Friesian Cows - Facts And Figures

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With the definitive origins of Friesian cows being undetermined, the traces of the breed have been tracked back to Jutland where herds of cows with the characteristic black and white colourations grazed the fields. These Friesians were imported into Holland in the 1700's to replace fallen stock that became victim of floods and disease. This stock was then cross bred with the remaining Dutch cattle to form the beginnings of what is now recognised as Friesians, which became the mainstay of stock in the modern world. However, during the mid-1900's in the United States, the popularity of this breed declined as emphasis was placed on the purity of colour.

The common place breeding of Friesians with Holsteins has resulted in the majority of modern breed being a cross-breed, which is perfectly suited as a grazing animal which is adaptable for a wide range of grassland while exhibiting high levels of lactation over sustained periods. Being selectively bred over hundreds of years, this breed are now the preferred dairy cow in New Zealand and as a result, there are a number of reputable agents that specialise in Friesian cows for sale.

The typical characteristic of these cattle are the two patched colour types, being either white and black or white and red. Being similar size to the Holstein breed, Friesian cows for sale in New Zealand have become the mainstay of the New Zealand dairy industry exhibiting high protein levels, higher fat levels as well elevated lactation levels and frequency. Additionally, they are renown for their ability to calve more frequently, calve more often in their lifetime, require less replacements, have lower cell counts and exceed other breeds in respect to the quality of milk produced. As a result, Friesian cows for sale in New Zealand are noted for their high lifetime yields, high quality and lean meat they deliver as well as the superior milk they produce.

With the need to increase dairy productivity, farmers are coming under increasing pressure to get the most out of their land. The use of fertilisers, feed additives and other performance enhancing methods are now commonplace in an effort to increase lactose production, calving and productivity per acre. The quality of the stock on the farms is one of the key factors in increasing this production, with the ability of the stock to effectively react to these inputs. Friesian cows are renowned for the ability to positively react to these farming investments, and as a result, are always in high demand within the New Zealand dairy industry.

Kelly Livestock is the largest independently owned livestock Company in the Taranaki Region. If you are looking for cattle, dairy cows / herds for sale take a look at Friesian Cows for sale online here: http://www.cows4sale.co.nz/

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Aronia Planting Guide Part VI - Pruning, Pest, Landscaping, Harvesting, and Yields

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Pruning

After establishment, the oldest stems should be pruned to ground in late dormant season. Restrict bush height & increase bushiness by cutting back upright stems.

After berries have dropped or been harvested prune to shape the plant. Pruning the Aronia plants while the plants are young will also encourage branching. The best time to prune is in the late winter or spring before growth starts. By pruning in the early spring just before growth starts. This means there is only a short time before new growth begins and for the wound sealing process to take place. It does not seriously harm plants in the long run to cut plants back so that they may produce a dense growth of new shoots This is called "pollarding". As the plants grow larger prune to thin the plant so all parts of the plant receive sunlight.

Pest

Japanese beetles and other insect pests generally will leave the aronia plants alone. Blueberry Croft farm and nursery has not had problems with Japanese beetles.

For long-term pest management, a good defense against Japanese beetle involves improving the soil in your property so that the beneficial micro organisms that live there are active and numerous. The micro organisms eat Japanese beetle eggs under the grass in around plant roots. Mulching and using aerated compost tea made using worm casting is a good approach to improving your soil and the number of beneficial micro organisms in the soil.

Aronia berries are more resistant to microbial invasion than other fruits.

Aronia berries will provide food for deer; rabbits and songbirds in the fall after the berries are fully ripe if left unpicked. Before they are fully ripe they are so bitter that songbirds will avoid them.

In summary the major pest are as follows

DeerRabbitsSongbirds (in the fall after fruit is ripe)Japanese beetles (usually not a problem)A few maggots from Spotted Wing Drosphila have found in a few berries in some sites. A possible solution is to try putting some traps with molasses, brewer's yeast, etc to try to lower populations around Aronia and other berry plants.

Landscaping

The practice of growing aronia as a landscape plant is increasing. One of the reasons is because it can handle both wet and dry soil in addition to being a very ornamental plant. It is attractive in each season and not effected by most diseases and pests. These are outstanding landscape plants. They have attractive white flowers in the spring and beautiful glossy green leaves all summer long. The dark berries in the fall at the end of the year and are a plus by providing healthy fruit.

Their ability to withstand wet situations makes aronia plants appropriate for growing along the edges of ponds, streams or other similar conditions. Aronia works well as a riverbank stabilizer, or in fields in the path of water runs to control erosion or in any large-scale planting in which a growing mass is needed. Aronia plants are especially useful in roadside ditches or a moist low tract of land that is a natural landscape feature or a human-created one. Consider using the cultivar Nero if you enjoy seeing heavy production of larger and longer lasting black fruits on a more compact plant 3 to 4 feet tall. If youare planning to have a productive plantation with high-quality fruit Nero or the taller growing Viking plants are good choices.

Harvesting

For more than 1/2 to 1 acre mechanical harvesting is more efficient, faster and less costly than hand harvesting.

Aronia fruit stay good for a relative long period of time and can be stored unharmed in the containers even for a few days. "This means they can also be shipped to customers' right after picking without refrigeration. This is a significant opportunity and benefit because it also makes it possible to deliver the fruit harvested from a large area to the processing facility all at the same time.

The processing of fresh aronia is not hard to accomplish. Although the fruit is soft their shock-resistance allows them to be stored for a longer time than other more fragile berries.

Fruit Yields

The second year after planting 2-year-old nursery aronia plants in the field they usually are reported to produce about 2 pound of fruit per plant. The third year after planting in the field they are reported to produce about 10 pounds of fruit per plant. The four to fifth year after planting they are reported to yields about 20 pounds of fruit per plant. Fruit production is reported to be as high as 35 pounds per mature plant. In terms of the growth of aronia plants the saying is "First they sleep, then they creep and then they leap".

At 20 pounds per plant, 1000 plants per acre would be expected to produce 20,000 pounds of berries.

Purchase your pesticide free aronia and blueberries from (Blueberry Croft Farm and Nursery). We understand both the theory and practical applications of growing aronia and blueberries. The farm is a reputable source for quality aronia and blueberry plants. Over 30 varieties of blueberries are grown and sold. Viking aronia plants are available for sale. Purchase your plants and get more information from http://www.blueberrycroft.com/. Get free S/H on orders of $75+. © 2011 May be reproduced in entirety with live link

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Biodynamic Vs Organic In Farming, Agriculture, And Food Production: Yield And Resilience

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This article explores the distinction between organic and biodynamic agriculture. Most people are more familiar with the term "organic", when applied to food or farming, as this term has entered the mainstream. The term "biodynamic" is less familiar, although it is most familiar in the area of wine. Both of these systems of farming aim to promote sustainability by reducing the use of synthetic, chemical inputs which can potentially be harmful to the environment and to human health. However, as this article explains below, biodynamic agriculture goes a lot farther than organics towards achieving this goal.

Both organic and biodynamic have certification systems:

Biodynamic certification is carried out primarily through a single organization, called Demeter International, an umbrella organization that has member organizations in the individual countries where certification is carried out. Because the certification is run by a single organization, biodynamic certification is more standardized globally than organic certification.

Organic certification is run by a variety of different agencies. In most industrialized countries, including the U.S., Canada, the European Union, and Japan, the organic label is defined and regulated by the government. In other countries, organic certification can be carried out by non-profit organizations. Because there are different certifying agencies in different countries, the standards for organic certification differ. However, there are still some basic similarities in common between these different systems.

Biodynamic goes above and beyond organic certification:

The core idea of organic certification boils down to one idea: avoiding the use of synthetic chemical inputs, which can include herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers like ammonia- or nitrate-based fertilizers. In this respect, organic agriculture is defined more in the negative than the positive sense: organic certification specifies what a farmer cannot do, but does less in terms of specifying good or healthy approaches to agriculture. Because organic certification does not specify much more than some restrictions on what farmers cannot do, there are many different ways of realizing organic farming.

Some organic farms stick to the letter of organic certification, following all the requirements and rules, but while maintaining the same fundamental approach of industrialized agriculture, using mass-production of crops in large monocultures, and applying fertilizers and herbicides or pesticides as one does in modern industrial farming, with the only change being the use of mixtures allowed under the organic certification systems. The gains of this sort of approach, from a sustainability standpoint, are minimal.

Biodynamic agriculture, on the other hand, takes a more holistic approach. In biodynamic agriculture, the farm is viewed as an ecosystem. Biodynamics, like organics, avoids chemical treatments, but goes even farther, promoting decentralization of production, using cover crops, crop rotation, livestock manure, composting, and open pollination combined with seed saving Each of these practices provides benefits in terms of sustainability, both creating a more positive environmental impact, and increasing the resilience of the farming operation.

The effects and yield of biodynamic agriculture vs conventional organic farming:

There are not many studies comparing biodynamic agriculture to organic-certified factory farming. However, there is a lot of research comparing biodynamic farming to conventional (non-organic) farming, and this research seems to find a common trend, which is that biodynamic farming results in slightly lower crop yields, but greatly increased soil quality and lessened environmental impact. Furthermore, biodynamic operations tend to be much more resilient to disturbances, such as changing environmental conditions or unusual weather or climate fluctuations. This is likely due to the use of ecological principles such as diversification and use of open-pollination and seed saving. And in the case of biodynamic wine, a specific topic that has been studied more, there is some evidence that the biodynamic practices result in greater quality of the grapes.

