Harvest season is important for every farm. Being prepared for it is key, especially if you want to get through it as safely as you possibly can. To make sure that you get the help that you really need, here are some essential tips and advice that will make harvest season as safe and successful as possible for you and your farm.
Read MoreIn the world of farming, organic produce is an incredibly trendy commodity. More people than ever want to know exactly where their meat and vegetables are coming from. Everyone pays a trip to the farmer's markets to get their locally sourced meat or full-fat milk from reputable cow sources. Not only are people expressing their interest in the locally sourced produce, but the health benefits of grass-fed butter and full-fat items instead of the processed, 5% fat foods that are increasingly being held up as the reason the western world is overweight. Everyone is now looking to the farming communities to bring us the best produce. So, the summer months when everyone is itching to get a barbecue going, you can certainly make the most of the organic produce to make an amazing summer feast, from breakfast to your evening meal.
Read MoreAgriculture buildings are often quite different to commercial and private use ones. This is because they have a very clear purpose, and need to be constantly up to scratch to perform their function well. Otherwise, you are endangering your crops and animals. But what are the vital buildings every farm needs to flourish? Read on to find out.
Read MoreIf you have been a part of the farming industry and you have been following the trends over the last few years, you might have thought you had a pretty firm idea of the direction it was headed in. For instance, you probably assumed that more and more farms would be run on an intensive model.
Read MoreRecently, there has been growing concerns on the left in politics about the impact of global food supply chains on local economies in developing countries. Take quinoa, for example. Around 2011, quinoa suddenly started turning up in recipes on health food blogs all over the internet. It was touted as a wonder grain which would end obesity and help people return their bodies to a state of health. And it turned out to be true: quinoa is far more nutritious than many other grains that are staples in the Western diet.
Running a farm is often a labor of love. People do it to make money, sure. But their passion for the land and what they do is often just as important. However, passion doesn’t necessarily lead to profitability. If you’re having trouble turning a profit, it might be time to look at cutting some of your farming costs. There are lots of techniques that can be used to make this possible. And you can learn a bit more about the best of them below.
Read MoreWhen you own and operate a farm, it’s fair to assume that money isn’t your only motivator. As far as your satisfaction is concerned, a love of the job is probably just as important as turning a profit. In reality, though, running at a loss simply isn’t an option. If you want your farming company to thrive, it’s imperative that profits are maintained at all times.
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Soulful rock singer, storyteller and guitarist Tony Tripi returns to Better Farm backed by his full band for a Better Radio Live Broadcast Series performance at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18 on the outdoor stage of the Art Barn.
Tripi, based out of Buffalo, was the first act in betterArts' Live Broadcast Series last August, playing with Andrew Daniels. This show will be Tripi's second-to-last stop on his spring tour. Those living locally who can't attend can listen in live on Better Radio, 88.5 FM.
Friday morning, May 19, Tripi will be offering a free “Live Music and Meditation” for anyone who would like to participate. Bring your yoga mats or blankets, pillows, water and your friends. Reconnect with yourself as the musicians help you work your way through the chakras, bringing healing and a sense of peace. Email info@betterfarm.org to sign up!
Lodging is available—click here to make a reservation.
Suggested betterArts donation of $5 at the door to support future live broadcast series events. BYOB. Lights snacks and refreshments will be served. In the case of inclement weather, the show will be held inside the Art Barn.
BETTER FARM IS LOCATED AT 31060 COTTAGE HILL ROAD, REDWOOD, NY.
You may think that farming is one of those industries that is already performing quite well when it comes to the environment. It is not a massive corporation which is spewing pollution into rivers, or an urban retail business which wastes so much cardboard and plastic, not the mention the immense amounts of electricity required to keep the lights on all day. However, this would be a misconception. The carbon footprint of a farm can still be quite substantial. For instance, the use of machinery like combine harvesters or tractors requires fuel which results in a certain degree of pollution. Not only that, the manufacturing process that created those machines would have resulted in a great deal of pollution. There is then the issue of how the farm manages to sell its products. Employing a transit company, irrespective of whether it does its best to reduce its emission, is another toll on the environment. There is then the issue of all of the fuel and electricity that are used when running a farm. The animals themselves can be a problem too. Cows are said to produce between 70 and 120 kg of methane a year. That is the equivalent of 2300 kg of carbon dioxide, which is about as much as is produced when you burn 1000 liters of petrol. You could drive 12500 km with that much.
Read MoreCommon issues affecting farmers and landowners now are in many ways similar to the issues of yesteryear. It’s just that now, with the rise in cost and improvements in farming technology, it means so many mounting costs. Does the modern farmer have the resources available to keep their farming business safe and profitable? There are so many farmers now that are trying to make the job of farming easier. Tech is starting to make the whole process automated, which means a lot less work for farmers, but will it make the job of farming redundant in a few years’ time, and is there a way for farmers to cope in the modern market?
Read MoreFood is now a worldwide, connected, and hugely profitable business to get in. For the consumer, however, that isn’t always good news. Corporations are not unknown to make choices that aren’t always the best for the people supporting them by buying their goods. With our food, that becomes less of an annoyance and more a danger. For that reason, you should be ready and willing to ask some more questions of what you eat.
Read MoreFarms aren't only places when you can learn about growing crops and plants. Often, they are also home to a wide variety of animals. But before you visit a farm to meet the beasts, or consider getting some for your own small holding, its best to know a little about them. See our guide below for more information.
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Humans first started farming over 12,000 years ago, and ever since then we’ve been looking for ways to make it easier and more efficient. Even today, with the colossal size of the agriculture sector, projects are in the works that will change the way we farm forever. Here are just a few of the ways technology is changing agriculture…
The Robo-Farm
We’re just beginning to see the infancy of applied artificial intelligence, and the imminent wave of new, smart machines is set to revolutionise the way farmers grow crops through targeted inputs. While this niche has yet to really take off, it’s predicted that agricultural robots will perform a number of different tasks necessary for running a farm, such as driving tractors and combines, weeding, fruit picking and disease control. One UK project is developing 3D cameras which can be used to tell when broccoli is ready for harvest, which will have a key role in agricultural automation in the future. Just like every industry, the agricultural sector is set to become less and less dependent on human labour.
Smart Water
The agriculture industry accounts for a massive proportion of all the fresh water use in the world, but over half of this is wasted. However, emerging technologies will be able to mitigate this issue through warning farmers of leaks and equipment failure as soon as they happen, and allowing them to control component such as water pumps and flow meters for irrigation systems remotely. Remote-controlled water pumps are already being used in India, and has enabled thousands of farmers to minimise water and travel costs by controlling their irrigation from a mobile phone. A number of blueberry farms in Chile have also begun using a similar system to reduce waste and the cost of farming.
Farming from the Air
Drones are everywhere these days, and are gradually finding more and more applications in industries such as construction and agriculture. Some manufacturers have even begun to develop drones designed specifically for agriculture. These are equipped with software that allows them to capture high-res photos of crop fields, analyse the health of the crops, and generate prompts for important farming decisions. There are other projects in the works intending to create drones capable of seeding trees in massive volumes over a short space of time. Many experts believe that this is only the tip of the iceberg for agricultural drone applications.
The Smart Cow
Smart wearables are set to have a major impact on livestock management, from tracking their location to monitoring vital signs. There are farmers out there who already use this kind of tech to monitor the health of pregnant cattle, determine milking frequencies, and watch for the signs of disease symptoms. However, these medical systems are still in their infancy. Simple tracking software is much more common, with satellite collar-based systems being used in many farms across the developed world. This allows a farmer to pinpoint the location of an animal, and see exactly where it’s traveling on a digitized map.
