How To Start An Organic Farm

12 December 2019

Farming is the oldest profession, and people were doing it since the dawn of time. Due to civilization progress, humans slowly stopped doing this, and moved into the city, as it offered more possibilities. However, recently farming is on the rise again. Get in touch with somebody who is already running an organic farm.

Starting in a brand new field is challenging and thrilling at the same time. If you were thinking of creating an organic farm, but you don’t have much knowledge and idea how to start, you’re not the only one. Beginnings are always rough, and everybody had to start from the place where you’re at right now. But look at how many people succeeded. If you want to be one of them,

Contents

1 Here are the most helpful tips that will make it easier to organize an organic farm:

Here are the most helpful tips that will make it easier to organize an organic farm:

Write down your plans and goals

writing goals for Organic Farm

First of all, ask yourself questions that will help to clarify what you need to do. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the answers to them yet. They are meant to establish a general plan for your farm making. You don’t know if you’re going to run a business or just grow food for you and your family? It’s not a problem, because the question will make you think more intensively about this issue, and maybe you’ll be able to find answers and solutions when any doubts pop up in your head.

As a result of this process, a picture of your future farm will appear in your head. At first, it can be blurred, but the more questions you can answer, the more real it’ll become.

Get in touch with more experienced people

You have to learn the basics of organic farming. There are a few ways to do it. You can find a massive amount of information about farming on the internet. Greenhouse Stores often runs a blog with useful articles about it. Forums, videos, blogs, tutorials, and other various guides can provide you with even more information. However, you should be selective when it comes to internet resources. Not all of them are useful.

That’s why it might be a good idea to get in touch with somebody who is already running an organic farm. A simple conversation with more experienced people will often benefit you more than anything else. All these farmers have gone through a similar process, and they will know what the exact mistakes are, and how you can avoid them. You can also consider visiting an organic farm in Thailand to get hands-on experience and learn more about the process.

Seek for a good location

Perhaps this is the most crucial factor for your organic farm success. You have to find a place that meets specific standards. First of all, the soil has to be fertile. It should be free from pesticides and synthetic fertilizers for a minimum of three years. That’s a crucial factor that many people often forget about.

Excellent quality of soil is the most important, but other things might also have a significant impact on your farm’s success. It is, for example, good drainage. Excess standing water can choke your crops. That’s why you have to get a proper drainage system. It’ll guarantee that soil is well aerated. The system prevents soil erosion, and soil slippages (if your farm is on a slope).

Water is the next issue that you have to be aware of it. Crops need it to live, that’s why proper irrigation is necessary. Unfortunately, there’s no simple solution. Irrigation methods differ depending on what you’re going to grow, and what climate you live in. In some cases, on-site wells and rainwater could be enough, but installing an irrigation system is the best possible way to go.

Take care of your crops

Taking care of crops

Organic farming is a long process, and it’s more demanding than conventional agriculture. That’s why you have to put a lot of time and effort into it. Watering is obvious, and you should do that at least 2-3 times a day. However, you should also take care of other crop maintenance practices such as weeding, pruning, soil cultivation, and mowing. Put as much effort and love into farming, and results will be very fruitful.

Starting an organic farm is not an easy job, but if you take care of every detail that was covered in this article, there are high chances that your farm will be successful. Work hard, put love in what you do, and soon you’ll be a proud owner of a great organic farm.

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Ariana Smith

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.

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What’s new in soil stabilization

