If you are close to retirement or simply have too much money to throw around and you are looking on a piece of property to invest in, you should consider building a farmhouse. This nation thrives on its' farmers hard work and devotion to feed millions of people each and every year. Building a farmhouse would somehow be a sort of homage to those farmers of whom we generally take for granted each and every time we visit the grocery store. It isn't like we take our time while choosing our produce to give thanks to the farmers that toiled over growing that particular piece of produce. So much work goes into providing our nation with a farmer's splendor that building a home from country farm style house plans would be a great way of giving your small piece of thanks.
When you think of a farmhouse, your first thought is most likely that of a home that has a sprawling front porch. This spacious porch seems to beckon the passersby to come sit and relax in the shade and sip on a nice cool cup of iced tea. There is nothing more welcoming that a wide front porch with rocking chairs that have comfortable cushions upon each seat. This is where the farmer will spend his weekends while he is relaxing with his family. When you are designing your country house plans keep this amazing feature of a country farmhouse in mind. Without this roomy and cozy front porch, it just wouldn't be a farmhouse.
Most farmhouses that you see in the country are a basic rectangle shape. Also, these farmhouses are always two stories with the bedrooms lying on the second story. However, if you do have a problem with stairs for whatever reason, you should check out house plans for ranch with a walkout basement instead. Now even though you are designing a farmhouse, this doesn't mean you have to skimp on the luxury items that you put on the inside of your home. You could add in a whirlpool bathtub in the master bath. Or you could even add in walk in closets for all of the bedrooms rather than just for the master. If you wanted to really go against the grain you could install a media room in the upstairs for the enjoyment of your family.
No matter how you decide to design your dream country farmhouse, you will come to enjoy the beauty of such a unique piece of architecture for many years to come. Your country farmhouse will come to be known as your family's little piece of escape that is usually much needed. When you come to your farmhouse the only thing on all of your minds' will be relaxation.
Sabtu, 21 Oktober 2017
Selasa, 19 September 2017
Marketing Your Ranch Accommodations To Country Loving Guests
There's a certain type of person who enjoys getting away and enjoy a ranch vacation. Some ranch guests even prefer working ranches, where they can get up early in the morning, work in the barn with the animals, ride horses or herd cattle, and for relaxation, go fly fishing, dine at outdoor barbeques and tell stories by campfires. Do you have a lovely country ranch house, charming farmhouse that you wish to rent for holidays? If your property is beautifully situated, well-decorated and offering several amenities, you are probably looking for an appropriate venue to advertise to renters who can afford it and who will respect your property as if it were their own.
If you own a ranch accommodation, farm stay, or other type of luxurious ranch lodging, you know that marketing a ranch experience or hunting lodge requires some niche advertising to attract these types of guests.
Paint a Picture of the Ranch Property with Your Listing
If you have a high end ranch property to advertise on vacation rental sites, you have to list those special features that will draw in ranch rental clients. In the description, focus on how will you accommodate a more comfort-oriented guest who likes the authenticity of ranch life but also needs his or her creature comforts? Be sure to put in as much description about the accommodations your ranch property has to offer to entice those prospective renters, and also add in plenty of charming photographs and multiple videos of both the interior and exterior of ranch, including the local town if possible. Ranch vacationers want that authentic ranch experience done in style when they scope out ranch rental properties.
Maximizing Results for Your Ranch Listing
To reach upscale ranch renters, there are a number of high quality, niche websites on the internet where you can showcase your property. Many of these prestige sites use online pictures and videos of your luxury ranch property to attract the best customers for your country rental property.
They also offer an Advanced Search capability that lets ranch enthusiasts interested in unique ranch properties spot your online listing. You can't go wrong with widening your home's internet exposure. Seek out those sites that have every tool for a successful property listing. Why not consider more advertising of your home that will return your "ranch experience" or "farm stay" in searches for these particular types of vacation properties?
If you own a ranch accommodation, farm stay, or other type of luxurious ranch lodging, you know that marketing a ranch experience or hunting lodge requires some niche advertising to attract these types of guests.
Paint a Picture of the Ranch Property with Your Listing
If you have a high end ranch property to advertise on vacation rental sites, you have to list those special features that will draw in ranch rental clients. In the description, focus on how will you accommodate a more comfort-oriented guest who likes the authenticity of ranch life but also needs his or her creature comforts? Be sure to put in as much description about the accommodations your ranch property has to offer to entice those prospective renters, and also add in plenty of charming photographs and multiple videos of both the interior and exterior of ranch, including the local town if possible. Ranch vacationers want that authentic ranch experience done in style when they scope out ranch rental properties.
Maximizing Results for Your Ranch Listing
To reach upscale ranch renters, there are a number of high quality, niche websites on the internet where you can showcase your property. Many of these prestige sites use online pictures and videos of your luxury ranch property to attract the best customers for your country rental property.
