Simply going out and looking at farms for sale in Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and more is not going to make you a successful and skilled farmer. All great agricultural ventures are built on a lot of hard work and the owners always
Simply going out and looking at farms for sale in Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and more is not going to make you a successful and skilled farmer. All great agricultural ventures are built on a lot of hard work and the owners always take care of the essentials in their agricultural production methods. In this article we will discuss some of the most important ways to have a sustained venture. Have a look.
Soil protection and preservation: The main idea behind this is to mitigate the soil erosion that occurs on the ground. Erosion is very difficult to fix and thus the only way to protect the soil is to use ways such as crop residues, reduced tillage and fixing any compaction on the land as it is a major reason for soil erosion.
Using water efficiently: Sources of water suitable for irrigation are limited and thus we must take steps to make optimum use of it and take steps to replenish the supplies as well. Some ways to mitigate unwanted water loss include:
- Reduce evaporation of water from soil by keeping it covered. Not only does it leave more water in the soil but improves infiltration of water and minimizes erosion. Also, minimizing tillage keeps the water inside the soil and avoids evaporation that occurs when soil is moved.
- Better irrigation facilities should be taken advantage of with responsibility and using eco-friendly irrigation methods should be used more often.
Preserving the fertility of soil: The food industry has a keen focus on exporting the food and this practice has led to exporting not just food but the nutrients in the solid as well. It is thus essential to preserve the soil’s fertility. Replenishing nitrogen in the soil using legumes, or nitrogen from the air is common, while there must be actions taken to replenish other nutrients in the soil. Two common way to replenish these nutrients include:
- Using fertilizers- these can be either synthetic or organic in origin and are a viable way to replenish the nutrients in the soil.
- Increase the efficiency of the overall nutrient usage. Cover crops whenever required, release the fertilizers slowly into the soil and follow precision based farming practices. Methods like crop rotation are natural ways to replenish soil nutrients and also mitigate soil erosion.
Crop protection is important: No crop will help you reap benefits if it is not protected properly. Whether it is from weather conditions, or weeds, insects, pets or other farm diseases. Having proper protection mechanisms for various factors threatening the crop is essential. Some practices that can be put to use include:
- Rotate the crops the regularly to replenish the nutrients and give back to the eco-system. While some crops grow slowly, it is a good idea to grow some crops that are quick and use optimum resources whilst improving soil fertility.
- Use methods like tillage to kill of the unwanted weeds on the