Types Of Micro Irrigation System

In theory, the project is simple: Wafter will always flow downhill, so if you can dig a slightly downhill ditch leading to a low area away from a puddle, the puddle will drain on its own with no further effort on your part.

It's most often sold in block form, but a word of caution for horses prone to founder or animals that routinely overeat: Chemical blocks are typically molasses-based and not appropriate for every animal.

Does water from neighboring properties flow through the proposed wild farm site? Farming should not be about re-inventing the wheel but about borrowing as many different techniques that work best to a specific site.

It has soft, dark-green to blue-green needles that radiate in all directions from the branch and give a sweet fragrance when crushed. Again, not all pines, spruces and firs are susceptible to all fungal and bacterial diseases, so reach out to your cooperative...

Another more formal alternative is to form a group CSA (community-supported agriculture) where several farmers work together to supply and market one CSA. Bargaining co-ops are geared toward commodity producers trying to get better prices—again, not...

This is key to why it's easier to manage moisture in an untilled garden. 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.

To preserve its nutritional value, put up no more than you'll feed within a year of harvest. The uneven surface allows better air circulation. A sloped top, created by pyramiding the final layers, sheds snow and rain better than a flat one.

Soil type influences the plants that can grow. Explore how your woodland can be a beautiful and active part of your farm. Here, we offer ideas to help you step into the woods with a keen eye for opportunities.

These devices are low pressure but share characteristics with high-pressure sprinklers. Consider a drip system for outlying shrub borders and raised planters, around trees and shrubs, and in narrow strips where conventional above-ground systems would...

A mix of alfalfa, rye, clover and/or whatever else strikes you as having potential would improve damaged soil and produce a healthy, delicious pasture for future packs of pigs to wander through, dining on flowers and leafy shoots—and wrecking things...

There is even evidence that the Romans bred fish in captivity. This matters almost more than anything else does. TILAPIA In addition to freshwater shrimp some small producers are having success with the adaptable Tilapia.

Tags hobby farm Use this visual diagram of an aquaculture pond to consider the best way to build your operation. Then pick up the November/December 2011 issue of Hobby Farms for more complete information on starting an aquaculture operation with catfish...

Persimmons Janet Tarbox/Flickr Pigs love persimmons . These forest trees will fill hogs' bellies and spare your feed budget. And because we have so much more woods than pasture, silvopasturing is a major component of the way we raise pigs.

The goal is a dried bean, though you can harvest beans green. The goal for any gardener, small or large, should be to get the most food out of their growing space. Fill in the garden gaps by intercropping with a few of these easy-to-grow vegetables.

That all sounds nice, but if you don't understand how to put a crop rotation into practice, it won't do you any good. Each year, Parson moves the plans for each plot up one space. Organic farmer Daniel Parson has an easy-to-follow, six-step crop rotation...

It is, after all, where our bread and butter come from, both literally and figuratively. Jim Fullmer, director of the Demeter Association, Inc. The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association was founded in 1938 as an educational and informational organization.

Adequate feed, forage and water are important. Frequency of manure removal will depend on concentration of [animals] housed in the lot.” Depending on the footing you choose, you may need to add more or pack it down as needed.

“There are also millions of additional open pasturelands that could be enhanced as silvopastures by feasibly incorporating trees.” Although relatively new to the North­east, silvopasturing has long been used in the Pacific Northwest, from Oregon...

So what's the deal with organic crops? “We grow about every veggie you can grow,” Carkner says. Of course, this trend hasn't gone unnoticed by the supermarkets and club stores.

Most of the time, this is not a major concern if the crops you grow are for animal consumption (e.g., alfalfa, corn silage, et cetera) or the pasture is for animals as opposed to recreational activities,” says de Haro-Marti.

Cover Crops Fall-planted cover crops are considered green manure because of the work they do to improve soil fertility. Provide nesting areas for mason bees and carpenter bees in hollow stems or logs, and they may leave your garden shed alone.

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 counterparts, but converting a portion of a cool-season field or pasture—the...

Obviously these situations aren't always possible, but if you can implement at least a few of them you'll save some time having to scrub buckets out. IStock/Thinkstock The No-Nonsense Approach To Cleaning Cleaning water troughs and buckets doesn't have...

My uncle raises cattle, and it's a family joke that, when he can't be found, he's probably out talking to the cows. Rotate cattle into the warm-weather pasture when temperatures reach 70 to 95 degrees F —the grass should be ready then because you seeded...

According to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, horses' digestive systems feature enzymatic digestion that occurs in the foregut, plus fermentive microbial digestion in the hind gut, making them able to breakdown forages.

Though you can buy premade structures at most garden centers, you can easily make some using materials you may already have lying around. You might even discover that certain crops fare better in one type of vertical situation over another one.

Between harnessing and working, they simply aren't as efficient time-wise as tractors. Your first horses should be experienced horses. The Washington State University Extension's excellent draft-horse handbook, describes the Percheron breed as “good...