They also offer an Advanced Search capability that lets ranch enthusiasts interested in unique ranch properties spot your online listing. You can't go wrong with widening your home's internet exposure. Seek out those sites that have every tool for a successful property listing. Why not consider more advertising of your home that will return your "ranch experience" or "farm stay" in searches for these particular types of vacation properties?
Sabtu, 09 September 2017
What You Need to Know About a Mushroom Farm
Running a mushroom farm is hectic business, and you will require a lot of care if you wish to start off your own mushroom ranch. However, if you are able to successfully grow a crop of mushrooms on your own, you can earn massive profits because the demand of mushrooms is quite high. The best thing that you can do is either export your mushrooms or you can think about selling them to the market. Now, on a mushroom ranch, there are a variety of different types of mushrooms that you can grow, which means that the amount of choice available is very diverse when it comes to opening a farm of mushrooms.
However, what you should know is that farming mushrooms is totally different as compared to farming plants. The soil or the compost that you will require to get a healthy growth of your mushrooms will need to be created very delicately, because if anything goes wrong with your soil creation, there are chances that none of the mushrooms will be able to sprout properly. Now, if you are able to grow bigger and better mushrooms, it is obvious that people would buy from you, and you can easily charge a higher price for your mushrooms.
But, the only way that you will be able to grow bigger mushrooms on a mushroom ranch is to ensure that you take good care of your mushroom plantation and read about how to farm them properly. Once you are able to properly understand the requirements of what needs to be done on a mushroom ranch, only then should you attempt to set it up. First of all, the most distinctive factor when it comes to opening a mushroom farm is that you must grow all the mushrooms in an enclosed, controlled environment.
Good quality mushrooms cannot be grown in the natural environment, as there is a great deal of factors that you should take care of, ranging from the precise time when you could introduce fresh air in to the crops of mushrooms, as well as when you must provide them with sprinkled water. Therefore, it is important that you set up large greenhouses if you wish to start a mushroom ranch. Even though it might be difficult at first, once you understand how a mushroom farming is done, it will be quite easy for you to earn profits from it.
However, what you should know is that farming mushrooms is totally different as compared to farming plants. The soil or the compost that you will require to get a healthy growth of your mushrooms will need to be created very delicately, because if anything goes wrong with your soil creation, there are chances that none of the mushrooms will be able to sprout properly. Now, if you are able to grow bigger and better mushrooms, it is obvious that people would buy from you, and you can easily charge a higher price for your mushrooms.
But, the only way that you will be able to grow bigger mushrooms on a mushroom ranch is to ensure that you take good care of your mushroom plantation and read about how to farm them properly. Once you are able to properly understand the requirements of what needs to be done on a mushroom ranch, only then should you attempt to set it up. First of all, the most distinctive factor when it comes to opening a mushroom farm is that you must grow all the mushrooms in an enclosed, controlled environment.
Good quality mushrooms cannot be grown in the natural environment, as there is a great deal of factors that you should take care of, ranging from the precise time when you could introduce fresh air in to the crops of mushrooms, as well as when you must provide them with sprinkled water. Therefore, it is important that you set up large greenhouses if you wish to start a mushroom ranch. Even though it might be difficult at first, once you understand how a mushroom farming is done, it will be quite easy for you to earn profits from it.
Senin, 21 Agustus 2017
Everything You Need to Know About Cattle Farming
The most important thing that anybody should know about anything about cattle farming is that no farm or ranch is the same. No one farm follows the production practices of another, and no one producer manages his or her cattle the same way as the next one does. If you want to know about everything involved with cattle farming, get to know the basics first, what makes every farm click and everything else in between before anything else. Dairy farming or beef farming, it doesn't matter what, there are certain things within those enterprises that make them run, from the feed fed to the cattle and the finances needed to run the farm to the cattle themselves.
It's a lot of Hard Work...
Anybody would be a fool if they said raising cattle was easy. You have to be a veterinarian, an accountant, a mechanic, a carpenter, a plumber, a salesperson, an electrician and everything else in between to manage a farm. You have machinery, buildings, fences, and handling facilities to maintain, repair--even replace if it's absolutely necessary--cattle waterers to fix if they freeze over in the dead of winter or if they quit working on you all of a sudden, hay to haul, finances to keep on top of (loans, utility bills and taxes to pay), fences to maintain and repair, the list keeps going on. You will experience periods of fatigue during times when the farm needs you the most--be it mental or physical fatigue. Your muscles will ache, your head will ache, and there will be times when you wonder why in the heck did you get into the cattle business in the first place!
It can be Life Threatening, Dangerous Work...