In summary:

Biodynamic agriculture goes above and beyond organic agriculture in embracing ecological principles. Biodynamic certification is more standardized than organic certification. Biodynamic farming results in lower crop yields, but greater resilience in the face of changing conditions, and a more positive impact on the environment.

Alex Zorach is the founder and editor-in-chief of RateTea, an online community where anyone can rate and review teas, with a searchable database of teas and herbal teas, classified by brand, style, and region. RateTea has a wealth of information about tea, health, sustainability, and related topics. Visit RateTea to learn more about organic tea production, or to read about other topics pertaining to tea production.

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Keeping Livestock Cool During Extreme Heat

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Having animals to care for in an environment that is becoming hotter can be extremely taxing. The National Weather Service has said that more than 1,000 heat records have been set or tied this last summer across the nation! Excessive heat warnings have been issued for much of the Central and Eastern United States through the summer months with temperatures having been forecast above 100 degrees, combined with humidity that could make it feel as hot as 115!

Veterinarians say farmers should do what they can to keep their animals out of direct sunlight and provide them with water - both inside and out. Although shade trees help livestock, and so does a breeze - provided there is one, keeping animals cool beyond these natural measures will be critical for farmers and handlers.

Large-scale farms, which face additional challenges with some animals housed in close quarters and unable to naturally cool off can typically use fans and water misting systems to keep animals from overheating during the peak hours of the daytime temperatures. Here's a few general tips to help keep your livestock cool when the mercury rises:

Try to choose heritage breed livestock that are better suited to your climate, less prone to illness, stress are just hardier in general.Shade is critical. Always make sure your pastures have adequate shade. There needs to be enough that your entire herd can lounge comfortably!Make sure all your animals have access to cool water and are sufficiently hydrated.Grass is cooler than dirt - animals on pasture remain cooler than ones in feedlots.Make sure pigs/hogs have mud wallows or water to cool down in as they do not use sweat as a cooling mechanism like other mammals.Make sure that caged or penned animals have plenty of ventilation.Rabbits are extremely susceptible to heat - frozen bottles of water or ice packs in their cages or runs can help significantly.When livestock are trying to metabolize their core temperature is increased - so feeding animals in the morning or evening is better than during the hottest part of the day.Provide pastured livestock with appropriate minerals to compensate for what they lose.Avoid working livestock or moving herds during the heat of the day.

Considering the staggering amount of livestock that can be lost in serious heatwave conditions - having an Environmental Alarm and Control System to monitor environmental conditions, offer alarm notifications, alarm history reviews, and remote control capabilities can be essential for many farmers and handlers.

Whether monitoring temperature, humidity levels, unauthorized entry, water seepage, power or HVAC system failure, Environmental Alarm and Control Systems have been used and trusted on large scale farms and hobby farms alike for years. These units keep watch around the clock - calling you with reports in the event of a problem. You can also call in to the units any time for a status report.

Considering the cost of significant loses - it only makes sense to have precautionary measures in place. The weather should never be under estimated - always be prepared. Most importantly, whether you do it personally or use modern techno keep an eye on your livestock for signs that the heat is becoming overwhelming. Despite the fact that we'd rather sit in the AC or the pool, it is important to regularly check on our livestock!

Renée Laurin
Absolute Automation Inc.
http://www.absoluteautomation.com/

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Benefits Of Using Tractors In Modern Farming And Agriculture

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A tractor is a farming vehicle traditionally used to mechanise agricultural tasks such as tillage. However, the tractor has come a long way since its humble beginning as a steam engine on wheels during the early 19th century. Today, tractors are used for ploughing, tilling and planting fields. Modern tractors can be used for a variety of tasks including routine lawn care, landscape maintenance, moving or spreading fertiliser and clearing bushes.

Whether you own a small farm or would simply like to work on your lawn and garden, you will find that using a tractor will make these chores easier for you. In this article, we discuss the top advantages of using tractors to mechanise your farming, gardening or even excavating tasks.

Wide Range

There is a wide range of tractors available today, each suitable for a specific task. If you need to work on a large garden or an extensive area of field or pasture, a subcompact or compact tractor will fit heavy duty landscaping jobs and tasks like digging, hauling or ploughing. A subcompact tractor is a smaller version of a compact tractor. It has the power and versatility to perform a large range of gardening tasks including mowing, moving mulch and tilling gardens. A compact tractor is a smaller version of the utility tractor and is ideal for landscaping tasks. Subcompact and compact tractors have a horsepower that ranges from 15hp to 40hp.

If you have a small farm and need to mechanise more complex farming tasks, then you will need a utility tractor. Utility tractors come in different models and offer a horsepower that ranges from 45hp to 110hp. Utility tractors are also known as diesel tractors because diesel is typically used to fuel these large tractors. There is also a wide range of farming implements that can be attached to utility tractors to help you accomplish a variety of tough jobs on the farm.

Versatility

Tractors are now designed and manufactured to be versatile so that a single tractor can perform a wide range of tasks. For instance, a compact tractor can accomplish tasks that range from gardening to simple farming jobs. You can also attach implements to a compact tractor such as front loaders or back hoes to perform an even wider range of jobs.

Power and durability

Tractors are also typically designed to run over rough terrain and pull extremely heavy loads. The engine generates a large amount of force to get the tractor to run and perform its tasks, making it effective in tough farming or landscape tasks. Modern tractors also come with cast iron front axles for extra strength and durability, so you can rely on your tractor to perform under tough conditions.

Ease of transmission and operation

You might find a manual transmission on a tractor difficult to use, but features of modern tractors such as powershift transmission and hydrostatic transmission make operation much easier. Powershift transmission facilitates smooth shifting through 8 gears in low range and 8 gears in high range while hydrostatic transmission allows for effortless changes in direction. Modern tractors also provide power steering to make turning much easier. Some more advanced models are also able to reduce operator fatigue with exclusive shift controls and an automatically responsive transmission.

Ease of installing gardening and farming implements

A variety of gardening and farming implements including a front end loader attachment or a back hoe can be installed on to a tractor, so that it can perform a wider range of tasks. A tractor may have three-point hitches and a power take-off or PTO. A three-point hitch attaches an implement, secures it in place and also lifts and lowers the implement. The PTO is a shaft that goes from the tractor to the implement and transfers the tractor's engine power to it. Gardening and farming implements are considered heavy equipment so make sure you have the appropriate knowledge and training before you install and use it.

This article was written by Tom Jerrat for Boya Equipment. Boya Equipment is the leading Kubota and Schaffer Loaders dealership in Perth, Australia. They also provide machines including tractors, loaders, generators, mowers and utility vehicles. Please visit boyaequip.com.au for more information.

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Planning and Building a Chain Link Fence

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Chain Link Fencing for Farming and Land Management

The use of different fence types to control one's farm and livestock venture should be regarded closely. A fence design that is both intelligently and practically thought out will support ongoing farm activities and circumvent future obstacles that could result from an ill-conceived layout. Chain link fencing is used to secure and separate livestock, maintain pasture boundaries and most importantly, protect livestock from predators and thieves.

Chain link or wire fencing is an economical fencing fashioned from galvanized, coated steel wire that is linked into a diamond or zig-zag pattern by hooking the neighboring wires to each other. This process is called weaving or spiraling; the galvanizing of the steel wire helps ward off corrosion, though a chain link fence will eventually rust if it stands long enough. This construction yields a crumple-proof barrier that requires an immense effort to compromise, though it can still be cut with a pair of heavy-duty steel cutters. In the farming industry, a chain link fence is also popularly called a chicken wire fence.

Chain link fences are purchased in rolls from three to twelve feet tall; a fifty foot length is also standard for delivery and mobility. Such segments can be acquired for inexpensive amounts, less than four or five hundred dollars on average, and less for large purchases. A small fee can be added to any section for added slats for privacy, though many individuals eliminate this charge by doing it on-site, post-installation. Single person fence gates can run as little as fifty dollars, while a double-gate to accommodate a vehicle can range from five hundred to one thousand dollars. If an underestimation has occurred, the acquisition of more fence sections is a non-issue.

Wire fencing is widely used and itself is utilized in different permutations. An electric fence is used more as an offensive measure than a defensive one. Electricity is always a surefire deterrent against predators, vandals and thieves. Livestock train very quickly when it comes to the avoidance of the hot wiring. Electric fences can also be independently facilitated so that the entire farm or land perimeter is not necessarily always electrified. Additionally, the uppermost fence beam can be topped with hot wires or barbed wire to also deter the aforementioned threats, but certain larger predators - members of the large cat, wolf and bear family - have more of an instinctive drive to hunt and kill and may still penetrate the defense.

How to make a chain link fence is less important than where to make a chain link fence. Since chain link sections are easily raised and gated or extended to lengthen and secure parcels or land or livestock area, areas should be predesignated for free roaming, breeding, catching and movement - the latter is usually facilitated through alleyways or narrow areas between pens typically ten or twelve feet wide. Again, where to lay the perimeter is as important as how to make a chain link fence, and use of satellite perfectly demonstrates this. A satellite overview can reveal hilly and flat areas and potential watercourse ways better than any other method short of borrowing a low-flying aircraft and taking blurry photographs.

For decades, chain link fencing has proved itself to be an ever-reliable economical and practical resource for farming and land management. Chain link fencing is in and of itself a concept that promotes commerce and progression within the farm and land industries. Thanks to perimeter planning with free satellite imagery resources wire fence installation and maintenance has never been easier.

http://www.costmyfence.com/ is a free online resource that allows farmers and land managers to plan, estimate and budget for their fences. Simply mark out your fence's boundary on the online imagery, click on print and a full plan showing pole distances, fence runs and build lists is provided. Chain link fencing costs are also provided.