With increasing urbanization, population growth and the need for reliable infrastructure, it’s not surprising that the need for a diverse set of soil stabilization techniques suitable for a variety of soil and project conditions has seen matching growth. In 2017, the global soil stabilization market reached a massive US $22 Billion, and is expected to reach US $29 billion by 2023. Here we take a look at some of the soil stabilization techniques leading the field in innovation and market growth. Chemical stabilization through the addition of Lime: The addition of lime, lime kiln dust or quicklime is a popular form of soil modification and stabilization for all types of soft soils, especially wet, fine-grained and clay soils. Essentially it reacts with clay molecules, which hardens and dries out the soil with which it is mixed, improving stability and soil compressibility. Lime is the oldest soil stabilization technique still in use today and can be greatly advantageous for particularly muddy construction sites which make accessing the site difficult, and it’s also cheap. It does, however, have several disadvantages too. The production process is very energy intensive, resulting in large CO2 emissions, as high as 1.2 tons of CO2 per ton of lime produced. Achieving homogenous application is tricky, there is risk of environmental toxicity, and application over very soft soil is problematic due to the heavy earth-mixing equipment required for application. Mechanical soil stabilization through the use of Geocell engineering: Although geocells have been around since the 1970’s, the increasing global demand for more environmentally sustainable and cost-effective construction techniques has seen renewed interest in their use. Geocells – a type of geosynthetic – are constructed from strips of a novel polymeric alloy called Neoloy, which are welded together to form a honeycomb-like grid when stretched out on site. They are then filled in with local granular materials that are readily available, such as sandy soils or even recycled asphalt paving (RAP). The main environmental benefits include the ability to utilize local granular materials for infill rather than hauling in high-quality aggregates from quarries, a reduction in the required pavement thickness, improved durability of projects, and the ongoing cost benefit of reduced maintenance requirements. While awareness of this technology remains its biggest challenge, it is gaining a reputation as a good option for projects with poor soil or challenging environmental conditions. One prime example of this was the construction of an all-weather access road for MEG Energy in the Muskeg peat bog, which made use of geocell engineering in Canada. Some of the challenges facing the engineers on site included moving vehicles and materials around on the saturated, acidic soil, as well as subzero winter temperatures, extremely poor drainage and heavy rains which meant much of the site was essentially a swamp – described, in fact, as an ‘engineering nightmare’. An example of the less than ideal working conditions – geocell layer visible in back Because the peat bog soil was too deep and poorly drained for soil replacement, it soon became clear that the use of heavy-duty Neoloy geocells was the only feasible solution. Local geocell experts designed a reinforced road using one to three layers of Neoloy geocells, depending on the saturation level of the area in question. Once in place, the geocells were filled in with sand from locally available borrow pits and then compacted. The geocell layers formed a semi-rigid mattress, or a ‘floating road’ over the swampy soil. The benefits of geocell mechanical soil stabilization include: reducing stress by distributing vertical loads and extending the life of the road – meaning that even heavy rigs and construction equipment could now traverse the peat bog on a regular basis. Compaction grouting for sinkhole remediation: Building much-needed apartment housing is one thing but doing so on an area of land which is essentially one giant sinkhole is another matter altogether! This was the challenge facing contractors trying to put up a new five story complex in King of Prussia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Understandably, no work on the apartment building could begin until the underlying dolomite subsoil was stabilized. The solution they arrived at was the use of compaction grouting, which involves drilling columns in a grid-like pattern, and then injecting a low-mobility soil-cement grout into the holes at high pressures. This process compacts coarse-grained soils and displaces fine-grained soils, allowing the construction site to withstand higher bearing pressures and reduce settlement – both very important in an area to prone to sinkholes. Under normal conditions, a soil profile increases in strength with depth – but on this site, the dense clays were on the surface, with weaker soils above the bedrock – hence the tendency for sinkholes to form. Drilling down to reach the unstable layer was therefore the best solution in this scenario. To complete the stabilization, the contractor - Compaction Grouting Services, Inc. or CGS - needed to drill 626 separate holes, and pump in 820 cubic yards of grout at an average pressure of 300 psi. And despite a number of challenges, including snow, rain and muddy conditions as well as a small sinkhole which opened up in an area which hadn’t been grouted – they managed to finish a day ahead of schedule. Read Also: Proper Waste Disposal And Recycling: Things To Remember Edmonton Landscape Maintenance Tips

Is The World Shifting Fast Enough To Renewable Sources Of Energy?