When you experience fatigue or get complacent around machinery or livestock this can result in serious injuries or even death. It is so easy to get caught when you least expect it, and by the time you realize you're caught it's often too late. It can be as simple as forgetting to never step over a running PTO shaft, never turn your back on a seemingly docile bull, cut with your knife away from you, things like that. The best thing to ensure your survival and to keep all your limbs intact is to always be aware of your surroundings, know if and when you're feeling tired, never wear loose clothing around running machinery, and show the utmost respect to all bulls and new momma cows with their new calves. There is a whole list of farm-safety things I could lay out in this article, but I fear it will only take up more space than I intend and cause me to severely veer off track.
Regardless, bulls and cows must be respected and often not trusted either, no matter if you're working or managing a dairy or beef farm. Dairy bulls are especially dangerous and ones to never turn your back on. Beef bulls can be just as bad: at first they may seem quite gentle and docile, but they can turn on you with the slightest provocation. This is a concern if you haven't established dominance with them and if they don't respect you and your space. Hormones can play a large factor in a bull's aggressiveness. If a bull sees you as competition for his harem, he will come after you. If not, and sees you as just a two-legged human and not a two-legged bovine, then you should be safe, but don't take my word for it because who knows what goes through a bull's mind during breeding season!
Hormones are also a big factor in aggressiveness in cows. A cow's initial instincts when that calf hits the ground is for her to nurture, suckle and protect it with her life. This means that no other animal should come within ten yards (some more, some less) of her baby without her explicit permission!! To some she can attack without warning, but I can say I doubt that--they do give you a warning to stay away if you know what to look for. A curled lip, that cold gleam in her eye, head shaking, that sort of thing are body language signs to look for when she's telling you to stay away. Bulls also have their way of communicating that they're not tolerant of your presence too: showing their sides, arching their neck showing their size, head shaking, not acknowledging your presence at all (in other words, ignoring you) when you're in the pen with them, etc. These are all warning signs to either get out, or be prepared to stand your ground and make it known that you don't tolerate their behaviour towards you. Then be prepared to go through with your escape plan, if you have one.
It Takes Knowing a bit of Bovine Psychology
When raising cattle, you really have to know a fair bit about what cattle are telling you in order to tell if they're just being friendly, a nuisance, a threat, or a potential cull. Cattle that acknowledge your presence, and come up to you but keep their respective distance from you (except if you invite them) are friendly. Some of the friendly ones can also be the ones that don't ignore you but go back to what they were doing before you disrupted them can also be considered friendly. Even those that come running towards you when they see you--can be considered friendly, especially if you know them well enough to know when they come running like that it's to get fed, and not as to create a stampede! Cattle that get high-strung, high-headed and make a run for it every time you are around are ones that should be culled--cattle should keep their respective distance from you, but not go so far as to try jumping over the fence to get away from you! Sometimes these types of animals can be trained to be calmer around people, but there are times when this can be more vain than rewarding. Some cattle just can't be tamed and remain "wild."
Breeding, Calving, Weaning, Growing...
Though not applicable to backgrounding/stockering and feedlot operations, knowing the basics about breeding, calving and weaning is important. The gestation period of a cow or heifer averages around 285 days or just over 9 months. A cow or heifer as a 50% chance of giving birth to a bull calf or heifer calf when not bred via sexed semen (artificial insemination or natural service). Calves on cows can be weaned when they are around 6 to 10 months old. Dairy calves are taken away from their dams a day or two (sometimes less) after birth, but aren't weaned off the bottle until they're around 3 to 4 months old. Estrous period for cows and heifers is 21 days long and estrus or heat lasts 18 to 24 hours long. Majority of heifers are ready to be bred by the time they are around 15 months old. A bull is ready to breed by the time he's 12 months of age. Age of maturity for most cattle is around 3 to 4 years of age.
Calving and breeding periods will coincide, and the optimum length should be around 45 to 60 days. There is plenty of debate what time of year it is best to calve out cows, however a cow can be bred--and thus calve--at any time of the year. A cow can be bred either naturally--via a bull--or artificially--called artificial insemination via AI gun and semen straw.
Once the calf comes, the milk follows. The first milk a cow produces for her calf is called colostrum. After 48 hours she starts producing "normal" milk. Her highest nutritional requirements occur from late pregnancy to the third month of lactation. Her lowest is when she is dry and in her second trimester of pregnancy. Calves, once weaned, though, have different nutritional requirements--as they get older, protein requirements decrease.
Know What to Feed Them
Not all ranches and farms feed their cattle the same thing. This is probably where the greatest variations in how cattle are raised begins, and something which I can only cover briefly here. Essentially there are five types of feedstuffs that are fed to cattle: hay, silage, grain, alternative feeds, and pasture. The latter isn't exactly fed to cattle, but rather cattle are set to feed themselves. However, with the former four, each farm and ranch varies in how much and what of each is fed to their animals.