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6 Ways to Recruit Talent in the Agriculture Industry

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A major agriculture company recently complained to me that they had over 3000 jobs to fill in the Midwest and they could not find trained talent who were willing to take these jobs.

I know this might sound crazy if you are someone looking for a job or if you are in an industry where you are laying people off rather than having jobs to fill. However the media doesn't report on the jobs that are available they are more likely to report on the loss of jobs in America.

As a consultant and trainer in the agriculture industry (I grew up on a working farm so I have first hand knowledge of the mentality of agriculture people) I told the CEO on the phone that they had a PR problem. Interestingly about two weeks later there was news media coverage on CNN about jobs available in the agriculture industry.

There are a number of reasons why recruiting and retention is a challenge in the agriculture industry such as younger generations like Generation Y (those in their 20's) are shying away from labor jobs and are more attracted to technological fields and that Generation X (those in their 30's) do not want to be away from their families for long periods of time and thirdly that Zoomers (Baby boomers 50 and to about 28) are retiring.

But these reasons do not have to be seen as a negative when looking to recruit and retain specifically for the agriculture industry, rather there is an opportunity to focus and 'sell' the positives to each of the demographics so that we are providing custom lifestyle values that will entice talent to the industry.

Here are 6 ways to recruit in the agriculture industry:

#1- Build your recruitment campaigns around the values of each of the generations. For example driving a tractor today is very different than it used to be. Today's equipment is tricked out with the latest technology- users can access the web, use auto functions and have increased safety. This needs to be communicated to Generation Y's who can accept repetitive work tasks (like driving a tractor) if they are told about the positives. They can access Facebook or they can work mornings and afternoon and evenings free or some days they will be working 14 hours but they can work in a season and make as much money as they might make in a year at another job.

#2- Look at the communities and what they offer younger generations and families. Recently in Entrepreneur magazine (October 2011) there was an article about two Generation X agriculture employees who found that there was nothing for them to do outside of work in their small town, nor were their family activities that appealed to today's tech savvy kids. They set out to create weekly Wii and X Box championship gatherings and they set up a Web Cafe for brainstorming and sharing tech resources. An opportunity for an agriculture company is to find ways to add value and enhance the communities where they employ workers.

#3- Look for industries with similar values when recruiting- with many military workers returning home they are an ideal talent resource. Those who have worked in the military are typically disciplined, willing to work hard and are used to being away from family for periods of time.

#4- An obvious yet underused recruitment tool is referral incentives. Your existing talent pool is the perfect place to solicit for more workers that are exactly like them. Encourage your employees to use social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Linked In to reach out to their circles of influence to engage and invite their peers to join the agriculture industry.

#5- Use media more vigorously- You Tube is the 2nd highest search engine on the Internet- research shows that we are all drawn to video as a communication tool more than any other medium. Create modern, edgy and values focused video to tell your agriculture company story and to engage and invite talent to apply for jobs in your company. Video tape your happy workers of all ages and have them tell their story as to why they love the agriculture industry. Every one of your websites should have engaging video on your home page and on your recruitment pages.

#6- Once you have recruited you need to make sure you retain them. Most generation Y's will only stick around with any employer for a maximum of three years. Rather than see this as disloyal- see it as an opportunity to keep them for as long as you can. Positive on boarding strategies are crucial to increase retention as are recognition, rewards and good leadership. If companies are not focused on retention strategies then they will find themselves constantly recruiting because of high turnover.

It is an exciting time for the agriculture industry in 2011 and beyond- it's a great problem to have so many jobs available that other industries would love to have!

In order to recruit and retain for the agriculture industry we need to integrate what has worked in the past with new strategies that include technology, modifying hours and the way we work and matching what workers want with what your company can provide.

Cheryl is the President of Synthesis at Work Inc. and an internationally renowned keynote speaker. She provides practical tools and creative strategies for CEO's and their leaders to increase leadership skill that helps to recruit and retain top talent. Cheryl has worked in the agriculture industry for a number of years and grew up on a working farm in Saskatchewan Canada. http://www.cherylcran.com/

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Vertical Farming and 21st Century Social Paradigm Shift

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How vertical farms illustrate the emerging post-scarcity societal architecture

A very optimistic story emerges when one looks at statistics concerning material activity of historically influential countries in the world today.

COUNTRY_________AGRICULTURE______INDUSTRY__________SERVICES
__________________(GDP %)(Occupation%)____(GDP %) (OCP%)_____(GDP %) (OCP%)
United States_______1.1%____0.7%_________22.1%__20.3%_________76.8 %_79.1%
China_____________10.2%___38.1%________46.9%__27.8%__________43%__34.1%
Germany___________2.4%____0.9%_________29.7%__27.8%_________67.8%_73.1%
UK_______________0.7%___1.4%_________21.8%__18.2%_________77.5%_80.4%
Japan_____________1.4%____3.9%_________24.9%__26.2%_________73.8%__69.8%
Russia____________4%______10%__________36.8%__31.9%_________59.1%_58.1%

As can be seen, vast majority of humanity are being gradually liberated from heavy toil and will be allowed to dedicate their lives to self-actualization. Dramatic rise in individuals dedicated solely to self improvement will regionalize, nationalize, and then globalize the same atmosphere of creativity, other centered activism, and solidarity that only existed on elite college campuses in the past. Currently, middle and even some lower class youths throughout the world are approaching the same level of psychic development as existed among their brethren in Ivy League schools in the 1960s. This time around they have superior numbers within their age group and the silent minority will either have to zip it or secede.

In 20th century, there used to be a 1-2 generation developmental lag between the various classes but the speed with which this lag is closing is accelerating. For example, we can see how people partying it up in places like Bushwick are rather similar to children of the rich in the 1920s when it comes to mannerisms, diversity of tastes, sexual exploration, and relationship patterns. There is even emulation of the hideous decadent art that results from disenchantment with hedonism, lack of societal vision from above, and inability to deal with nihilism (just visit most galleries in NYC you'll see). The rate at which musical and party trends from underground venues in trend setting cities find their way to small cities around the world is rapidly becoming exponential.

The Internet allows the type of autodidactic learning that the leisurely aristocrats of old could only dream about. Since the brain can only develop so much, we'll increasingly see individuals from below the social hierarchy catch up and even overshoot those on top. Dramatically increased resource sharing will then have to be made to preserve social stability. New institutional frameworks (to streamline the budding noocracy) will emerge. Rising mass popularity of events like TED conferences are a hint of things to come. Conversely, if you're a pessimist watch this (UK and US will show other key nations what mistakes to avoid in the transition).

Agricultural Sector

Efficiency of American agricultural sector is incredible considering how much is left over for the export market. Once the biggest companies within this sector are taken over and properly managed by the public, they'll be able to provide oceans of high quality organic food at virtually zero cost while continuing to need less and less workers to operate. One need not even mention the reform of currently homicidal subsidies to not grow. Eventually, after sufficient automation, the global farmer population will dip to less than 1% of 7-9 billion humans (not counting amateurish micro-industry hobby farmers).
Current popular trend of grass roots farm redecentralization and localism is the product of the economic crisis and decades of inefficiency within suburban living (that requires very long energy expensive transport and chemical saturation to mummify/preserve the food). Such decentralization can be accomplished from the top down with competent management. For instance, central regional or national governments can tackle such classic corporate villains like Monsanto and Dole Food Company by:

1) Having their various headquarters raided simultaneously and all their physical and financial assets frozen
2) All their employees kept in place, wages increased, cooperative profit/product sharing introduced, and flatter directly democratic worker management introduced (to maintain technical talent)
3) Splitting key hyperindustrialized mega farms into however many parts are desired, mass constructing new smaller farms near or within the cities, and putting the smaller farms under local city, county, or state management (see below)

Rather than most people fleeing the cities to escape oppression and becoming farmers (ex: Rome well into its decline), we'll eventually see large entities taking advantage of economies of scale and rapidly mass constructing vertical farms to localize food deep inside the urban zones. Skyscraper farms will be a service and a fixture under local popular control the way police stations and libraries are. One must remember that current agricultural tech is so advanced that it allows us to easily feed a population of 50 billion humans. In effect, food is and will be recognized as a "too cheap to meter" utility and its delivery will be akin to the post office.

Industrial Sector

Similarly, heavy industry leaders like Germany and Japan continue to export highest quality infrastructural components while their actual sectors "shrink". In reality of course (as agri monopolists show) a sector can and does expand greatly while requiring less operators (brief hiring boosts from inventions like cotton gin notwithstanding). A good illustration is North Korea whose industrial sector is vast majority of its economy, is even higher than China, yet is laughable in its production. Meanwhile leaders like Tokyo and Berlin are increasingly paying attention to robotic development. Success will be measured in ability of making bigger and bigger objects while requiring less primate caloric expenditures. For instance, if it used to take say, 10,000 primates to make 1 jumbo jet airplane, in the future 5,000 primates should be able to construct a super jumbo spaceship. Once again, the public must provide the guidance to this process.

