw a tractor do that?) They're lighter than most tractors, thus produce...

Dave Benjamin, vice president of business development at EasyKeeper, says his company's program can ultimately add value to livestock because of the time saved and the accuracy of record-keeping.