During the summer months, running a homestead is a full-time job. Before you know, you’re spending all day, everyday keeping up with your veg and your land. You’ll rise and settle with the sun, and you’ll barely be able to catch your breath from one task to the next. It’s an exhilarating ride, and it’s probably this buzz which got you interested in homesteading in the first place.
Read MoreAgricultural engineering has taken us far beyond the early efforts of our ancient ancestors. Prehistory hunter-gatherer tribes had access to a food supply which could sustain, at most, a global population of 4 million people. With modern methods of cultivation and animal husbandry, the situation has changed.
Read MoreMany homeowners are now discovering the beauty of using artificial grass for their lawn. The effect it brings to the entire yard makes the place look very neat and maintained at all times, adding points to the aesthetics of your garden. Artificial grass also has quality that doesn’t deteriorate as fast as actual live grass.
Read MoreWe are at a point where our ice caps are melting, animals are having their habitats destroyed, and landfills are growing. This generally tends to upset a lot of us, because we know that the planet is dying. However, it isn’t too late for you to make a change to the way you live and help to better the planet.
Keen to lead a more eco-friendly life? Here are a few tips to help you go green and do your part for the planet!
Read MoreMost of us farmers are working crazy hours in order to keep everything at bay. We end up working at night as much as we do in the day, and as a result, we can still find that we are not only working ourselves into the ground, but we’ve still got extreme expenses. When it comes to overheads, we need to find the best ways to minimize them, how can we do this on the farm?
Read MoreWe often get an urge to try and be a little more eco-friendly than we currently are. You might not recycle as much as you should, your food may come from halfway across the globe, and you’re forever forgetting to take your hessian bag down to the shops with you. Trying to be greener and lead a more sustainable way of life is admirable. It is also hard to achieve in the twenty first century with our fast paced lifestyles and an emphasis on speed and disposability. To do your bit for the environment, you need to begin small. This is why sustainability begins in your garden.
Read MoreIf you’re a keen green fingered gardener, or you’d like to pick up this therapeutic hobby in the future, staying up to date with the most recent gardening trends and tips is a must. Things may have changed since the last time you looked into it, so read on to find out what a healthy garden needs in 2019 and beyond.
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Despite the multiple warnings that agriculture is a sector slowing down, statistics are proving scaremongers wrong every day. According to Jim Rogers, the American financial commentator, and businessman, agriculture is going to be an investment hit in the near future, especially agricultural commodities. In Europe, consumers are shaping a new market that is entirely focused on organic products, forcing local farms to adapt and embrace the trend. The needs are changing all over the world, and the popularity of paleo, vegan and keto diets shifts the focus on nuts growers as a way to replace meat protein.
Consequently, for young farmers, the sector has never been so exciting. But, the renewal of the agricultural business is threatened by the propensity for newcomers to spend money in the wrong areas.
Cheap equipment doesn’t mean no running costs
For newcomers who are approaching farming with no material, specialist auction companies and professionally maintained second-hand machines enable young farmers to start their journey on a relatively low capital. Indeed, nowadays, dedicated farming equipment is made more accessible for buyers, but even for those who prefer to lease new models. However, keeping new machines on the field becomes a problem as tractors, harvesters and other equipment consume a lot of fuel. Failing to explore fuel alternatives such as biofuel – which can use animal waste as a natural resource – or even using self-generated electricity can incur high maintenance costs.
No, a standard cover won’t do
More and more young and enthusiastic adults buy a farm as their primary home and naturally fall into the agriculture business as a way to maximize their property. As a result, they tend to approach the farming business with a home insurance cover only. However, typical home insurance doesn’t affect the business side of the farm and only protects the habitation. A professional farming insurance broker can help the new agricultural population to understand the hybrid needs of their property. You can’t afford not to protect your animals, fields, equipment, workers, and home!
Getting your name out is a good idea, but be smart about advertising
New farmers are marketing-savvy. They understand the importance of promoting their brands. However, generic advertising won’t appeal to your buyers. Indeed, contrary to the product market where manufacturers such as Apple can push their brands and alter production to protect their value, farmers overproduce and use generic campaigns to drive demand. The focus needs to be on targeted quality over quantity, both in production and advertising.
They’re attached to an old-fashioned farming environment
Your ancestors have been farming for thousands of years. It’s hard work, but those who love nature and animals can make a living of running their farms just the way their fathers and grandfathers used to do. But can they really? The growing population has dramatically transformed landscapes and needs. With more and more towns around, it becomes incoherent to pursue farming over large surfaces. The future of the agricultural sector lies in smart technology and innovation such as vertical farming. When fields are a dramatic impact on water consumption and use precious space that could be turned into accommodations, vertical farming offers a green alternative.
Nowadays, you can’t consider a farming career without thinking about innovative and creative strategies to save money, resources, and efforts. The more you waste in all the wrong places, the less budget there is to sustain your business.
There are many reasons that you might want to get into growing your own fruits and vegetables and taking the opportunity to is something you should do if you have an interest in doing so. Here we are going to take a look at some of the reasons behind starting to grow fresh food crops whether that be from the comfort of your own home, or on a big part of land like a farm.
Read MoreAre you interested in growing your farming business profits? Of course you are. As a business owner, you should always be looking for ways to boost those profit margins and make more money from your land. You’ve probably heard of how farmers always struggle to make profits through the year, particularly when the weather starts to turn. Fear not though, because there are ways to make sure that you do make more money in this type of business model and keep those profits tidy. At the same time you can reduce your costs which again means more money to spend. So, let’s look at some of the best options and possibilities you can consider.
Read MoreIf your farm has been passed down through the generations, chances are you feel tempted (or even obliged) to keep doing things the same way as they always have been. Sure, new technology has made processes faster and easier, but if you’ve always kept cows for milking or grown specific crops you might be cautious of deviating from this. However, it shouldn’t be the case. If you own farmland, there’s lots of opportunities you can take and ways to utilise the land that can be very lucrative. Here are a few ideas.
Read MoreIt’s fair to say that the way that non-farmers imagine a farm runs is very different to reality. Inspired by TV shows and movies - the majority of which are set in the past - most non-farmers imagine that running a farm is a quaint, homely, wholesome pursuit, with farmers spending work days with their hands in the earth and the sun on their backs. Some savvy farmers have even embraced this common misconception, and create marketing campaigns that seek to emphasize their “old fashioned” approach to farming.
Read MoreTractors, harvesters, and plows are all very hungry machines. Being powered by huge engines, these sorts of tools find it hard to get through small amounts of fuel, and this can cost a small fortune when you’re paying for it all yourself. Of course, though, most farmers will also be very concerned about the environment. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the different fuels you have available, along with some of the other tools which can be used to improve this side of your farm.
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