We can now see that agricultural sector is about to be reclassified since its destiny is to be fully integrated into the industrial sector. The fascistic corporate kleptocracy that English speakers live under has given a bad name to industrialized farming the way North Korea gives bad name to socialism. One just has to compare the quality of product that highly mechanized Swedish farms make to food in a local Wall Mart. As mentioned above, high tech factories churning out hyper clean and organic food product within efficient 3 dimensional space is something to be embraced. No need to revert to subsistence peasant digging in the dirt to get quality food in the 21st century (I can't believe I actually had to type that sentence).

Now is a good time to clarify a prior article titled Post-industrial Society=Beyond Idiocy. The point of the article was not to deny that we're headed towards a civilization where less people are involved in industrial production. The point was to counter the current pathetic Western neo-Luddite anti industrial outlook that is emerging. As mentioned above, as majority of the young intelligentsia today are becoming similar (in psychology and ability) to the leaders of 1960s social movements, they are partially re-embracing the hatred of "large scary dirty factories". As they are about to re-discover Marxism (by some other name, possibly within the Zeitgeist movement framework or its spin offs), there is a danger of further slow down in heavy industry development and even rougher transition within Western space. One just has to look at how these people killed the nuclear industry in North America. In a decent society, political leaders calling for infrastructural stagnation would be impeached.

Instead of thinking "hey lets replace 100 dirty factories making 100,000 tractors with 5 mega high tech fission reactor powered modular factories mass producing 500,000 super large terraforming electrical tractors that are recharged by an underground 21st century standard power line hooked into fission/fusion reactor grid" they are thinking "lets replace 100 dirty factories with our homemade bike production facility and lets ride around on a solar powered bike and grow our own food and make our own clothing, look we're insane". Industrial progress = mass production = taking say, a half a million dollar car, inviting NASA to make it crash proof, making it electric, and then stamping it out on automated assembly lines in such numbers as to lower the price to 10 grand.

We can't allow this type of neo-luddite outlook to infect our politics for a second time since the result would be a sustainable high tech reservation existing in a supposed "equilibrium with nature" (whatever that means). The ultra rich would love a bunch of dorm style facebook cities where the youthful citizens exert their newly released creative energies to make/trade art and toys for the rich to amuse themselves with (as they gently direct, spy on everybody, and continue to live as before laughing it up in safety as the Swedish oligarchy does currently). Lets leave the practice of artificially created scarcity in the 20th century.

We're familiar with a phrase "don't put this or that on a pedestal". This must especially apply to nature. The so called "resource scarcity" and "energy shortages" are completely dependent on the level of technology within heavy industry. Primitive people 2,000 years ago also had fears of overpopulation and resource shortages. With sufficiently advanced technology and energy sources, we can literally create new nature where it hasn't existed before (Sahara desert turned into a rainforest) and colonize it with biodiversity. Minerals from deeper in the earth can be brought via powerful laser drilling, ocean floor can be tapped, asteroids brought into orbit and mined, etc. Yes it'd be big "scary" heavy machines but just as with farming, they can be hyper clean and not only compatible with a more humane civilization but essential to bring it about.

Conclusion

Vertical farms are a symbol of this emerging dynamic since they create a synergistic unity between city and country and various labor types. It appears that the future will not only have fusion of agriculture, industry, and services on a macro level but that this process would allow individuals resources ("art supplies") to become their own individualized micro producers. More on that later.

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Going, Going, Gone - Finally

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"Wake up love. It's Sale Day - at last." Despite the late night and sporadic sleep, interrupted by nightmares of things forgotten - things going wrong - there was an instant wakefulness, a mental standing to attention.

We've all heard of Father Christmas 'making a list and checking it twice'...well-ll...we had made countless lists and checked them all a heap more times than just twice, and still I fretted about oversights.

All of our sale items sorted and cleaned; tentatively priced; moved here and moved there, and sometimes moved back to the first position again; until finally all were in their 'order of sale'...check.

Advertising of the Clearing Sale in the local paper and other rural newspapers further afield, a few weeks ago, and again last week....check.

Catering organized (local Red Cross)...check.

Agent's signs up on roads leading to our place - and on our property itself...check.

And yet, after all that prior organization, there were still a myriad of items to be moved out of sheds, garage and our home itself - all those things that couldn't be outdoors until the day itself in case of unfriendly weather. Just when we'd thought we were SO organized, and had been congratulating ourselves on all our planning and hard work - these last minute chores deteriorated into a serious scramble.

Although the sale was not due to start until 10am, the first of the potential buyers (or was that just 'lookers'?), started to arrive before 8am, whilst we were still flat out in the midst of all this final 'shuffling' and arranging. Politely, but in vain, we tried to encourage them to go for a wander down the rows of farm machinery and 'stuff', so we could get these last items in place (without side-stepping and/or tripping over an alarmingly fast-growing number of parents - and kids...and their toys!).

Some of the earliest and most inquisitive fossickers start poking around in boxes, even as you are carrying them out...whilst other more unscrupulous types change the contents of some boxes to include and/or exclude unwanted items. This can prove disastrous for the first 're-arranger', as the same action is repeated by others, sometimes several times over - until the final boxes bear no resemblance whatsoever to their original, (vendor-packed) content. Karma, maybe?

In the last hour or so before the action begins, the crowd swells to amazing proportions as the designated 'parking paddock' fills with all manner of farm vehicles and trailers, until it looks like a major auto-yard. And each side of your road in both directions - AND up your driveway, all but blocking it. They are everywhere...like measles. But it is, after all, a good sign - the numbers should make for spirited bidding...you hope!

"SALE-O...SALE-O", the auctioneer shouts, and as the crowds draw close around the starting point - the tray top of countless boxes and other unlikely containers of farm sundries, at last, the Clearing Sale begins. And I can take a short break and a sit down with a cuppa...inside my house...blissfully alone for just a short reprieve - far from the 'madding crowd'.

All too soon, it was necessary to be present - hovering around the outskirts, trying to keep an unobtrusive eye on other potential disaster areas, particularly of the type involving vehicles and machinery with working parts. Imagine the horror of the engine that is extremely difficult to 'fire up' or won't even start at all. Especially after being described confidently by the auctioneer, - "goes like a possum up a gumtree" - or perhaps, 'runs on the smell of an oily rag".

So how is it possible for there to be a problem? In a word - SABOTAGE! A seemingly innocent but close examination of an engine by a dodgy buyer, can result in a rotor being removed from the distributor - or turning the ignition key on and off repeatedly (without actually starting the motor), floods the firing chamber, causing great difficulty in starting next time (when the auctioneer's offsider cheerfully tries it). Simply and speedily achieved - and the end result, of course is a decrease in value, so that the saboteur will pay considerably less - maybe even get the 'bargain of the day' - for what appears to be a faulty or unreliable vehicle or piece of machinery. Lucky for the buyer - diabolical for the vendor.

We are told that today's Clearing Sales commonly expect to include actual theft in the 'normal' agenda. The creativity of these thieves makes you wonder what levels of success they could achieve honestly, instead of hurting their fellow-farmer. Thankfully, the majority of would-be buyers are a happy, friendly and supportive group - as evidenced by their willingness to help each other to gather their purchases at the end of the sale.

In the meantime, the large buying group move along with the auctioneer and his assistants in a reasonably quiet fashion, compared to his loud voice chanting - "...do I hear 20, 20, 20?...or 15?...come on, someone must have 15?...OH, COME ON!...10, surely 10? This is an insult!". And then the prices can go all the way up again, as the bidding starts in earnest.

It's a bitter-sweet time for the vendor, as the sale progresses. The amount many items get 'knocked down' for surprise you - both happily and regretfully. On the day, at that particular moment - it's anybody's guess where the interest and the bidding will start...and eventually stop. This would be true of all auctions, but a Clearing Sale moves along at a 'bone-rattling' pace.

After all those weeks of planning and preparation - it's suddenly all over. The auctioneer has ended (somewhat hoarsely) with his thanks and last instructions about attending the temporary 'office' to finalise payments - and requesting a patient and orderly collection of purchases. For some considerable time after this, bedlam ensues as queues form at the 'office' and then traffic jams of all manner of farm vehicles, trucks and trailers bank up between the long lines of goods, to collect their purchases, many previously gathered together into motley heaps.

There is much dust, and maneuvering of vehicles, and barking of dogs, and shouted directions for backing up to the chosen 'heap'. More often than not, the finest traditions of mateship are witnessed, as farmers pitch in and heave together to lift and man-handle that heavy load that one man can't manage... up onto the back of that ute...or trailer. 'She'll be right, mate" would be the most common phrase heard at this time. And over to one side will be a couple of low-loader semi-trailers, ready and able to be hired to take home the large machinery - and maybe another with a large crane for lifting oversized and over-weighty items.

At last, the final items have been collected, and the last vehicle drives away. The silence is deafening until the birds remember to sing again, and the sheep and cows in the paddocks to discuss the day. Most shocking is the huge barren space where first of all so much farm gear has been lined up for days and weeks - and then covered in all those people and their vehicles.

Once again, that bitter-sweet feeling engulfs you. Sad to think of all that 'stash', once upon a time your treasures - now no longer absolutely necessary...now no longer yours - and yet...when you come to pack up the rest, how much easier it will be. And suddenly, you lift your head and straighten your back, and stop looking over your shoulder.

It's time to look forward, to the future...and it's all good.

