What Is Irrigation 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.

Your supplier's customer-support representatives can help you determine what type and how many you need. Your manure pile should always be placed close enough to your barn for access, yet far enough away to keep flies from swarming the premises.

The power that drives a wild farm is largely derived from the natural sources that are abundant during each respective season. Is there water on site? Monocultures, such as fields of corn and soy, are dangerous to the ecosystem.

An optimal Christmas tree height is 5 to 8 feet, and most evergreens are ready to harvest in five to eight years. This is the most popular Christmas tree in the Southeast U.S., according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

In our version, the members provide a list of farm implements or machinery they own that they are willing to allow other members to borrow. Bargaining co-ops are geared toward commodity producers trying to get better prices—again, not really small farm...

Sandy Soil Sandy, large-pored soils present their own challenge. But these are not the only advantages no-till has over tillage (plowing crop residues under). Building Soil Structure Clay, sandy and silty soils all benefit from no-till farming.

Use strong, sturdy tarps free of holes or rips. When you harvest quality hay , it's dollar-wise to preserve it so it lasts. Unless you have enough livestock to polish off a bale in two to three days, this isn't the best option.

If you understand the character of your woods—both the plants that grow there and noteworthy features such as streams, cliffs and springs—you can creatively and responsibly make it a valuable part of your farm.

Though the boundary between sprinklers and drip irrigation has blurred with advancements in micro-irrigation to include spray stakes, most irrigation systems are easy to install and modify.

It may be a car-sized wallow miraculously excavated in a minute's time or a vigorous clearing that greatly exceeds expectations, but the fact of the matter is that pigs—intelligent creatures with total disregard for farmer safeguards against erosion...

Yet here in North America aquaculture is a relatively young industry. Facing the Challenges of Aquaculture Compared to other more traditional crops, the investment returns can be much higher on a per acre basis.

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 or prawns.

We pay special attention to what our pigs like to forage and make sure they have access to their favorite foods. Here are three of common forest forages we've noticed our hogs enjoying.

Turnips Turnip greens are larger than radish greens, so we use this crop strategically, as it will block out sunlight in the wrong situations. Personally, I like sowing them with slow brassicas and tomatoes.

Number each plot so you can refer to it easily. You need enough plots to be able to rotate through each crop family that you are working with. Likewise, you can intercrop, planting more than one crop in that plot per season, such as both broccoli and...

In 1928, Demeter International was formed in Europe to support Steiner's methods. (the United States branch of Demeter International), says for many new Biodynamic farmers, closing this nutrient loop can be a hurdle, as can weaning one's farm off imported...

Protect your pastures, as well as your animals' hooves, with these six simple steps to creating a sacrifice area on your farm. Divert Water Wherever Possible. Because you're confining livestock to an area smaller than where they normally live, you need...

They require planning and intensive management to work. “Statistically, there are more acres of wooded grazing land in the U.S. than in open pasture lands,” said Brett Chedzoy, forestry specialist at the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

“I don't feel comfortable saying organic is healthier for you—yet,” says Scowcroft. “We grow about every veggie you can grow,” Carkner says. “The plan describes what your major weeds, pest problems and diseases are, and what you'll do to handle...

This is a service for which you could hire a manure hauler, which can be costly, or you can be creative and find ways to move it off-farm for free—possibly even to make a little cash.

Maddock is practicing loosening the reigns on this community garden as she prepares to move to Australia with her family. “Well, it's beautiful to watch kale finish its cycle of life as it grows long stems and then flowers and forms seed heads.

The conversion will give your livestock a wider variety of forage throughout the year, in addition to a longer period of grazing for animals while also promoting grassland-bird habitat in the spring nesting season, when it is most valuable.

Of course, I don't mean that your animals shouldn't drink secondary water sources or from streams. I haven't tried this myself but have heard it works very well when managed correctly.

And as summer offers you a great opportunity to treat and inspect the cool-weather pasture for bare or damaged spots that need attention, your pasture should be ready to go when the warm-weather growth starts to fall off.

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.

Easy Access Vertical gardens get the fruit up off the ground and within easy reach come harvest time. However, they don't necessarily have to be self-climbing, and even plants that naturally climb often need assistance through training to encourage upward...

Row Cultivators: Look for adjustable row cultivating machines, preferably those with hiller/furrower attachments. If farming with draft horses is your dream, you should be able to pursue that dream with confidence.