www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm how-ecologically-based-pest-management-works enhancing-aboveground-diversity-a-checklist Enhancing Aboveground Diversity: A Checklist Enhancing Aboveground Biodiversity: A Checklist For Farmers Diversify enterprises by including more species of crops and livestock. Use legume-based crop rotations and mixed pastures. Intercrop or strip-crop annual crops where feasible. Mix varieties of the same crop. Use varieties that carry many genes—rather than just one or two—for tolerating a particular insect or disease. Emphasize […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm how-ecologically-based-pest-management-works biological-control-vocabulary Biological Control Vocabulary Biological Control Vocabulary When farmers release natural enemies, or beneficials, to manage introduced pests, they are using biological control tactics. Classical biological control is the importation and release of beneficial insects against exotic pests. When farmers add a species of natural enemy to a field where it is not currently present, or present only in […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm how-ecologically-based-pest-management-works what-does-a-biodiverse-farm-look-like What Does a Biodiverse Farm Look Like? What Does a Biodiverse Farm Look Like? Agricultural practices that increase the abundance and diversity of above- and below-ground organisms strengthen your crops’ abilities to withstand pests. In the process, you also improve soil fertility and crop productivity. Diversity on the farm includes the following components: Spatial diversity across the landscape (within fields, on the […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm how-ecologically-based-pest-management-works How Ecologically Based Pest Management Works How Ecologically Based Pest Management Works Introduction To bring ecological pest management to your farm, consider three key strategies: • Select and grow a diversity of crops that are healthy, have natural defenses against pests, and/or are unattractive or unpalatable to the pests on your farm. Choose varieties with resistance or tolerance to those pests. […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm introduction-2 Introduction Introduction Agricultural pests — insects, weeds, nematodes and disease pathogens — blemish, damage or destroy more than 30 percent of crops worldwide. This annual loss has remained constant since the 1940s, when most farmers and ranchers began using agrichemicals to control pests. Agrichemical methods of protecting crops are costly to the farmer, potentially harmful to […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm acknowledgments-2 Acknowledgments This book could not have been published without the contributions of many scientists, educators and farmers. The concept for Manage Insects on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies came out of a shorter bulletin, also published by SARE Outreach, titled, A Whole Farm Approach to Ecological Pest Management. Miguel Altieri and Clara Nicholls, University of […]
www.sare.org publications profitable-pork community-family-and-lifestyle-benefits family-and-community-benefits Family and Community Benefits Alternative hog production systems provide excellent opportunities for producers to work with other family members and develop relationships with other workers. In some cases, children can check and bed huts, while older children can help with fencing, feeding, watering, and bedding. An alternative system also allows family members to work as a team in moving […]
www.sare.org publications profitable-pork community-family-and-lifestyle-benefits Community, Family and Lifestyle Benefits Working Conditions Labor, a huge factor in the life of any farmer, takes on a new perspective in hog operations. Toxic gases and associated offensive odors from manure produced as part of a confined system remain a major concern, while producers trying alternative housing systems report few or no problems. 'There's no comparison,' said Mark […]
www.sare.org publications profitable-pork profile-pork-from-the-porch Profile: Pork From the Porch by Barb Baylor Anderson Barbara Wiand, of Mifflinburg, Penn., retails her farm's pork product from her back door, offering her an outlet for value-added pork and the opportunity to work from home with her young children close by. After their slaughter plant closed, she organized area pork producers to begin shipping hogs together to another […]
www.sare.org publications profitable-pork profile-hawaiian-dry-litter-systems Profile: Hawaiian Dry Litter Systems by Barb Baylor Anderson Producers in Hawaii are exploring a different approach to manure and nutrient management that employs a dry litter technology. The system, imported from land-limited countries like the Netherlands, Japan and Taiwan, could help producers effectively manage livestock waste, especially since Hawaii producers contend with more expensive land and bedding costs. Moreover, […]