Keeping Your Small Farm Secure

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Keeping Your Small Farm Secure

Farms are very expensive investments, even if you’re operating one for hobby purposes instead of being a business. You might have a farm because you want a sustainable way to feed your family with fresh food, or perhaps you’ve been interested in agriculture since you were young and you’ve wanted to start a farm for educational purposes. Whatever the reason, farms can cost a lot of money, so it makes sense that we need to protect our investments with whatever tools and services are at our disposal.

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Land on Your Feet with These Profitable Ideas

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Land on Your Feet with These Profitable Ideas

When you own land, there are hundreds of ways you can use it to make a profit. While this can be a great opportunity to do what you want, considering a range of options is often a necessity. Many landowners can struggle to make money from just one source of income, such as growing crops or raising livestock. Diversifying your business and using your land in a number of different ways can help you not just to stay afloat but to make sure that you're financially comfortable. There are big and small ways to make money from your land, with more opportunities available the more land you have. Consider all these ways that your land can enable you to make a profit.

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Agricultural Advances: Top Ways to Improve Your Farm

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Agricultural Advances: Top Ways to Improve Your Farm

Running a business in the agricultural sector can be tricky, and trying to run a farm is one the trickiest of all. You can put so much focus on keeping things ticking over that you forget that there are other things that need to be done. Below, you’ll find top ways to advance your farm and turn into something more profitable and more forward-thinking. So, get ready to move your business into the future today.

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Eating More Sustainably Doesn't Need To Be A Chore!

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Eating More Sustainably Doesn't Need To Be A Chore!

It pretty much goes without saying that everyone wants to do everything that they can in order to avoid having too much of a negative impact on the environment. Sustainability has become more and more of an issue in many people's lives over the last few years, and there are few places where people could stand to become more sustainable than their diet. The problem is that a lot of people assume that a sustainable diet that reduces their impact on the environment is going to take a lot of hard work and take away all of the things that made meals so enjoyable. In reality, this couldn't be further from the truth. Here are just a few ways that you can create a more sustainable diet for yourself and your family without it having to become a total chore.

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Farming On A Budget - Tips For Keeping Livestock Costs Down

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Image from Pixabay

Image from Pixabay

Farmers have a reputation for being fairly thrifty and frugal. Even though they can get a lot of financial help from the government, they still need to carefully watch their pennies as the everyday costs of farming can be extremely high. And one of the most expensive parts of running a successful farm is taking good care of livestock. If the costs of livestock creep up, it can be very difficult to make a profit on the animals. So, it is always important for farmers to try and keep their costs down to a minimum. Read on for some great tips on how to do exactly that!

Choose Calving Season Carefully

There are two options for calving your cows. You can prepare the cows so that they are ready to calf in either spring or in the summer. Some farmers choose the former option, as it gives them a chance to sell young cows as early as in the fall. However, it is also a very expensive time to calf, as you need to invest significantly to ensure the calves survive the cold spring weather. The cheapest option is to calf your cows in the summer, once the summer is favorable, and the pastures are green providing plenty of food.

Image from Pixabay

Image from Pixabay

Research Winter Food Options

It’s cheap to feed cattle and livestock in the summer, as they can help themselves to as much grass in the fields as they like. However, when your livestock is all inside for the winter, you will need to pay for food. It’s a good idea to research the different animal feed companies in your area to see who can offer the best deal. You can also prepare your own food from any grass that is cut down on your land in the summer can be dried and turned to hay.

Pick The Best Breeds

Each breed of cattle, sheep, and pig has been bred to withstand different climates and conditions. For example, Highland Cattle have thick coats so that they can survive in very low temperatures. Some cows have been bred for warmer climates and have very thin coats. Ideally, you need to pick the breeds that are best suited to your climate and conditions. Picking the wrong breeds could make it difficult for them to survive, and you could end up replacing your animals frequently.