All dairy farms need to feed their dairy cows a mixed ration--called a TMR or Total Mixed Ration--of high-quality hay, silage and grain to meet their cows' nutritional requirements in protein, energy, calcium and phosphorus levels. The majority of hay fed to dairy cattle is comprised of alfalfa or clover and grasses like orchard grass and timothy. Silage--which is chopped up and fermented feed--is often of corn, since it has higher nutritional quality than barley or wheat. The grain portion of the TMR ration can be corn, barley or wheat, depending on what is more suitably grown in the area where the dairy farm is located.
As for beef farms, rations for cattle varies much more greatly than on your average dairy farms. There are three main enterprises involved in beef farming: cow-calf, backgrounding/stocker, and feedlot. The lowest-quality rations are given to cow-calf operations, and the highest-quality to feedlots. Cows on cow-calf operations often have no problem subsisting off of grass and hay, though some producers like to feed them grain and/or silage during the winter months. Backgrounding/stocker operations need to feed their calves so that they grow, so pasture, silage and good-quality hay is often fed. Feedlots finish cattle for slaughter, so an 85% grain-based "hot" ration is needed. The other 15% is comprised of roughage like silage.
All cattle need to be fed clean water and have access to mineral at all times. Beef producers feed their mineral to their cattle free-choice, sometimes mixed in with the feed. Dairy producers tend to have these minerals mixed in with the feed.
Where Are You Getting Your Feed From?
That's a big question to ask yourself if you intend on starting your own cattle farm. Basically you have two choices: Make your own, or purchase it. If you make your own, you need your own equipment and the time to make the feed. You may need the extra labour if it's required, depending on what type of feed you're making. Making your own feed may bite into your profits because it means more money spent on fuel and maintenance/repair costs. Purchasing feed has its risks too. Though you don't near half the machinery required for making your own feed, you still need a place to store it and risk the feed you're getting to be not as good quality feed as you want it to be. There may be health risks associated with the feed you purchase--the hay you get may have bits of metal or garbage in it, or the feed you purchased from your feed store may be contaminated with something that will kill your animals.
Machinery Needed On a Cattle Farm
You can literally have as little as only a couple pieces of machinery to as many as to make any agricultural machinery retailer business proud. I've known a couple cattle producers that only have a few pieces of equipment: a hay-hauler truck, a livestock trailer, and a four-wheeler ATV. A lot of other producers can get by just fine with a good tractor with a front-end loader, a baler, haybine or mower, a good truck, a livestock trailer, and the choice between using the four-wheeler ATV (I prefer to call a "quad") or a good cow horse. Many other cattle farmers need to have a lot more machinery than that: two to three tractors, a combine-harvester, several pieces of tillage machinery (disc, plow, cultivator, flexi-coil harrows, harrows, etc.), a few swathers, a few grain trucks, several grain augers, a forage harvester, a baler, a haybine, the list goes on. What type and how much of machinery you think you need to have (try not to think of it as "want") on your cattle farm will affect your bottom line and how you raise your animals.
Think of it this way: If you want to graze your cattle on pasture all year round, there will be a point in time where you will realize that the machinery you want isn't necessarily the same pieces of machinery you will need!!
It's a lot of Hard Work...
Anybody would be a fool if they said raising cattle was easy. You have to be a veterinarian, an accountant, a mechanic, a carpenter, a plumber, a salesperson, an electrician and everything else in between to manage a farm. You have machinery, buildings, fences, and handling facilities to maintain, repair--even replace if it's absolutely necessary--cattle waterers to fix if they freeze over in the dead of winter or if they quit working on you all of a sudden, hay to haul, finances to keep on top of (loans, utility bills and taxes to pay), fences to maintain and repair, the list keeps going on. You will experience periods of fatigue during times when the farm needs you the most--be it mental or physical fatigue. Your muscles will ache, your head will ache, and there will be times when you wonder why in the heck did you get into the cattle business in the first place!
It can be Life Threatening, Dangerous Work...
When you experience fatigue or get complacent around machinery or livestock this can result in serious injuries or even death. It is so easy to get caught when you least expect it, and by the time you realize you're caught it's often too late. It can be as simple as forgetting to never step over a running PTO shaft, never turn your back on a seemingly docile bull, cut with your knife away from you, things like that. The best thing to ensure your survival and to keep all your limbs intact is to always be aware of your surroundings, know if and when you're feeling tired, never wear loose clothing around running machinery, and show the utmost respect to all bulls and new momma cows with their new calves. There is a whole list of farm-safety things I could lay out in this article, but I fear it will only take up more space than I intend and cause me to severely veer off track.
Regardless, bulls and cows must be respected and often not trusted either, no matter if you're working or managing a dairy or beef farm. Dairy bulls are especially dangerous and ones to never turn your back on. Beef bulls can be just as bad: at first they may seem quite gentle and docile, but they can turn on you with the slightest provocation. This is a concern if you haven't established dominance with them and if they don't respect you and your space. Hormones can play a large factor in a bull's aggressiveness. If a bull sees you as competition for his harem, he will come after you. If not, and sees you as just a two-legged human and not a two-legged bovine, then you should be safe, but don't take my word for it because who knows what goes through a bull's mind during breeding season!
