Permaculture. Companion Planting. 5 Secrets to a ‘No-work’ Garden. It took over 20 years of gardening to realize that I didn’t have to work so hard to achieve a fruitful harvest. As the limitless energy of my youth gradually gave way to the physical realities of mid-life, the slow accretion of experience eventually led to an awareness that less work can result in greater crop yields. Inspired in part by Masanobu Fukuoka’s book, One Straw Revolution, my family experimented with gardening methods which could increase yields with less effort. Fukuoka spent over three decades perfecting his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort. Here are the strategies we used which enabled us to greatly increase our garden yield, while requiring less time and less work. 1.
With ‘no-till’ gardening, weeding is largely eliminated. 2. Gardeners are always on the lookout for free sources of clean organic mulch to add to their garden. Organic Farm Certification & the National Organic Program. Exploring the Small Farm Dream - For New Farmers : Exploring the Small Farm Dream. Exploring the Small Farm Dream: Is Starting and Agricultural Business Right for You? Is designed to help aspiring farmers learn what it takes to start and mange a commercial agricultural businesses, and decide whether this is a path they really want to take. Take a course or purchase the workbook from NESFI's Bookstore to work through on your own. Created as a decision-making tool, Explorer can help you establish the clear vision and goals you will need to guide a new agricultural venture.
It will help you identify and assess personal motivations, business and farming skills, and available resources. It will help you clarify values. The goal of Explorer is to help you decide whether starting an agricultural business is right for you, and-based on that decision-to help you plan practical next steps. Click on the presentation at the bottom of the page for an overview of the Explorer decision-making process. Sample some of the worksheets: Using Exploring the Small Farm Dream On Your Own. Farm Rates | FCS. Getfile (application/pdf Object) Small Farm Funding Resources. Contents The source for the image on the right is USDA. Introduction This guide contains information about issues to consider before starting a farming operation with links to full-text guides on how to start a farm business, and develop business and marketing plans.
It also contains information about funding sources for beginning farmers, training, technical assistance contacts, organizations with resources and programs for beginning and experienced farmers, and more. You may also want to consult the Start2Farm.Gov Online Clearinghouse, a service of the National Agricultural Library. Start2Farm.Gov is a Project of the The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) which is administered by the USDA, National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The Small Farm Funding Resource online guide was developed by Patricia LaCaille John, September 2005; Last modified: March, 2014 Developing a Farm Business Plan 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
State Programs. Horse Cost Calculator. It is worth noting that the cost of keeping the average horse (over 10 years) is generally more than 10 times the cost of buying the horse. Consequently, when considering if one can afford a horse, the question should be 'Can I afford to keep it? ', rather than 'Can I afford to buy it? '. The following table summarises the typical costs, with explanations after the table. As costs vary depending on circumstances, see the horse cost calculators above to determine what a horse would actually cost you. It should be noted that the above is typical costs only.
A minority of horse owners pay much more or much less than this. For example, if your horse is competiting at international standard it will likely be far more expensive (e.g. large fees for transport, training, speciality food, physio-thearpy, and so on). Many stable managers offer the option of 'livery' or 'field rent'', where your horse is kept on a field rather than in a stall. Most horses benefit from access to sale and minerals. Plow Horse Days Catching on in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Rocky Mount, North Carolina – The horses – blacks and grays, reds and pintos – lean into their harnesses, and the earth opens beneath the plows. Metal sparkles in the early morning sun, and sweat glistens on the strong backs of gentle giants as their human partners direct them with gees and haws.
Once in a while the bray of a mule sounds across the fields, but for the most part the only sounds are the jingle of equipment and the low murmur of spectators’ voices as visitors watch in awe while a dozen or more teams worked the land. It’s Plow Day in Rocky Mount, an event that started out with a few friends coming over to help Jimmy Dozier plow a cornfield. Three years after that small gathering, Dozier had a major community event on his hands. The event attracted friends and neighbors from all over the state to watch the plowing and reminisce about the days when they farmed with horses and mules. “Look in there. Dozier doesn’t charge anything for folks to come watch. Small Farmer's Journal. But Why Can’t I Just Farm? | A Growing Culture. Summer and Fall harvest can be an incredibly satisfying time of year. Picking the fruits of your labor, packing boxes full of product, and loading trucks headed to Farmers’ Market or a delivery run- just watching your goods roll down the driveway to meet their customers is inherently rewarding.
I love stacking boxes and bags on a pallet and sending it off to market. Maybe the feeling is archetypal: growing plants and animals, caring for them, and then seeing customers appreciate your efforts in the wholesome, nutritious food you provide. Farmers everywhere find meaning in this chain of events. But is that ‘feel good’ sight of a truck full of freshly packed product just a well-deserved end to months of hard work? Or could it be the anticipation of receiving the sales money for the product? As we go about our farming work week, often multiple tasks are tackled in a single day. So what does this have to do with that great feeling of seeing a truck full of product leave the farm?
Eco. USDA-NOP Organic Certification Cost Share Program. Ag-581.pdf (application/pdf Object) Pennsylvania Tree Fruit Production Guide — PA Tree Fruit Production Guide — Penn State College of Ag Sciences. This production guide provides commercial fruit growers, extension educators, consultants, and others with information on fruit culture; orchard nutrition; spraying; pesticides; storage of tree fruit crops; and control of weeds, insects (including brown marmorated stink bug and spotted wing drosophila), diseases, and more. This nearly 400-page guide is revised every two years with input by Penn State faculty members, extension specialists, and other consultants. New for this edition is a color section featuring images of select diseases and insect pests.
