Search results for 'AZ'

How Brazilian Big Agriculture is Destroying the Brazilian Amazon

By Maria Dampman

Published Apr 4, 2018

The rampant deforestation of the Amazon began in the 1970s when the government of Brazil determined they needed to build over 9,000 miles of roads help integrate the rainforest with the populated bordering areas... Farmers, loggers and cattle ranchers cleared forest to create grazing land as well as to grow highly profitable crops like soy... Widespread contamination of Brazil’s soil and water, the marked decrease of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere and the extinction of countless plants and animals made scientists extremely concerned about the planet’s future... At its worst, Brazilian deforestation claimed over 11,000 square miles a year. With education, advocacy, and widespread support of the Brazilian government, the destruction of the vital forests dropped 84% to 1,700 square miles in 2012...

Direct Driller Magazine Issue 4 is out now

By Chris Fellows

Published Jan 19, 2019

Direct Driller Magazine Issue 4 Direct Driller Issue 4 is out now! You can read the digital version here: Direct Driller - Issue 4 - January 2019 The first 3 issues have had a great reception and we hope that Issue 4 keeps the standard high... Here are some of the articles in the Winter edition: Soil Calcium and Soil Heath – the connection? Getting the best out of a 750A Field Pea Demonstration Trial Options to improve water-use efficiency Featured Farmer: Mark Lea Pushing Performance with Biostimulants Companion Cropping Boosts No-Till Profits Farmer Focus: Steve Lear Grazing Cropped Land Lifting Whole Farm Profits at Howick Using Temporary Electric Fencing Soil and Water Creating a Smarter Water Catchment What's most important in your soil Plowman's Folly: Part 2 Farmer Focus: Clive Bailye AHDB: Why Does Healthy Soil Matter AHDB: Aphids and BYDV management AHDB: Assessing Machinery Policy 3000ha per Year with a 3m Drill Comparison of “standard row“ and “wide row“ ADAS - How to do an on Farm Trial Project Xaver Overbury Estate Open Day Calcium Conference Highlights NOCC 2018 Visit to Victors Disc Verses Tine Lessons from STAR and NFS We want this to be a magazine that you actually want to read, content heavy and something that challenges you, a magazine you keep on your shelf and refer back to at a later date... PDF Version We have also had some requests from our overseas readers to be able to download a PDF version of the magazine so they can print it out for themselves. So here is the link to the PDF: PDF Version of Direct Driller Issue 4 Register for the MagazineIf you would like the magazine delivered to your door or to your inbox then please register using the link below... The Ethos As a new farming magazine, Direct Driller has been designed by farmers for farmers to educate and inform ourselves and the industry about soil health and systems of reduced tillage...

Categories: Cover Crops

Direct Driller Magazine Issue 3 is out now...

By Chris Fellows

Published Oct 21, 2018

Direct Driller Issue 3 Issue 3 Of Direct Driller magazine. The conservation agriculture magazine created by farmers for farmers... com/register/ All the magazines have been sent out to the farmers on the distribution list... 47 Grazing Cropped Land ... A PDF of the Magazine is also available to download here:...

Categories: Cover Crops

A New Era of Farm Employees: Farm Technicians vs. Farm Hands?

By Gregory Heilers

Published Jun 4, 2018

Traditional agricultural skills that made civilization possible are still alive and in use today. At the same time, hundreds of farm technician job listings across the US, and the rise of precision agriculture and software, clearly evidence the need for technologically-savvy farm technicians in the 21st century agricultural industry. It’s no surprise that tech-friendly millennials interested in farming are encouraged by these developments, which may make farming less labor intensive than in generations past. Technology may even be the antidote to a number of ills plaguing modern agriculture, which have led to a drastic decrease in the number of farms across the United States. Satellite technology provides a broader view of agricultureTo assess the current state of affairs across the globe, I solicited the expert advice from one of the preeminent farmers in the United States, Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farm, and John Fargher, co-founder and COO of Australia-based cutting-edge farm management software, AgriWebb...