Hormones are also a big factor in aggressiveness in cows. A cow's initial instincts when that calf hits the ground is for her to nurture, suckle and protect it with her life. This means that no other animal should come within ten yards (some more, some less) of her baby without her explicit permission!! To some she can attack without warning, but I can say I doubt that--they do give you a warning to stay away if you know what to look for. A curled lip, that cold gleam in her eye, head shaking, that sort of thing are body language signs to look for when she's telling you to stay away. Bulls also have their way of communicating that they're not tolerant of your presence too: showing their sides, arching their neck showing their size, head shaking, not acknowledging your presence at all (in other words, ignoring you) when you're in the pen with them, etc. These are all warning signs to either get out, or be prepared to stand your ground and make it known that you don't tolerate their behaviour towards you. Then be prepared to go through with your escape plan, if you have one.
It Takes Knowing a bit of Bovine Psychology
When raising cattle, you really have to know a fair bit about what cattle are telling you in order to tell if they're just being friendly, a nuisance, a threat, or a potential cull. Cattle that acknowledge your presence, and come up to you but keep their respective distance from you (except if you invite them) are friendly. Some of the friendly ones can also be the ones that don't ignore you but go back to what they were doing before you disrupted them can also be considered friendly. Even those that come running towards you when they see you--can be considered friendly, especially if you know them well enough to know when they come running like that it's to get fed, and not as to create a stampede! Cattle that get high-strung, high-headed and make a run for it every time you are around are ones that should be culled--cattle should keep their respective distance from you, but not go so far as to try jumping over the fence to get away from you! Sometimes these types of animals can be trained to be calmer around people, but there are times when this can be more vain than rewarding. Some cattle just can't be tamed and remain "wild."
Breeding, Calving, Weaning, Growing...
Though not applicable to backgrounding/stockering and feedlot operations, knowing the basics about breeding, calving and weaning is important. The gestation period of a cow or heifer averages around 285 days or just over 9 months. A cow or heifer as a 50% chance of giving birth to a bull calf or heifer calf when not bred via sexed semen (artificial insemination or natural service). Calves on cows can be weaned when they are around 6 to 10 months old. Dairy calves are taken away from their dams a day or two (sometimes less) after birth, but aren't weaned off the bottle until they're around 3 to 4 months old. Estrous period for cows and heifers is 21 days long and estrus or heat lasts 18 to 24 hours long. Majority of heifers are ready to be bred by the time they are around 15 months old. A bull is ready to breed by the time he's 12 months of age. Age of maturity for most cattle is around 3 to 4 years of age.
Calving and breeding periods will coincide, and the optimum length should be around 45 to 60 days. There is plenty of debate what time of year it is best to calve out cows, however a cow can be bred--and thus calve--at any time of the year. A cow can be bred either naturally--via a bull--or artificially--called artificial insemination via AI gun and semen straw.
Once the calf comes, the milk follows. The first milk a cow produces for her calf is called colostrum. After 48 hours she starts producing "normal" milk. Her highest nutritional requirements occur from late pregnancy to the third month of lactation. Her lowest is when she is dry and in her second trimester of pregnancy. Calves, once weaned, though, have different nutritional requirements--as they get older, protein requirements decrease.
Know What to Feed Them
Not all ranches and farms feed their cattle the same thing. This is probably where the greatest variations in how cattle are raised begins, and something which I can only cover briefly here. Essentially there are five types of feedstuffs that are fed to cattle: hay, silage, grain, alternative feeds, and pasture. The latter isn't exactly fed to cattle, but rather cattle are set to feed themselves. However, with the former four, each farm and ranch varies in how much and what of each is fed to their animals.
All dairy farms need to feed their dairy cows a mixed ration--called a TMR or Total Mixed Ration--of high-quality hay, silage and grain to meet their cows' nutritional requirements in protein, energy, calcium and phosphorus levels. The majority of hay fed to dairy cattle is comprised of alfalfa or clover and grasses like orchard grass and timothy. Silage--which is chopped up and fermented feed--is often of corn, since it has higher nutritional quality than barley or wheat. The grain portion of the TMR ration can be corn, barley or wheat, depending on what is more suitably grown in the area where the dairy farm is located.
As for beef farms, rations for cattle varies much more greatly than on your average dairy farms. There are three main enterprises involved in beef farming: cow-calf, backgrounding/stocker, and feedlot. The lowest-quality rations are given to cow-calf operations, and the highest-quality to feedlots. Cows on cow-calf operations often have no problem subsisting off of grass and hay, though some producers like to feed them grain and/or silage during the winter months. Backgrounding/stocker operations need to feed their calves so that they grow, so pasture, silage and good-quality hay is often fed. Feedlots finish cattle for slaughter, so an 85% grain-based "hot" ration is needed. The other 15% is comprised of roughage like silage.