© 2011 Christine Larsen All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Many years ago when we worked on the farm in my story Farmers? Are You Serious? we were on our 'L' plates - only just beginning our very own farming career, owning nothing of farm equipment ourselves...and so, we would frequent Clearing Sales far and wide to build up our 'stash'. This particular article about aspects of these farm sales relates to a time some 18 years later, when it was finally our turn to have our own Clearing sale, preparatory to moving on to a different farming enterprise. If this last story has whet your appetite for more information on the various aspects and atmosphere of the Farm Clearing Sale, please enjoy my other articles starting with the prefix - 'Going, Going...Gone - '

And if you want to get the true 'flavour and atmosphere' of the whole Farm Clearing Sale picture, have a look at my Squidoo lens - The Farmer Needs a Wife I particularly love the fantastic YouTube video of an auction in the USA - not Australian - but so true to reality...just listen to that auctioneer! I have also written a section about the long-suffering Farmer's Wife's extra duties involved in these sales - whether 'Home or Away'.

Enjoy!

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Investing in Poultry Farming in Uganda

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So you want to do business in Uganda by investing in poultry farming and "Mavi ya kuku"?

For start, I am not abusing anyone like Uganda's Col. Kahinda Otafire and his, shall I call them "famous euphemisms" including the "Mavi ya Kuku" statement. For the uninitiated, "Mavi ya kuku" is a Swahili word to refer to chicken droppings and when you deal with chicken you will have to literally get your feet deep in chicken s%*t (literally) but I will tell you about these are money makers later on. I present my analysis on investment in the poultry sub sector in Uganda.

FIRST THE CONS (of Course)

1. Too many so called "chicken experts"

The beauty about chicken farming is that almost every Ugandan knows something about it; oh some part of it anyway, almost every "Kampala person" who has gone to their village for Christmas has most likely received a gift of a chicken and likewise those of you who are "traditionalist men" know that in your home you are the only one entitled to eat "nkoko nkulu". The "Nkoko Nkulu" is the chicken gizzard and it is traditionally served to the head of the house or in many instances to a special visitor (usually male) as a sign of respect and special welcome to that household.

Ugandans know this all because chicken are an integral part of the DNA of Ugandan life. Despite this, having almost every one with knowledge of some form of chicken farming can however also be the worst enemy for the potential investor especially if you are looking to do it on a commercial basis. You see while every "Tom, Dick and Oryem" will claim they have experience in chicken farming, most of it is with indigenous chicken farming which is not the same as commercial farming, the aim of this article.

Local Ugandan chicken for example produce only 40 eggs a year (just over 1 egg a month!) compared to exotic chicken (like the shaver brown variety) which produce about 300 eggs a year (that's almost one egg a day!)

If you don't get the right person and choose to listen to every "Tom, Dick and Amerit", next thing you know your entire stock has been wiped out by coccidiosis.

2. Market and Distribution bottlenecks

Uganda is still very much a "localised retail" based sector for the chicken/poultry sector. You may for example have to sell your eggs shop by shop or to neighbouring towns as there may not be many "super markets" or "whole sale buyers" who provide a ready market to absorb the produce and therefore you may have to rely on middlemen coming from far.This in itself gives rise to price extortion from these middlemen. These bottlenecks are because there is to date no formalised large scale transport distribution network to get your produce from the poultry producing area (mainly Northern and Eastern Uganda) to the key market (mainly Central Uganda). Furthermore our transport network is not well developed given the state of roads. You will therefore early on have to establish the market and distribution logistics for your produce as this can affect your profit.

3. Cost of feed

Chicken feed is perhaps one of the most important aspects to ensure profitability of your poultry business. It has been estimated as costing between 60 and 70% of the total cost of production. You must ensure you get the best quality feed as of course this means you will have healthy chicken (and good quality eggs).

The high feed situation is pretty serious in Uganda and from recent news(August and October 2011) many Ugandan poultry farmers are being driven out of business and so before you invest, you need to consider this very carefully. This high feed price is being driven by increase in prices of maize bran. Maize bran composition is about 52% of chicken feed. Coupled with high Maize bran prices is that fact that fish stocks in Uganda are seeming being depleted quickly (fish is about 10-20% of the chicken feed composition).

4. Disease

I touched upon this briefly when I earlier on mentioned coccidiosis. There are however other chicken diseases like New Castle disease which can wipe out the entire poultry stock. I have however not ranked this risk at the top of the CONS because any serious investor will hire a competent and suitably experienced farm manager to prevent disease threats and also have access to a good veterinary officer/doctor and this should further reduce this threat.

5. Cost of capital

Sustainable commercial chicken farming requires a fair amount of capital particularly because layers take about 17 weeks before they start producing eggs and so for this period there is no income. The investor will therefore need to provide working capital for this period of about 4 months before he can expect any revenue. This working capital includes the key cost of chicken feed.

From my estimates (I will come to that later on) you need about Shs 26m as start up capital for a 1000 chicken farm(shaver brown variety). I will deal with the details in the section below.

AND NOW THE PROS

1. Chicken are here to stay

Chicken have been around a long time and in the developed world chicken is cheaper than beef. The reverse is true in Uganda and chicken is usually reserved for special days (like when I had passed my P.7 PLE exams and was admitted to the school of my first choice). In Uganda, this is however going to change especially as our population grows and more people come out of poverty. Recent studies show that we have increased egg consumption by 28% and chicken consumption by 60% between 2000 and 2006.

Ugandan girls really love Chicken (and chips)! [This last statement is "tongue in cheek" in reference to the fact that many a Ugandan man seeking to impress a girl, perhaps a Univeristy student will often buy her Chips and Chicken from the many "takeaways"in urban areas especially around Kampala and its suburbs including the popular takeways in Wandegeya which is in the proximity of Makerere University.]

I can further expect that with the continued East African community expanding and us working towards regional integration, there will remain continued demand for eggs and chicken.

2. Excellent profitability return on capital

Despite the several articles speaking about the cost of chicken feed crippling the industry I believe this industry sector still offers some of the best returns on investment. From my estimates below, it has a return on investment of 1.09 years! I set out my estimates below. The estimates are based on a sustainable investment of 1000 layers of the shaver brown variety. All figures are in Uganda Shillings. The exchange rate at November 2011 is about I USD = Shs 2,700

Summary 1: Starting capital

A: Fixed costs(one off)
1. Chicken coop and related items: Shs 3,450,000
2. Electricity and water(connection): Shs 1,000,000
3. Legal and other start up costs: Shs 700,000
4. Training: Shs 42,000
Sub total: Shs 5,192,000

B: First 4 months(week 1-17)
1. Day old chicks (1000 of them): Shs 4,500,000
2. Chicken feed(starter): 13,043,836
3. Other incidentary costs: 220,000
Sub total: Shs 17,763,836

C: Labour (week 1-17)
1. Farm supervisor: Shs 800,000 (200k per month)
2. Farm manager: Shs 1,200,000 (300k per month)
3. Farm hands: Shs 720,000 (Estimated at 3 hands each earning 60k per month)
4. Vet office Shs 90,000 for 3 visits.
Sub total: 2,810,000

D: Contingency(10%): 2,576,584

TOTAL START UP: 28,342,419

Summary 2: Profitability and Return on Investment

REVENUE (for 8 months)
The revenue is estimated on 1,000 hens with a mortality rate of 7% hence 930 hens net. It is estimated that each hen lays 292 eggs per year. This is pro rated over an 8 month period to comprise of the first financial period (as 4 months are in which the chicken are maturing). In Uganda, eggs are sold in trays of 30. It is estimated at August 2011 that each egg cost Shs 300 thereby meaning a tray costs Shs 9,000

On basis of above, Revenue over the period will be:

1000 hens less 7% mortality: 930 hens * 292 eggs each =271,560 eggs = 9,052 trays
Each tray is Shs 9,000 hence 9,052 *9000 = Shs 81,468,000 per year (or 292 days over an annual period that the hens lay)

Pro rating the annual revenue to the 8 months is revenue of Shs 54,834,231

COSTS (Monthly for 8 months)
1. Chicken feed: 24,261,534. This is estimated on a hen consuming about 37kg per year.
At August 2011, layer feed (which chicken feed on for most part of 17 week growth) cost Shs 75,000 per 70 kg bag. On the basis of the above, a chicken consumes about Shs 108.7 worth of feed per day.

The total cost over the 8 months is therefore Shs. 24,261,534

2. Transport to market:Shs 5,400,000 (estimated at Shs 15,000 daily)

3. Labour (on same basis as labour costs in first 4 months but for 8 months): Shs 10,940,000

4. Utilities (water and electricity): 720,000

5. Miscellaneous: 1,800,000

Sub total: Shs43,121,534

Operating profit: Shs 11,712,697

Other income:
1. Sale of chicken(after their productivity cycle ends): 6,510,000. I am assuming each chicken will be sold for Shs 7,000 the market price in August 2011.

2. Less: Costs to market: 200,000

3. Chicken droppings: 8,035,510
(estimated on 11479 kg of droppings produced on basis of this being 1/3 of feed intake). Each kg being sold at Shs 700.

NET Profit(incl other income): Shs 26,058,207

Return on capital: 1.09 years.

As you can see from above, In 1 year you can expect to recoup your cost! I don't think there is anything more to say about this sector but for those who are, well there is a third reason this is good.

4. Social responsibility advantages

Charities and other NGOs recognise the impact poultry farming has on the rural communities especially on women and several studies show that this is the next social revolution.

SUMMARISING AND THE FINAL WORD

First the numbers

On the basis of my analysis:

* Capital investment (A): Shs 28,342,419
* Revenue per year (including other revenue): Shs 69,179,741
* Profit per year (revenue (including WIFI) and excluding all expenses) (B) is Shs 26,058,207
* Return on capital (years to get capital back or A/B) is 1.09 years

Now the basics you must get right before investing.

