Tips On Sustainable Agriculture Omaha

By Henry Thomas


In order to attain food security, farmers need to continually produce more food using the same parcel of land without rendering it useless. To achieve sustainable agriculture Omaha agriculturists must adopt farming methods that preserve the fertility of their farms. This is not a hard thing to do but must be driven by commitment and a sense of responsibility to protect the environment.

Successful farmers must plan in advance and decide what crops to grow and when to do so. They must have the end user in mind as they start their venture. This means that they must do a thorough market survey before starting their venture. It is also important to find affordable skilled labor and professional agronomic support to help them manage the farm. Farmers must also get proper estimates of farm input costs before they can start any farming project to find out whether the venture will be profitable or not.

You will need to take good care of your farm and always ensure it is fertile so as to sustain the growth of crops. You can embrace good practices that replenish the earth every time you farm. For example, legumes fix Nitrogen to the soil and thus are a good choice to rotate with cereals. By so doing, you make sure that the land retains its fertility.

Another method that exploits symbiosis relationships among crops is intercropping. This works well, especially for cereals and legumes. As one type of crop utilizes the Nitrogen in the soil, the other type continually releases the same nutrients to the earth.At the end of the season, the land will still be fertile to farm. You also use fertilizer, if you have to, and thus reducing your direct costs.

Runoff water, when not controlled, often spells doom to soil fertility. With heavy rainfall, the top soil rich in humus is easily washed away leaving behind barren earth. To avoid this, you must have a way to control runoff water. You can dig terraces to check the flow of water. Also, plant trees around your farm to make sure that the soil is compactly held together. At given intervals, plant cover crops that will hold surface water and avoid soil erosion.

For a farmer to continually produce crops on their farm, they need a reliable source of capital. Whereas initial capital can be sourced from other sources, continual investments must come from the proceeds of selling farm produce. This way the farm will be able to run itself hence guarantee its future. As a farmer, you must think of processing your produce to final products that can be sold to customers. This will help you increase you profit margin.

Consider using environmentally safe methods to control pests. Introducing organisms that prey on the pests is a better approach than using pesticides that kill other insects indiscriminately, thus destroying the natural ecosystem. Although this method seems complicated, farmers have successfully used it with the support of research firms that offer such service. In particular, the use of male ladybirds has enabled farmers to achieve the desired results.

Be open to opinions of experts and work closely with scientists in your area. It is important to know which crops do well in your region so as to maximize your farm yields. Also, strive to have current information on pest and disease control.




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