All cattle need to be fed clean water and have access to mineral at all times. Beef producers feed their mineral to their cattle free-choice, sometimes mixed in with the feed. Dairy producers tend to have these minerals mixed in with the feed.
Where Are You Getting Your Feed From?
That's a big question to ask yourself if you intend on starting your own cattle farm. Basically you have two choices: Make your own, or purchase it. If you make your own, you need your own equipment and the time to make the feed. You may need the extra labour if it's required, depending on what type of feed you're making. Making your own feed may bite into your profits because it means more money spent on fuel and maintenance/repair costs. Purchasing feed has its risks too. Though you don't near half the machinery required for making your own feed, you still need a place to store it and risk the feed you're getting to be not as good quality feed as you want it to be. There may be health risks associated with the feed you purchase--the hay you get may have bits of metal or garbage in it, or the feed you purchased from your feed store may be contaminated with something that will kill your animals.
Machinery Needed On a Cattle Farm
You can literally have as little as only a couple pieces of machinery to as many as to make any agricultural machinery retailer business proud. I've known a couple cattle producers that only have a few pieces of equipment: a hay-hauler truck, a livestock trailer, and a four-wheeler ATV. A lot of other producers can get by just fine with a good tractor with a front-end loader, a baler, haybine or mower, a good truck, a livestock trailer, and the choice between using the four-wheeler ATV (I prefer to call a "quad") or a good cow horse. Many other cattle farmers need to have a lot more machinery than that: two to three tractors, a combine-harvester, several pieces of tillage machinery (disc, plow, cultivator, flexi-coil harrows, harrows, etc.), a few swathers, a few grain trucks, several grain augers, a forage harvester, a baler, a haybine, the list goes on. What type and how much of machinery you think you need to have (try not to think of it as "want") on your cattle farm will affect your bottom line and how you raise your animals.
Think of it this way: If you want to graze your cattle on pasture all year round, there will be a point in time where you will realize that the machinery you want isn't necessarily the same pieces of machinery you will need!!
Selasa, 08 Agustus 2017
Beef Cattle Aren't The Only Animals That Call Your Ranch Home
The early Spring is a time when we need to be thinking about our management practices as it pertains to row crop production, timber management, cattle production and a clean environment. Best Management Practices improves our quality of life, through the preservation of the land, which includes everything on it. I believe that cattlemen/women do the best job in fostering a clean environment, because we make our living on the land and we are part of it. We live here and we raise our children here -- A Cattleman's Story
There are a few terms that should be addressed, so that we all understand what we are facing as we plan to keep our environment clean.
1 Best Management Practices (BMP's) are defined as "the effective, realistic, structural or non-structural methods which prevent or reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants from the land to surface or ground water".
2 Non-point-source (NPS) pollution is water pollution affecting a water body from diffuse sources, such as polluted runoff from agricultural areas draining into a river, or wind-borne debris blowing out to the sea.
3 Point-source pollution (PSP) is water pollution from discharges occurring to a body of water at a single location, such as discharges from a factory, urban runoff from a roadway storm drain.
"Without clean ground water and surface water - we have nothing, so it pays to think about it and plan for making your farming/ranching operation part of the solution instead of the problem".
In cattle country, I have found that fencing off the riparian areas to cattle has improved our wetlands considerably. Cows prefer clean water and if given the choice will always seek out cleaner water sources for consumption. They tend to use stock tanks (ponds) for wading while cooling off in the summer months.
Other benefits to fencing off our riparian areas, to cattle, are the increase in available space for large/small game and non-game wildlife species, which includes:
Cleaner water
A larger variety of plant species - grasses, forbs and sedges
Hard and soft mast plant varieties
An increase in Small game mammals and Upland game bird populations using these areas for nesting sites, thermal cover, structure, feeding and the safe movement between habitats.
An increase in Large game mammals using these areas for bedding, cover, water, browse and a host of other purposes.
An increase in Non-game wildlife species and birds that utilize these areas for thermal protection, cover, structure, nesting sites, water and feeding.
Fish and crawfish can now be found in these riparian areas, where none had been before, in my lifetime.
Other BMP's include planting field borders around every parcel of row-crop land. This BMP goes a long way in reducing the movement of sediment, nutrients, pesticide and other forms of pollution into our ground water and surface water areas. Planting field borders are a simple way to make sure we are doing our part for a clean environment and that we are part of the overall solution.