* Working capital. Like I said at the start, for about 4 months you will be sustaining this business without any income at all, you need to therefore secure the necessary funds especially for chicken feed. You cannot compromise on the quality of feed or quantity when there are cash flow shortages as this will ultimately affect the quality of eggs and chicken.

* Agriculture support and training. This is a sector that the government, NGOS, donors have put in a considerable amount of money and so there is no excuse for not using support facilities right from NAADS to district support projects, NGO supported projects, even many of the day old chick suppliers provide courses.

* Market/distribution network. There are significant bottlenecks in Uganda and it is well and good to develop capacity for 1000 birds but if you cannot get them to the market then that's a waste. It will therefore be critical that wherever you choose to locate your farm you consider how you will get it to the market.

* Land. Now you will notice I havent considered the cost of land in this analysis. The reasons are multifold. When I considered this business venture and from my research, an investor can get the land for "free" in return for for example hiring local people, from relatives in rural areas and the like.

I therefore didn't consider it to be a major issue. Besides chicken don't usually require a lot of land and if necessary this land can be "leased" cheaply in many rural areas in Uganda. Of course you should not choose to encroach on the land at Mabira forest or perhaps in a wetland because then my "friend" Col Otafire may ask you if you are a frog!

FINAL WORD

Like I have said, this sector is going nowhere and there will continue to be demand for agriculture prodcuts. Furthermore with the developed world becoming more willing to pay for "organic" products, Ugandan poultry will continue to be highly valued.

I had promised to highlight about "Mavi ya Kuku" in more detail and you will notice that in my revenue analysis, this sh%*t really does bring in money because as the agriculture sector continues to expand and as fertilisers continue to be more expensive, farmers will look to alternatives. Chicken droppings may be that future and so yes, "Mavi ya Kuku" together with "Nkoko Nkulu" are our future!

As a chartered accountant with over 8 years of audit experience with various clients in Uganda, The Bahamas and currently the United Kingdom I have dealt with several sectors including banking and financial services, manufacturing, public sector/Donor funds, entertainment and Agriculture which has given me the inside knowledge of several businesses and their performance.

These writings are my observations and research on investing/ doing business in various sectors in Uganda. You can read more about me and these business series including this article at my website: http://investinginuganda.yolasite.com/the-sector-analysis.php.

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Aeroponics in Outer Space

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Aeroponics provides a clean, efficient, and rapid method of food production. Crops can be planted without soil and harvested year-round. In aeroponics, plants roots are suspended in air, periodically sprayed with a nutrient rich water based solution and then allowed to drain. By alternating wet and dry cycles, the roots are kept moist but also exposed to an abundant supply of oxygen leading to much faster growth than traditional gardening methods. Aeroponics systems reduce water and fertilizer usage by over 90% and by avoiding exposure to soil-born diseases eliminate pesticide usage altogether.

These benefits, along with the great reduction in weight that is achieved by eliminating dirt and significantly reducing the amount of water required for plant growth, are reasons this high-tech method of food production has attracted the interest and support of NASA. On of the hurdles to be cleared for long distance space travel and even colonies on the Moon or nearby planets is finding a means for crews to manage self- sustaining supplies of food and oxygen.

Through aeroponics, this goal becomes a realistic possibility and humans and plants can become best friends in deep space. Humans consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Plants return the favor by consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Humans can use edible parts of plants for nourishment, while human waste and inedible plant matter can be converted into the nutrient solution used in aeroponics for plant growth. The plants consume the nutrients and return clean water to the system. So aeroponics is a potential source of food, fresh oxygen, clean drinking water and together with humans can create a closed and self-sustaining ecological system.

While aeroponics has not yet been used in long distance space travel, like many other aspects of NASA's technological research, spin-off designs are now being used in commercial agricultural applications for food production. This technology is used to relieve hunger in parts of the world with limited access to arable land and to enable city dwellers to grow their own supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. Aeroponics has also led to advances in cloning of plants from cuttings. Numerous plants which were previously considered difficult, or impossible, to propagate from cuttings can now be replicated simply from a single stem. This is a boon to green houses attempting to propagate their best specimens. With a basic aeroponics setup, any interested individual can now clone plants. Finally, crops can also be grown in half the time required by traditional agricultural methods and require far less labor to harvest.

Whether in outer space or on Earth, aeroponics has the potential to become an enabling technology in providing the essentials for human life.

To read more about aeroponics click on the following links Aeroponics Systems and Aeroponics Designs

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GM Foods - Could the Debate Get Any Louder?

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AppId is over the quota

It is absolutely amazing the animosity over GM crops, and it is incredible the level of conspiratorial debris out there online, as the coordinator for a think tank which happens to operate online, I am blown away by it all, literally. In fact, I should by a wind farm to harvest all this genetically modified hot air some day.

The other day, I was discussing Genetically Modified foods with an acquaintance, Mark is a seed specialist, and futurist thinker with many innovations, he stated that;

"GM foods are a complicated issue, they offer many solutions to modern day problems but they also come with their own complications. Growing a high yield crop of corn that can survive the harsh environment is undoubtedly progress. The downside to GM foods is that they can pass their modified genes on to the local plant varieties, given enough time the effects of this could be detrimental to the local ecosystem as a whole. With proper planning and segregation of these crops the idea could still work."

Well, it is an issue, terminator seeds do prevent some of this, but there are issues and a case study with sunflower seeds in the wild causing havoc. However, genetically modified crops can very much help us with things like the Ug99 fungus and such issues as producing drought resistant crops, just as soil bacteria root research is immensely wise. I mostly worry about crop species variations, and inadvertently reducing down to one type of rice, corn, wheat, or soybean. Diversification is important, and very wise, which is why I like projects such as the millennium seed vault idea - just in case.

Now then, what about, and Mark and I talked about this also, the challenges in certain regions where they've obviously out-populated their food resources? We need to have a way for those regions with abundant food production to assist, that makes sense. Still, with the challenge of let's say starving Africans, Haitians, or Indians - the procreation rates are too high, and as we feed more people or "give" them more food, they continue to up-step their procreation rates.

What can we do to fix this problem, on that our very giving of food to feed the poor is currently exacerbating said problem?

I believe people should be able to choose if they wish to eat genetically modified crops in this case, as they can either take the free food and aid, or die of starvation, but there is a catch, if you take the food, that food aid will be fortified with supplements slowing down the chances or percentage of reproduction, thus, reducing the number of off-springs so that you do not exacerbate the problem by creating an environment where healthy humans have nothing better to do but reproduce because we made it possible by feeding them in the first place.

Many believe that procreation is a human right. Okay, sure one can say that, and I would submit to you that they have the choice, it just comes with serious ramifications, if you decide to take free food. This is such a contentious and heated argument, that I will merely leave you with this thought, and let you decide. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Pig Farming - Animal Welfare Is Paramount

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Back in 1965 a Technical Committee was convened to report on animal welfare issues arising from intensive farming systems. The committee produced the Bramble Report, which defined the first 'animal rights', enshrined in 'Bramble's Five Freedoms': these stated that animals should have the freedom to "stand up, lie down, turn around, groom themselves and stretch their limbs". Out of this committee came the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, from which in 1979 the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) was formed by the British Government. FAWC have developed the so-called 'five freedoms', on which the proper welfare of farm animals from farm to abattoir is based. These 'freedoms', or 'animal welfare needs' now cover the treatment of domestic pets as well as farm animals.

There is a scientifically proven link between the welfare levels of an animal's upbringing and meat quality, also, obviously a poorly kept animal won't be as productive as a fit and healthy one, and will cost the producer money (now, there's surely a big incentive to get your animal's welfare right?!).

Let's look at the freedoms that an animal should enjoy under law - and should enjoy anyway if you want to produce good quality food from your farm.

Freedom from hunger and thirst - a proper diet, including fresh water. Animal nutrition is so well researched that there can be no excuse for feeding any animal other than with a diet with the right balance of nutrients for it's growth / productivity. My dog is gluten intolerant, and she is very active and also fussy - dog dieticians have come up with a range of solutions for her; similarly my pregnant sow needs a different diet from my lactating sow, and a 10 kilo pig needs a different balance of nutrients to a 100 kilo animal. Oh, and always check your drinkers are working, in the same way as you'll have made sure the dog's water bowl is kept topped up.
Freedom from discomfort - somewhere suitable to live. The animal needs an appropriate environment, including shelter and a comfortable resting area. For the pig farmer this means giving outdoor sows somewhere to shelter from the sunshine (they can get sunburn) and to wallow (having no sweat glands means that getting covered in mud is not only fun, but cooling). Pigs need somewhere comfortable to rest and sleep - plenty of fresh, clean, dry straw is ideal, whatever size of pig we are considering.
Freedom for pain, injury or disease - protection from, and treatment of, illness and injury. This can be achieved through prevention, rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment - for the pig farmer this means two things: excellent stockmanship and a great vet. The former comes through experience and training, the latter is an essential part of your 'team'. Find a vet that knows pigs, have him/her on your unit four times a year to check your stock and their environment over. Well-designed accommodation and handling facilities will help minimise disease challenges and injuries.
Freedom to express normal behaviour or, 'the ability to express normal behaviour' as the 'welfare needs' defines it. For a pig this means being able to root around and explore their environment: difficult on a concrete base (unless there's a good quantity of straw), and impossible on slats. A pig needs sufficient space, proper facilities and the company of other pigs. The space requirements are laid down in Government regulations, and there is a requirement under law to provide pigs with some form of environmental enrichment - 'manipulable materials', such as cardboard cartons or softwood 'toys'.
Freedom from fear and distress - for any need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals. This ensures conditions and levels of care that avoid mental suffering. Pigs in particular have social needs and a relatively high level of intelligence. A strange pig introduced into a group will often be killed, or die of stress related conditions - a lone pig will get lonely

Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.