‘Climate Change’ is not a myth or a figment of imagination anymore. Renewable sources of energy should be received in a manner that does not produce a change in society. It is one of the strongest realities, which humankind is experiencing every single day. Global Warming is melting our polar ice caps, spreading wildfires in our forests and exposing humanity to rising sea levels. Even though international organizations like the United Nations, activists like Greta Thunberg are spreading awareness and consciousness; the voices that matter are not doing enough. In this article, we will look at why the most powerful and richest country in the world, the United States of America should start taking renewable sources of energy more seriously. Besides, we will also discuss why it is important not to radically disturb the existing infrastructure in a major way. Why did the World continue to subsidize the Fossil Fuel Industry heavily? According to official reports, governments around the world gave nearly $300 Billion worth of subsidies to the fossil fuel industry 2017. This number is expected to cross nearly $400 Billion by 2020. At the same time, the entire world cumulatively gave only $290 Billion worth of subsidies to renewable sources of energy. Science has claimed that burning fossil fuels in thermal power plants, industries, factories, and automobiles are contributing to global warming in a major way. By using so much fossil fuels like coal, petroleum products, and others, we are overheating our planet. Companies that deal and do business in fossil fuels are multi-billion dollar corporations. They are some of the biggest corporations in the entire world. It is only natural that they use their influence to lobby for their industry and use their financial clout to stop unfavorable legislative attempts that aim to curb their business. Most politicians depend heavily on campaign funding from these companies and individuals. The quid-pro-quo dictates that once the politician comes to power, he will help the fossil fuel companies in any which way they require. This prevents progressive legislation, empties state coffers through subsidizations and kills innovation in alternative energy sources. What are some of the major fallouts of Climate Change and Global Warming? Almost every day, newspapers and television channels carry news items about uncontrollable forest fires, dust storms, snowing incidents in the desert, hurricanes, floods and rising sea levels. While naysayers dismiss these horrendous incidents, almost the entire scientific community believes it to the direct result of humans destroying their planets. The entire world is seeing a temperature increase on a year-on-year basis. This is not only causing huge environmental catastrophes but also leading us closer to the extinction of the human race. While efforts have been made to rebuild our forests, plant more trees and go electric, the damage being done is far faster than the rebuilding process. In late 2019 and early 2020, Australia saw one of history’s worst forest fires. It is estimated that the fires killed more than one billion animals and caused billions of dollars’ worth of destruction to the local economy. The historical city of Venice was in the news for being completely submerged in water following an increase in seawater levels in 2019. Likewise, 2020 also saw steep cold weather conditions in the Middle East, with snowing and heavy hailstorms being reported from UAE and Oman. What should we do to stop Climate Change and turn back Global Warming? While pessimists think that we have already lost the world, many optimists like Greta Thunberg who still believe we have a fighting chance. We must reduce our carbon footprint on a war footing. To do this government leaders and countries must take pro-active actions to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and promote renewable sources of energy and alternative sources of energy. Douglas Healy, one of the most famous legal experts on energy issues states that it is important to find a not destabilize the existing infrastructure in a major way. He states that renewable sources of energy should be ushered in a manner that does not create a crisis in society. Millions of people are employed in traditional power plants and closing them, down might create problems of a different nature. This is why it is important to use the existing infrastructure and weave away consumers as well as employers away from the traditional fossil fuel industry. Conclusion Everyone needs to do his or her bit to save our planet. From doing small things like carpooling to avoiding the use of single-use plastic, we can all come together to rebuild our surroundings. We must plant as many trees as possible to maintain the ecological balance of the world. What are you doing to help counter the effects of climate change? Let us know in the comments section below. Read Also: The Benefits of Solar Lighting in a Nutshell Top Hi-Tech Airports in the Northern Hemisphere

Proper Waste Disposal and Recycling: Things to Remember

Proper waste disposal is something everyone must remember these days. Gone are the days of indiscriminately throwing out the trash. Now we need to separate biodegradable waste from non-biodegradable waste. For example, when cleaning the yard after a party, you’ll have to separate the tissues from the plastic cups and the leftover food waste. There are a lot of things that can be found in the garbage, and a lot of them can be harmful to the environment. It is essential that you learn to segregate trash so that it can be appropriately disposed of and avoid being detrimental to nature. With that said, here are some things to remember when disposing of your waste: 1. Make sure to segregate your waste properly: Biodegradable waste like used medical supplies and broken sharp objects like glass are separated from the rest of the trash. Use different colored garbage bags or garbage containers to differentiate the items. This will ensure that contaminated items will be disposed of properly and the sharp objects will be handled properly, so no one gets hurt. 2. You can reduce the biodegradable waste you throw out: If you have a backyard with some soil or garden, dig two holes and bury biodegradable materials there instead of throwing them away, to create compost. It is a simple procedure: you dig a hole, put biodegradable waste into it, and cover the top portion again with earth. You don’t fill up the rest of the hole with dirt if you just threw in a small amount of waste. Instead, cover the trash with just enough soil to block it from smelling, and you do this until the hole is filled up. 3. Some materials, like eggshells or bones, take very long to become compost or don’t degrade at all: You may have to crush them into powder before burying them with the other biodegradable waste. If you don’t want to, you may dispose of your chicken eggshells and bones. 4. Recyclable materials must also be sorted out based on what they're made of for easier disposal: Grouping together aluminum cans separate from plastics will make it easier for the removal services. Also, you may want to find some things that are usable enough to keep, such as glass jars, which make excellent containers if cleaned well. Moreover, if you are looking for a trustworthy rubbish removal company then click here to find the best one. As an option, you may also want to call a yard waste removal service instead of waiting for the weekly public service to pick up the trash, especially if you have been clearing out a lot of things in your home to get ready for a home improvement project. These removal services will ask for some details regarding the junk that they will be picking up, so if, for example, you have a huge amount of garbage you want to get rid of, you’ll probably need to send them a picture and details about the trash. Not only will you be helping the removal service if you follow the tips above, but you can also help contribute to a cleaner environment by reducing your waste. It doesn’t take much to act on the suggestions above either, and you can plan on doing these tips in your own time thanks to junk removal services now being available to contact even on the internet. Read Also: 8 Plumbing Myths Busted 6 Tips For Keeping Your Home Clean (With Pets And Kids)

How To Start An Organic Farm