Our field borders include the establishment and maintenance of native grasses, phorbs, leguminous plants and wildflowers that not only prevent NPS pollution, but provide the cover, structure, food, nesting sites and safe corridors, for a wide array of both game and non-game wildlife species. One other benefit, we enjoy with field borders, is the wildflowers in the spring are aesthetically appealing to every living thing. These field borders provide corridors for all game, non-game species and birds increasing their survival-ship.
Almost 30 years ago, we also took the less productive farm land out of production and planted food plots for big game browse, small game cover and habitat for birds; and all but eliminated erosion on these parcels of land. The only mechanical means we use to further improve these sites is with timely soil aeration. By aerating the soil we can increase soil tilth (water/nutrient/air balance) and water infiltration rates.
One other project we enjoy, on our ranch, is building bluebird houses. Since the 80's, almost every livestock operation, in our area, went to the widespread use of steel fence posts, which decreased the cavity nesting species of birds in our area, due to lack of suitable habitat.
To give back, what we un-intentionally took away; we build bluebird houses and have the only recorded population in our state.
What have our efforts accomplished?
1. Brought Quail back.
2. Improved the White-Tail Deer in our area
3. Brought in Beaver.
4. Brought in the non-migratory Canadian Geese
5. Brought in the Bald Eagle
6. Brought in Bluebirds by the hundreds. (only recorded population in our area)
7. Brought in the Wild Turkey
8. Brought in the Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk
9. Brought in the Osprey
10. Brought in Honeybees (without them we would have nothing)
11. Brought in the Mallard Duck
12. Brought in the Hummingbird
13. Brought in the Great Blue Heron
14. Brought in Mourning Dove
15. Brought in the Anhinga
16. Brought in the Great Horned Owl
17. Brought in a great assortment of small game species
18. Brought in the Black Bear
19. Brought back native threatened wetland plants
20. Brought in the Gopher Tortoise
Beef Cattle Aren't The Only Animals That Call Your Ranch > Home
The early Spring is a time when we need to be thinking about our management practices as it pertains to row crop production, timber management, cattle production and a clean environment. Best Management Practices improves our quality of life, through the preservation of the land, which includes everything on it. I believe that cattlemen/women do the best job in fostering a clean environment, because we make our living on the land and we are part of it.
There are a few terms that should be addressed, so that we all understand what we are facing as we plan to keep our environment clean.
1 Best Management Practices (BMP's) are defined as "the effective, realistic, structural or non-structural methods which prevent or reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants from the land to surface or ground water".
2 Non-point-source (NPS) pollution is water pollution affecting a water body from diffuse sources, such as polluted runoff from agricultural areas draining into a river, or wind-borne debris blowing out to the sea.
3 Point-source pollution (PSP) is water pollution from discharges occurring to a body of water at a single location, such as discharges from a factory, urban runoff from a roadway storm drain.
"Without clean ground water and surface water - we have nothing, so it pays to think about it and plan for making your farming/ranching operation part of the solution instead of the problem".
In cattle country, I have found that fencing off the riparian areas to cattle has improved our wetlands considerably. Cows prefer clean water and if given the choice will always seek out cleaner water sources for consumption. They tend to use stock tanks (ponds) for wading while cooling off in the summer months.
Other benefits to fencing off our riparian areas, to cattle, are the increase in available space for large/small game and non-game wildlife species, which includes:
Cleaner water
A larger variety of plant species - grasses, forbs and sedges
Hard and soft mast plant varieties
An increase in Small game mammals and Upland game bird populations using these areas for nesting sites, thermal cover, structure, feeding and the safe movement between habitats.
An increase in Large game mammals using these areas for bedding, cover, water, browse and a host of other purposes.
An increase in Non-game wildlife species and birds that utilize these areas for thermal protection, cover, structure, nesting sites, water and feeding.
Fish and crawfish can now be found in these riparian areas, where none had been before, in my lifetime.
Other BMP's include planting field borders around every parcel of row-crop land. This BMP goes a long way in reducing the movement of sediment, nutrients, pesticide and other forms of pollution into our ground water and surface water areas. Planting field borders are a simple way to make sure we are doing our part for a clean environment and that we are part of the overall solution.
Our field borders include the establishment and maintenance of native grasses, phorbs, leguminous plants and wildflowers that not only prevent NPS pollution, but provide the cover, structure, food, nesting sites and safe corridors, for a wide array of both game and non-game wildlife species. One other benefit, we enjoy with field borders, is the wildflowers in the spring are aesthetically appealing to every living thing. These field borders provide corridors for all game, non-game species and birds increasing their survival-ship.
Almost 30 years ago, we also took the less productive farm land out of production and planted food plots for big game browse, small game cover and habitat for birds; and all but eliminated erosion on these parcels of land. The only mechanical means we use to further improve these sites is with timely soil aeration. By aerating the soil we can increase soil tilth (water/nutrient/air balance) and water infiltration rates.