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Choosing The Type of Fish For an Aquaponics System

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There are so many species of fish which can be raised in an aquaponics system. It depends on the territory because not all species of fish are allowed to be grown in some places. The regulations of the concerned area should be preferred before choosing the species of fish for food production system. The rules and regulations of the area are made on the basis of the climate of that particular area because the survival of the fishes is closely related to the climate. If a symbiotic environment is not given to the aquaponics system, the growth or survival of the fishes and plants is not possible.

To decide the best species of fish, the following must be considered,

1. What do you expect from your system?
If you expect to eat fish from your food production system, you need to grow the edible species of fish which provide protein, and that can live longer compared to other species. On the other hand, if you don't want to eat the fish grown in the system, you need not to grow edible fish. Ornamental fishes can be grown.

2. Availability of type of fish
The species of fish, available in the area have great importance because to stock the system with fish the farmer should buy the easily available species of fish.

There are thousand of species of fish which are able to grow in the aquatic system. Some popular species are:

Goldfish
This species of fish makes a remarkable addition to the system. Goldfish is bred in a fish tank in most areas but generally, they can be bred in a covered tank of plant within the fish tank.

Barramundi
An exceptional type of fish which is crispy in taste and is usually grown during hot weather. So, in the warmer month of the year it is recommended by the experience farmers.

Catfish
There are several types of catfish in the world that can be easily raised in an aquaponics. The Channel catfish are the famous fish among farmers in the United States of America and also in Australia because of its availability. They grow rapidly if a symbiotic environment is provided.

Carp
In many parts of Asia, carp species are grown because it is well suited for aquaponics cultivation. But, it has become a noxious pest to the native environment and waterways due to its reproductive capabilities and tough nature.

Jade Perch
It is an Australian fish. The quality of it's rapid growth and having the best level of omega 3 oil differentiates it from all other species of fish. It's omnivorous diet and warm water is considered the basic requirements for it.

Koi
It is a species of carp, but known as KOI. It is famous in most of the Asian communities.

Silver perch
Silver perch is an Australian fish that is capable of growing rapidly under a variety of circumstances. They eat green scarps happily.

Murray cod
It is a magnificent kind of fish known as native Australian fish. It is also known for rapid growing and able to grow well in an aquaponics culture.

Tilapia
It is the best cultured fish all around the world and is the most popular specy to grow in aquaponics.

Trout
Trout is a type of fish which is very famous due to its amazing taste. It grows well in cooler water.

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Mushroom Equipment For the Highest Quality Results

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Mushrooms require great attention and care, as they are quite delicate, fragile and of high value. Growing and cultivation of wild exotic or edible gourmet mushrooms need proper growing tools and equipment in order to attain a healthy and abundant harvest. The growing technique is every bit as important as the equipment used.

One of the most important processes for growing mushrooms is the hydration process. This requires a comprehensive system and makes use of several pieces of equipment. An infeed belt transports the mushrooms from a buffer reservoir to the hydration section. Once the hydration process is complete, they are transferred to the next processing station. This is a completely automatic process, and parameters such as vacuum level, aeration times and hydration times can be independently set. This guarantees constant and equal treatment of the mushrooms. It also minimizes product damage. Equipment used in the hydration process include a vacuum pump, mixing tank and a vacuum lowering system.

There are other pieces of equipment and processing machines that are used for a variety of uses. Washing devices ensure that dirt and peat are gently washed from the mushrooms without damaging them; mushroom slicers for preparation and packaging to the consumer; suction dry systems, and various types of equipment to clean crates and packaging.

There are different processes and equipment for use on mushrooms, depending on whether they are going to be packaged fresh or frozen. Regardless, each method requires an ingenious arrangement of the machines on the processing line to create an optimal outcome; with full or partial automation, a high level of efficiency is achieved in regards of both quantity and quality.

The suction dryer is an important piece of equipment because it helps to remove moisture, thus increasing the shelf life. This process is used for all vegetables, fruits and salads. The suction dryer is a compact and cheaper alternative to the centrifuge, while producing the exact same results. The dryer is a PVC mesh wire belt. Suction openings are mounted under the belt, which extracts moisture from the mushrooms (or other vegetables.) The dryer can be used on its own, or in conjunction with the washing systems.

Once the mushrooms have been sorted, cleaned and dried, they must be packaged for delivery to the consumer. There are different drums and vacuum sealers that will achieve the desired results and, again, can be used for other vegetables as well. The machines will count and fill each box, bag or container exactly to the specifications that are identified, and can be customized for any size.

Mushrooms are a delicate vegetable and must be handled with care. Using equipment that is automated, yet gentle is the key to providing a high-end quality product to the consumer.

Please feel free to visit our site for more information on mushroom equipment.

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Aronia Planting Guide Part III - Planting Methods, When to Plant, Plant Spacing and Row Spacing

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Planting ideas

With poor soils it is recommended to prepare planting holes for each plant by adding composted manure, composed leaves, peat moss, pine bark fines or other compost into the planting hole.

When planting gently remove the plant from its container, keeping the root ball intact. Then carefully loosen the roots in the potting soil and around bottom and edges of root ball so the roots are free to grow out into the surrounding soil.

Planting Methods

Shovel
Bulb planter
Auger (a power auger making a 12 to 14 inch hole that can be filled with compost or other material can help where the soil is poor.)
Tree planter (on the right:tree planter in action) Of these methods the tree planter has been shown to be the fastest and easiest in soil with good drainage. Good drainage is essential so the drainage of the soil needs to be checked before planting. Poor drainage is one of the primary problems when growing plants. In soil with poor drainage raised beds should be used.
Raised bed machine. Where you have clay soil with poor drainage it is necessary to use raised beds to obtain needed drainage so the plant roots do not stand in the water. If the roots of the plant are in standing water they will drown and the plant will die. At some farms and nurseries raised beds are used because the soil is clay with poor drainage.

When to Plant

If you have irrigation and mulch you can really plant potted plants any time of year the ground isn't frozen.

However Ideal times to plant are: Early Spring and Early Fall

Irrigation is almost essential in establishing plants. (An exception may sometimes be in the late fall or early spring planting). Late fall is often a good time to plant because it gives the plants time to establish strong roots during the fall, winter and spring before the plants must endure the hot weather in the summer.

Plant Spacing and Row Spacing

Commercial Production Planting

Historically, commercial plantings of aronia were done in a line of closely spaced shrubs, leaving enough room to drive a tractor and equipment in between the rows of mature plants.

Row Spacing 12 to 15 ftPlant Spacing 24 to 36 inches

About 1070 plants per acre can be grown with a spacing of 3 feet between plants and 12 feet between rows. This practice is commonly used in Europe for machine harvesting.

Note: When determining the row width, you should measure the width of the mowing and hay making equipment to be certain it is suited to work in the row of that width when plants are mature.

For more than one acre mechanical harvesting is less costly than hand harvesting.

One should keep in mind that closer spacing of plants within the rows for machine harvesting will double the amount of fruit production for the first few years and more than make up for the higher cost of planting the plants more densely.

Hand Planting

This method can work if you plan to harvest small acreage by hand, or use a self-propelled harvester requiring less row width.

Row Spacing 10 ftPlant Spacing 4-6 ft

You should not plan on hand harvesting if you plant more than 1 acre. For more than one acre mechanical harvesting is more efficient and less costly than hand harvesting.

One form of hand harvesting is to let groups from organizations such as youth groups to harvest berries to raise money. Nonprofit groups can pick aronia berries on the farm to raise money for their worthy causes.

Purchase your pesticide free aronia and blueberries from (Blueberry Croft Farm and Nursery). We understand both the theory and practical applications of growing aronia and blueberries. The farm is a reputable source for quality aronia and blueberry plants. Over 30 varieties of blueberries are grown and sold. Viking aronia plants are available for sale. Purchase your plants and get more information from http://www.blueberrycroft.com/. Get free S/H on orders of $75+. © 2011 May be reproduced in entirety with live link

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Maintaining Your Mushroom Machinery

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The entire intricate process of growing mushrooms that are not only edible but of superior quality and growing a bulk of such mushrooms requires more than just constant care and attention- it requires the right kind of machinery, mushroom machinery, to nurture the growing mushrooms also.

Mushroom machinery can typically be of various types, and each of these types of machinery is in turn specially oriented to care for the growing mushroom at a certain stage in its growth process. As the art of mushroom growing gained popularity, the skills along with the equipment used to grow the machine were gradually revolutionized to produce the greatest amount of crop yield with the least effort possible. With industrialization taking over every aspect of agriculture, machinery was introduced into the mushroom growing business also, eventually giving rise to the idea of mushroom machinery.

Today, while there are many techniques whereby mushroom farming may be practiced, the shelving system, developed by the Dutch remains one of the most popular ways to cultivate a mushroom farm. Specialized mushroom machinery is used, and these range from head filling machines, to hoppers, to compost machinery -- mushroom machinery truly has them all, while the list of actions that modern day mushroom machinery is able to carry out is truly endless also.

However, while the machines and their functions may all be amazing in themselves, it becomes essential to ascertain that they are maintained in perfect order for them to function properly also. Here, it is the shelving that needs to be maintained most carefully.