Image from Pixabay

Image from Pixabay

Splitting Livestock Into Small Herds

It is a bad idea to split your livestock into small herds. These are often very difficult to manage and can lead to many mistakes being made. It will increase your labor costs, and you will also be using all of your pastures and grazing areas at all times, making pasture rotation almost impossible. If you combine all your herds, you will be saving a lot of time, money, and pasture space.

There are ways around very high livestock costs. These tips are just a few of the different ways you can prevent spending too much. And the success of your farm will increase as a result!

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Nicole Caldwell

Nicole Caldwell is a self-taught environmentalist, green-living savant and sustainability educator with more than a decade of professional writing experience. She is also the co-founder of Better Farm and president of betterArts. Nicole’s work has been featured in Mother Earth News, Reader’s Digest, Time Out New York, and many other publications. Her first book, Better: The Everyday Art of Sustainable Living, is due out this July through New Society Publishers.

Working Animals on the Farm: Essential Considerations

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Working Animals on the Farm: Essential Considerations

Technically, any animal you have on your farm is working in some way, unless it's a pet. Chickens give you eggs and cows dairy, while it might be the job of other animals to grow up big and healthy for meat production. However, some are more working animals than others and know how to take instruction from you. You might have working dogs, horses, and even goats to help you around the farm. If you don't, it might be something you're considering to make some farm work a little easier. Before you bring any working animals onto your farm, you probably want to think about some key issues.

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Starting Seeds in Winter for a Spring Garden

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Starting Seeds in Winter for a Spring Garden

January and February might be uneventful months for most people. However, they are exciting for gardeners who are devoted to seeds. If you’ve never grown your own plants from seeds before, winter might seem like an odd time to garden. But, in fact, the timing is perfect. Gardeners who start their vegetables, herbs, and flowers from seeds typically start them indoors during the cold months.

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Healthy Superfoods to Include in Your Daily Diet

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Healthy Superfoods to Include in Your Daily Diet

Surveys show that more than 60 percent of the US population consumes a diet that is high in saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium. Along with being high in calories, unhealthy diets are also missing essential vitamins and nutrients. One of the studies found that if you eat poorly, don’t exercise, smoke, and drink, you are three times more likely to die from a cardiovascular disease.

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The Farmer's Breakfast Has Been Given a Makeover

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The Farmer's Breakfast Has Been Given a Makeover

We’re in the middle of February, and that means we’re nearing the end of winter and gearing up for, what we hope will be, a quick spring and long summer. This means we can enjoy the return of farmer’s markets once more. All those fresh and locally sourced products readily available to make all those childhood dishes we remember like yesterday’s dinner. However, it is not the traditional nor the dinner that we are about to delve into and shed some morning sunlight on because we are going to show you exactly how inventive you can get with breakfasts. There are so many delicious and nutritious options available to you, that we’re not going to delay any longer.

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This Sustainable Farm Sanctuary and Art Center is Every Eco-Lover’s Dream

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This Sustainable Farm Sanctuary and Art Center is Every Eco-Lover’s Dream

It began in 1970 with a field and a dream. Better Farm is a sustainability education center, artists’ colony, animal sanctuary, and a 65-acre organic farm located in Redwood, NY. It was founded on the idea that every experience is an opportunity for personal growth. The farm has since become a safe haven for artists, activists, and abused and neglected animals alike; a place where everything from deer to horses, wild birds, dogs, mice, and over a dozen “rescue” chickens have been rehabilitated.

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Storms, Rain & Hurricanes: Planning for Natural Occurences on Your Farm

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Storms, Rain & Hurricanes: Planning for Natural Occurences on Your Farm

When you run a farm, there are plenty of problems that you can potentially face. For a start, you’re exposed to the elements. Throughout the year, you might have to deal with storms, rain and hurricanes, not to mention snow, ice and earthquakes. Where you are located will determine which of these natural occurrences will prove most of a threat to your farm. But it’s worth being prepared for them. Read the information below to plan for potential problems.

 

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