4 Steps to Building Soil Organic Matter in the South

By Laura Barrera

Published Jul 18, 2018

As we learn more about what goes on in the world beneath our feet, increased attention has been placed on soil organic matter. And for good reason. While it only makes up a small percentage of most soils, the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) says it’s the “very foundation for healthy and productive soils” — and the more organic matter there is, the better the results. Consider the following findings from SARE and the NRCS:A study of soils in Michigan demonstrated potential crop-yield increases of about 12% for every 1% organic matter. When organic matter increased from 0...

Categories: Cover Crops

What Farmers Need to Know About Mycorrhizae

By Laura Barrera

Published Nov 2, 2018

If someone asked you, “How do plants take up the water and nutrients they need?” you’d probably tell them through the roots. But did you know that for many crops, those roots aren’t working alone?That’s because most plant species associate with mycorrhizal fungi. What is mycorrhizal fungi? University of Alberta biological scientist JC Cahill says that mycorrhizas are actually the interaction between a fungus and a plant. Although there are many different types of mycorrhizae, the only one crop farmers need to be concerned about is arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as 65% of plant species associate with it. A microscopic view of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus growing on a corn root...

Categories: Cover Crops

How Yield Champions Use Cover Crops for Growing Higher Bushels

By Laura Barrera

Published Jun 1, 2018

There are many factors that can influence corn yield. In fact, Fred Below, a plant physiologist at the University of Illinois, identified seven of them, which he dubbed the “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World. ”The seven wonders, ranked in order of most influence on yield, are:WeatherNitrogenHybridPrevious cropPlant populationTillageGrowth regulatorsWhile Below was referring to the cash crop rotation in the fourth wonder, some farmers are taking it one step further by seeding cover crops. The benefit of added crop diversity along with improvements to soil health is paying off, as some of these farmers are achieving the highest yields in the country... He only made one pass on the crop, which included his burndown application of gramoxone, atrazine and simazine, while also topdressing nitrogen...

How to Create a Low-Input, High-Revenue System with Wide-Row Intercropping

By Laura Barrera

Published Dec 9, 2019

In Gaston, Ind. , Jason Mauck is farming a little differently from his neighbors. Unlike the typical corn-and-soybean monocropping system, for the last 5 years Mauck has been doing low population, wide-row relay intercropping. So far he has seen success with soybeans into wheat, but he’s also working on corn intercropped with a legume. Inspired by the results he saw from interplanting and using low populations in the landscape business he started prior to farming full-time, his goal is to capitalize on sunshine, wheat and hog manure — annually Mauck has about 5 million gallons from his 25,000 finishing hogs operation...

Categories: Corn, Soybeans, Wheat

Top 4 ways to stimulate root growth

By Darren Chan

Published Sep 3, 2019

Importance of healthy rootsFirst, they anchor the plant in place, resisting the forces of wind and running water or mudflow. Secondly, the root system takes in oxygen, water and nutrients from the soil, to move them up through the plant to the stems, leaves, and blooms. where they can interact with sunlight to produce sugars and energy for the plant. Last but not least, scientists have recently discovered that roots actually secrete compounds that affect the microorganisms in the soil, which can help protect the plants from disease and encourage it to absorb nutrients from the soil. Top 4 ways to promote root growth1...

Categories: Agribusiness, Dairy, Organic

What to look for when hiring farm employees

By The Crossover

Published Aug 9, 2018

With the increasing use of precision ag tools and increased machinery efficiencies, the whole dynamic of hiring farm employees has changed as well. Being a farm worker these days means being a technician, which in many cases requires a multi-disciplinary skillset. Gone are the days of needing a laborer with only strong back and a determined attitude. The game has changed and those who don’t recognize that the characteristics of what they’re looking for in farm employees has changed will be left trying to fit a round peg into a square hole... And if they don't have the latter, the first two will kill you, because if you're going to get someone without integrity, you want them lazy and dumb...

Categories: Agribusiness