The one main disadvantage with the shelving system is that there is grate likelihood of the spread of disease or pests in the shelves. Since water runs down a shelf to water the mushrooms growing at the next level also, it means that once the spread of pests or infection begins, it will be difficult to control it. To prevent such a disaster from occurring, workers must regularly check the shelves to ensure that there is no pest infiltration that needs to be dealt with.

Naturally, aside from care and constant vigilance in attending to the mushroom crop, it is only the right machinery which helps a mushroom farmer to grow a commercially successful crop. It depends on wisely choosing the right equipment to work that farm with and then eventually maintaining all that equipment in prime working order to succeed at mushroom cultivation.

Need more information on Mushroom Machinery? Feel free to visit our site for more expert suggestions!

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Agriculture: Know the Past and the Future

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Agriculture has been the most integral means of livelihood since the beginning of time. This involves not only the cultivation of plants and vegetation but also animal farming. Crops has been and still is the man's main food source. Its vast history can be traced back to thousand of years ago, surpassing various eras and numerous climate changes.

Primeval Origins and Middle Ages

Agriculture has long been depicted in ancient cave drawings and has appeared in countless manuscripts. The earliest of civilizations started near rivers because of the water it supplies and the nutrients it supplies the land. Egypt and India were believed to possess the most fertile of lands fit for sowing, no wonder it was named the Cradle of Civilization. By the 7000 BC, agriculture reached Egypt. This paved waves for ancient Sumerians to developed agricultural techniques such as irrigation and land cultivation in order to increase production. Even the Greeks have a figure for it, Demeter, as the great Olympian Goddess of grain and bread. It portrays man's source of sustenance. Such she is one of the most revered of all gods. Around the 1500s, colonists started their voyage and participated in the global exchange of crops such as potato, cocoa bean and tobacco. Spices from the New World were brought back to the Old. Soon this barter system improved to fabric, pottery and even jewelry.

Different Production Practices

Today, almost the same concept of agricultural techniques are being practiced with the slight difference of more advanced machinery and scientific processes. Pest control is one of the most practiced because of the abundance of destructive insects and diseases that affect the crops. Pesticides are one of the fastest ways of pest control yet are discouraged because of the chemicals that can cause fatal effects to humans when ingested. Plowing the soil is also both a form of pest control and nutrient enhancer. It prepares the land for planting. Other nutrient management techniques include the use of fertilizers and compost, crop rotation and proper irrigation.

Organic vs Inorganic

The demand for organic food has greatly increased over the years. People are more conscious about what they eat and in turn become more aware of how their food is grown. Organic foods are foods that are grown and maintained without any chemical pesticides or genetic modification. In grocery stores, Organic produce are usually labeled "All Natural" or "100% Organic". The demand for agriculture will no doubt increase still as the years progress. Until humans find another source of sustenance free of any agricultural content, this will forever stand as our means of living.

Maya Bustos is a Filipino freelance writer with a green thumb. She dreams that Filipino farmers would have a fair share of the pie for their work. If you want to know more about agriculture, please read her other articles at Parfund Philippines

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The Milky Bar Kids - A Memorable First

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Our Dairy was a Herring-bone style with cows standing alongside each other in a staggered fashion - 6 each side of a waist-deep pit where we worked with swing-across sets of milking cups. A strong steel bar across their bottoms and a thick concrete ledge behind their back feet stopped them from joining us down there...mostly.

This old dairy had been the first herring-bone style in the area - a breakthrough in its day - but this one already had 'whiskers on it' - as we would discover. There was a long feed trough with a walk space in front to enable hand-bucketing their ration of crushed grain into it. In the interest of speed and ease of handling, I had carefully lined up the spot where each cow's head would be, and deposited 6 bucketfuls in each trough. Sounded good to me.

On this first day, hubby and I both went on foot to bring the cows in. Their size was just a tad 'over the top' for this ex-secretary, and a little 'Dutch courage' needed bolstering. Lesson No. l - when cows have been herded in by a sheep farmer and his dogs - and are then treated to quiet but firm encouragement by humans 'on foot', they do NOT respond with gratitude and appreciation.

NO...the drippy dames all had to stop everything they were doing 'stare at us wide-eyed'; 'poop'; turn around and start following us (from a fast-diminishing distance...did I mention, cows are SO curious); 'poop' some more; finally start to move together - in the wrong direction; and just for good luck, 'poop' again.

On this day, it required one human in front, for them to follow - and one human at the back to encourage the forward impetus. I cannot tell you how much we have chuckled at the memory. We seriously had no idea! But at last they were in the concrete holding yard with the gate firmly chained behind them. With a press of a button, the milking machine sprung into action and it was 'all systems go'.

Except...the first cow let into the dairy stopped at the first pile of feed in the long trough and started eating. And everyone else started piling up behind her, pushing and shoving like a mob scene at the opening of a department store sale. Soon, there were cows in the engine room - and the milk room around the huge (and extremely valuable) refrigerated milk vat. A couple went down the steps into 'our' pit; two were wedged tight between the tail rail and the trough; and another tried to jump over the feed trough, and succeeded in straddling it instead.

Before this event, we were apprehensive, but quite sure bravado would beat anything we would face. Huh! Now our stomachs and our nervous systems most closely resembled the stuff that jellyfish are made of, as we tried to restore order to the incredible chaos that overwhelmed us. I remember we had to let them all out again into the dirt yard next to the concrete - and clean down the dairy (you can guess why!). Next, remove the offending feed from the troughs. Aha! You feed them after they have walked in and shuffled and arranged themselves (and 'pooped' again - where does it all come from?).

Believe me, its no job for the faint-hearted - all these 'poppy' eyes in huge heads, all staring at you. Some want to sniff and taste you with tongues as long as a snake (well, nearly), whilst others roll their eyes, lay back their ears and toss their heads all about. It's hard to decide which is worse. There was just one more happening before this lengthy day was done, but that's another story - coming soon - honestly!

It had taken us almost 4 hours from 'whoa to go' to milk 26 cows. We were quite proud to find we cut that back to 2-1/2 hours at the next one - the p.m. milking. On that day, we would not have believed the 'norm' we achieved much later - 65 cows in 2 hours!

But this was 'easy street', as my Mother-in-law would have told you. She grew up in Denmark, milking three cows by hand, three times a day - and was refused the opportunity to learn hairdressing -

"No future in hairdos, girl...milk cows...that's the thing to do!", declared her Father, most sternly.

Hmm-mm-m! (says Christine...the cowgirl?)

© 2012 Christine Larsen All Rights Reserved Worldwide

You can read more of our lessons in dairy farming in my other Ezine articles that begin with - The Milky Bar Kids. If you want reading entertainment, you won't be disappointed as you follow our bumbling and humbling steps along our journey to final success. And there are pictures on my 'journal' site of farm stories and thoughts -

Kids at a Milk Bar?

Enjoy!

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The Science Behind Aquaponics Food Production System

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Aquaponics is an innovative and growing industry in which plants and aquatic animals are grown by providing them the symbiotic environment in a recirculating system. It stimulates our real life eco system. The basic instruction and proper guideline must be followed to run the system. The plants and fish species should be selected according to the area climate. The existence of this unique food production system comes into being by the existence of two sub system. To understand Aquaponics' real meaning, we need to understand the following sub systems • Aquaculture • Hydroponics

Aquaculture

Aquatic animals like fish, prawns, crayfish, crustaceans and molluscs are grown in symbiotic environment by the hydroponics combination. Imagine! You can grow fish in your own home with few dollars and you can also produce vegetables without clay that is absolutely free with it. You think to cultivate fish in food production system and vegetables are also produced with it? It looks like a dream but with a little passion it is possible anywhere around the world. If un-experienced farmers decide to run this system, it is not a hard task for such farmers if they follow the instructions provided by experts of food production systems. But, if they do not do so, the whole system is at a risk.

Particular types of aquaculture are
• Shrimp farming
• Fish farming
• Ornamental fish cultivation
• Oyster farming
• Algaculture like seaweed farming

Hydroponics

A unique method of growing plants with out clay or soil, by using different minerals solutions. Terrestrial plants are usually grown by putting their roots in the solution or in inert medium like gravel, perlite, coconut husk or mineral wool.

There are some reasons of adopting hydroponics in food production system,
• It is very easy to harvest.
• No clay or soil is required for plant cultivation.
• Due to controlled system, the nutrition pollution is not released.
• The water always remains in the system and it can be re-used at any time.
• High and stable yields.
• Less nutrition cost because the level of nutrition is easy to control.

How an aquatic system works? Water uses the gravity as its transport and is drained in the gravel bed from the fish tank. Bacteria break down the ammonia which is present in fish waste and change it into nitrate and nitrate which is necessary or key nutrients for plants growth. Watercress is use often as a secondary way of water filtration. Water after filtration is pumped to growing beds from the gravel beds. The roots of Vegetables like tomato and other salad green receive this water. When plants absorb all essential nutrients (nitrate and nitrogen) from water, the water is cleansed and finally re-circulated back to fish tank. This cycle is repeated with small intervals.

For a success full aquatic system, monitoring for fish and plants health is necessary because both are the soul of the system and survival of both elements depends on each other. For example, the nitrate produced by fish waste is used by plants and fish uses the oxygenated water which is cleansed by plants within the system.

Jonathan Dylan is a food production expert. For more great tips on aquaponics information, visit http://aquaponicsculture.com/

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