One other project we enjoy, on our ranch, is building bluebird houses. Since the 80's, almost every livestock operation, in our area, went to the widespread use of steel fence posts, which decreased the cavity nesting species of birds in our area, due to lack of suitable habitat.
To give back, what we un-intentionally took away; we build bluebird houses and have the only recorded population in our state.
What have our efforts accomplished?
1. Brought Quail back.
2. Improved the White-Tail Deer in our area
3. Brought in Beaver.
4. Brought in the non-migratory Canadian Geese
5. Brought in the Bald Eagle
6. Brought in Bluebirds by the hundreds. (only recorded population in our area)
7. Brought in the Wild Turkey
8. Brought in the Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk
9. Brought in the Osprey
10. Brought in Honeybees (without them we would have nothing)
11. Brought in the Mallard Duck
12. Brought in the Hummingbird
13. Brought in the Great Blue Heron
14. Brought in Mourning Dove
15. Brought in the Anhinga
16. Brought in the Great Horned Owl
17. Brought in a great assortment of small game species
18. Brought in the Black Bear
19. Brought back native threatened wetland plants
20. Brought in the Gopher Tortoise
Beef Cattle Aren't The Only Animals That Call Your Ranch > Home
The early Spring is a time when we need to be thinking about our management practices as it pertains to row crop production, timber management, cattle production and a clean environment. Best Management Practices improves our quality of life, through the preservation of the land, which includes everything on it. I believe that cattlemen/women do the best job in fostering a clean environment, because we make our living on the land and we are part of it.
Sabtu, 15 Juli 2017
Texas Farm and Ranch Insurance - Tips for Finding the Right Coverage at the Right Price!
If you are searching for Texas Farm and Ranch Insurance, chances are you know that your property has a highly specific set of insurance requirements. Dealing with a seasoned professional that is well versed in this field of insurance can help you get a comprehensive policy that covers all of your specific needs. Coverage is available for cattle ranches, dairy farms, commercial growers, Horse Farms, Estate Farms, Family Farms & Ranches, Homes located on a few acres and much more. And because farming and ranching is a way of life, a comprehensive policy can get you coverage to insure your personal assets as well. It can seem like an overwhelming process, but with the right agent, you'll feel good about your coverage selections.
Finding an insurance provider that offers an array of policies and coverage with payment options tailored for your needs can help make the insurance process pleasant and easy. A qualified agent can educate you regarding policies that cover your farming equipment, livestock, machinery, crops, saddles and tack, ATV's, barns, shops, fencing and more. If an accident happens, you want to feel confident that all aspects of your home and business are covered. Your agent can help you choose from special endorsements that cover the items you need covered.
An insurance agent that works closely with you to help you decide what you need to cover and how much coverage is ample for you needs is a necessity. Your provider should understand that as a farm or ranch owner, your insurance needs go beyond traditional home insurance policy coverage. If you are a dairy farmer, for example, and an unexpected event contaminates all your milk for distribution, the loss can mean a financial catastrophe for your family. Having the proper coverage can give you peace of mind in an unfortunate event like this.
Professional insurers understand that what you do is a way of life. And because they are sensitive to that fact, they will work hard to get you policies with the highest rating, the most comprehensive coverage and the most reasonable prices. Irrigation systems, theft of livestock, death of livestock due to a collision, income loss, broken farming equipment and farm liability must be kept in mind. These are all aspects of your life and livelihood that traditional home owners don't need to worry about. But you do. Whether it's the tractor or the whole farm you are looking to insure, Texas Farm and Ranch Insurance will make sure you're covered in your time of need.
Finding an insurance provider that offers an array of policies and coverage with payment options tailored for your needs can help make the insurance process pleasant and easy. A qualified agent can educate you regarding policies that cover your farming equipment, livestock, machinery, crops, saddles and tack, ATV's, barns, shops, fencing and more. If an accident happens, you want to feel confident that all aspects of your home and business are covered. Your agent can help you choose from special endorsements that cover the items you need covered.
An insurance agent that works closely with you to help you decide what you need to cover and how much coverage is ample for you needs is a necessity. Your provider should understand that as a farm or ranch owner, your insurance needs go beyond traditional home insurance policy coverage. If you are a dairy farmer, for example, and an unexpected event contaminates all your milk for distribution, the loss can mean a financial catastrophe for your family. Having the proper coverage can give you peace of mind in an unfortunate event like this.
Professional insurers understand that what you do is a way of life. And because they are sensitive to that fact, they will work hard to get you policies with the highest rating, the most comprehensive coverage and the most reasonable prices. Irrigation systems, theft of livestock, death of livestock due to a collision, income loss, broken farming equipment and farm liability must be kept in mind. These are all aspects of your life and livelihood that traditional home owners don't need to worry about. But you do. Whether it's the tractor or the whole farm you are looking to insure, Texas Farm and Ranch Insurance will make sure you're covered in your time of need.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)