Search results for 'FL'

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... He knows one farmer who decided to grow a mix of sorghum sudangrass, sunn hemp, daikon radish, sunflower and cowpeas right after his corn crop, before planting winter wheat...

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... Compost still grows grass; chickens still like fly larvae...

Prepare your farm for weather emergencies

By Nationwide Farm Insurance

Published Apr 29

Severe weather brings a host of potential challenges for farmers and ranchers. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and high volumes of chemicals on hand are just a few hazards that they face. Emergency preparednessWe’re passionate about emergency preparedness. We help our members deal with accidents, crises and disasters every day... We recommend you prepare for tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or other natural disasters by having an active, up-to-date emergency action plan...

Categories: Agribusiness

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... In fact, an influx of phosphorus in roots colonized by mycorrhizal fungi can be three to five times higher than in non-mycorrhizal roots, according to the article “Phosphorus Uptake by Plants: From Soil to Cell... He also likes to see flax and sunflowers in the mix, noting they both have excellent mycorrhizal hosting capabilities...

Categories: Cover Crops

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

By Laura Barrera

Published Dec 9

”He understands that not growing high-yielding wheat may be a challenge for farmers, but if you flip the typical 80-bushel wheat and 40-bushel soybeans grown in a double-cropping system around, economically it makes more sense. “If soybeans are $9 a bushel and wheat is $5, and you try for low wheat and low cost of goods and higher soybeans, just flip flopping the economics around is $160-$180,” he explains... “We get more airflow to dry the dew maybe an hour or two earlier every day, so that lowers your risk [of wheat disease] a little bit,” he explains, adding that fungicides and insecticides will slow the crop from drying down, which would negatively affect the soybeans... To harvest the wheat, he uses Flexxifingers, which extend past the reel to push the soybeans down, while still allowing the reel to push in the wheat heads... “I could conceivably call a dealership and have five combines out here with Flexxifingers on it and pull off a massive scale harvest,” he says...

Categories: Corn, Soybeans, Wheat

What’s the function of Mycorrhiza?

By Darren Chan

Published Jan 2

Introduction of MycorrhizaExcessive dependence on chemical fertilizers can result in the destruction of a large number of beneficial microbial communities in the soil and a decrease in soil activity. To improve the current soil ecosystem with serious damage and improve soil fertility, it is imperative to supplement soil beneficial microorganisms... It is estimated that plants with mycorrhiza account for about 97% among the known flowering plants in the world... Mycorrhiza increases the absorption of phosphorus by plantsPhosphorus is the least easily decomposed and flowing element... The growth hormone secreted by mycorrhizal fungi plays an important role in regulating plant nutrition, accelerating the transportation and flow of substances, promoting the differentiation and growth of plants and their roots, and accelerating the formation of chlorophyll...

Categories: Agribusiness, Beef Cattle, Corn

Should You Rotate Your Cover Crops? 4 Issues to Consider

By Laura Barrera

Published Jun 15, 2018

You probably know that having a crop rotation is a good thing. Growing different crops back to back provides several benefits, such as preventing pests and disease, improving soil health and reducing fertilizer inputs, all of which can boost your crop yields and your bottom line. By adding cover crops to the mix, you’re diversifying your rotation even more. But have you thought about rotating your cover crops? Should you be using the same cover crop species back to back, year after year?Dave Robison, who runs the blog PlantCoverCrops. com and is an agronomist for Legacy Seeds, says there is value in rotating — especially if you’re using brassicas and peas...

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... ”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... Dee River Ranch's cover crop of tillage radishes, flown on at a rate of 4 pounds per acre in July before corn harvest... Winterkill and weed suppression saves bigMore flies his radishes and turnips on at a rate of 4 and 3 pounds per acre, respectively, into his standing corn crop in July before harvesting the corn, while the three-way blend is seeded after soybeans in mid September... Forage turnips are also flown into standing corn in July at a rate of 3 pounds per acre...

Ten Ways to Increase Your Farm's Profits in 2019

By AgFuse Exclusive Content

Published Oct 10, 2018

Part 1: Know Your True Cost of Production Why Your TCOP Matters How to Calculate Your TCOP Part 2: Take the Emotions Out of Your Marketing Plan Why You Need a Plan How to Create a Marketing Matrix How to Determine Your Marketable Inventory How to Use a Marketing Matrix Why You Need an Accountability Partner Part 3: Replace Dead Assets What Are Dead Assets? What Are Productive Assets? Part 4: Manage Your Cash Flow Conversion Cycle What a Cash Flow Conversion Cycle Is How to Speed Up Incoming Flows How to Postpone Outgoing Flows How to Minimize Paying Interest Part 5: Start Using Cover Crops ... You’ll want to take a pen and mark up the budgets, adjusting things to make them reflect your operation... Note such differences and then update your crop budget to reflect your particular operation... Are your interest costs way out of line compared to the university’s budgets? That may be a red flag... Part 4: Manage Your Cash Flow Conversion Cycle What do tech startups and farm operations have in common? They both have very unpredictable cash flow cycles...

Categories: Agribusiness, Marketing, Cover Crops

Expanding Your Farm?

By Nationwide Farm Insurance

Published Apr 22

Top 10 Things to Consider when Expanding your Farm Operation Farmers and ranchers are innovative business-people who are not afraid to take risks. Many operators are always thinking about ways to increase revenues. Sometimes that means expanding into areas that can include commercial activities, like seed conditioning, hauling other peoples' grain, custom spraying, or even agritourism or a farm stand. We’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 things you should consider whenever you have a discussion about expanding your farm or ranch business... Farm and ranch products are not available in: Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Oklahoma...

Categories: Agribusiness