Download Sample Sample of Tree Fruit Production GuidePDF, 2.2MB Order Publication Hard Copy: $35.00 + shippingCode AGRS-045. PDF: $15.00Code AGRS-045D. Bundle: $45.00 + shipping (Hard Copy +PDF)Code AGRS-045 Bundle. How to Order: Contact the Publications Distribution Center Call toll-free 877-345-0691 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Product Details. P003-P014-2005FruitsAndVegetables.pdf (application/pdf Object) The Barn Stone Cafe Seasonal, Locally, Grown Menu. Our Farmers | South Market Bistro | Wooster, Ohio.
Following is a list of some of our most dedicated food producers. These local farmers continue the proud American tradition of small-scale, community-oriented food production, and we are pleased to offer their quality products throughout northeast Ohio's growing season. Adonai Acres - Mary Gnizak, Lakeville, Ohio Autumn Harvest Farm - Marcus Jr. and Beth Ladrach, Wooster, Ohio Chef's Garden - Farmer Lee Jones, Milan, Ohio Hartzler Family Dairy - Wooster, OH Heffelfinger Farm - Loudonville, OH Killbuck Valley Mushrooms - Tom and Wendy Wiandt, Burbank, Ohio Lucky Penny Farm - Abbe Turner, Garrettsville, Ohio: Read their story Moreland Fruit Farm - Finney Family, Wooster, Ohio Muddy Fork Farm - Monica Bongue, Reedsburg, Ohio Oasis Acres - Glen and Lois Smucker, Orrville, OH Stutzman Farms - Monroe Stutzman, Millersburg, Ohio. Rittman Orchards - Bakery.
We bake pies, cookies, and other goodies fresh daily in our market kitchen. Calling (330-925-4152) the day before to order ensures that we will have your favorite bakery available. We unfortunately can't take bakery orders via email. Pie of the Month: We'll be featuring a different pie every month. The featured pie will be $1.00 off regular price during that particular month. All of these pies are also available the rest of the year at regular price. January - Dutch Apple February - Cherry March - Caramel Apple Walnut April - Lemon Crumb May - Blackberry June - Strawberry Rhubarb July - Blueberry August - Peach September - Apple October - Pecan November - Fruits of the Forest (apple, rhubarb, strawberry, blackberry, red raspberry) December - Apple Cranberry Additional Fresh Baked Pies: Apple Raspberry, Peachberry, Pumpkin, Rhubarb Cream Pies: French Silk Apple Dumplings (in the fall) Miscellaneous: Apple Strudel, Pretzels and Pretzel Sticks, Apple Fritters.
The Vegetables Market in North America Edition 2011. The Vegetables Market in North America Market demand for years 2007, 2011, 2012 and forecasts for years 2013, 2014 and 2015. Company market shares and brands for 2012 and continuously updated. A complete quantitative, hard data demand and supply analysis of final human consumption in the country and product markets covered. All product markets are carefully defined so as to be comparable across all countries. 80 Ultimate Holding Companies are cited in this report together with their market shares; additionally, own-label share of the market is also quoted. Based on FFT's international food and drink markets database, now in its 23rd year, the report includes (see detailed Table of Contents for more): Why you should buy this report Coverage 4 Individual Product Markets in each country covered: Fresh vegetables, Canned vegetables, Frozen vegetables, Chilled vegetables. 3 Country Markets: Canada, Mexico, United States.
For each and every product covered in each country Company Profiles. The $1000 Solar Water Heating System. Search The Renewable Energy site for Do-It-Yourselfers Directory -- for the system overview provided on this page: This page gives an overview of the $1K Solar Water Heating System. Important: This page is just a quick overview of the system, but there are 20+ pages covering the design, construction, testing, cost, and performance of the system in great detail -- see this ROAD MAP for all of the gory details. Objectives for the System The objectives for this project are to design and build a domestic solar water heating system that: Costs less than $1000 using all new high quality parts and materials.
This is a fairly formidable set of goals given that commercial systems for cold climates often cost 5 to 8 times the $1000 target. To accomplish the goals, the design uses these somewhat unique features: Two collector designs are covered -- either one can be used -- both are easy to build: The first collector design uses low cost PEX tubing instead of copper to pick up heat from aluminum fins. Method That Turns Wastelands Green Wins 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. Today, the Buckminster Fuller Institute announced the winner of its 2010 Challenge: Allan Savory, who has spent the last 50 years refining and evangelizing for a method of reversing desertification that he calls "holistic management. " The African Center for Holistic Management International, an NGO he helped found, will take home a $100,000 grant.
The Buckminster Fuller Challenge is meant to award big, sweeping solutions to seemingly intractable problems. As the Institute's executive director, Elizabeth Thompson, tells FastCompany.com, "The approach was pioneered by Fuller. We're looking for strategies that solve multiple problems at once, not just surgical implementations that don't address the root problem.
" Savory's work fits the bill. But Savory's prescription seems shockingly simple--and it's taken him 50 years of work to convince others that he's not crazy. USDA Data - Organic Production. USDA Briefing Room - Organic Agriculture.