Showing 81-90 of 106 results
No-Till and Cover Crop Innovations Increase Dairy Profits
Summertime for dairy farmers in New England is anything but slow. Silage corn must be planted and harvested in a short window to provide high-quality forage for cattle, leaving little time to plant cover crops to replenish the soil. Under pressure to get corn planted early, farmers may delay the first cutting of hay, sacrificing […]
Safe and Profitable Oil Production Fact Sheets
Information on edible oil production for small-scale producers.
Using Hydroponic Green Forage to Reduce Feed Costs in Natural Pork Production
Due to the rising cost of feed, many small scale pork producers are exploring alternatives in order to increase their profit margins. At Donnelly Farms, Jack Donnelly is producing hydroponically-grown green forage for his hogs, and has been able to reduce feed outlay and increase their bottom line. Donnelly Farms is a small, family-owned farm […]
Impact of Biomass Removal for Bioenergy
The rapid increase in ethanol production from corn rain, and the proposed use of crop residues for ethanol production poses significant challenges in increasing awareness and providing needed training to extension educators and agency staff to address the potential environmental impacts of intensive corn production and corn residue use. Mahdi Al-Kaisi conducted an educational training […]
Grant Puts (Good) Crimp in Farm Operations
It all began in 2002 with a $6,500 SARE grant and the seed of an idea. Today, that idea has grown into hundreds of research projects around the country, an international business and a new, effective no-till tool that farmers are adding to the ways they suppress weeds in cash-crop fields. The tool is the […]
Dryland Cover Cropping Boosts Yields
Every drop of water counts for farmers who practice dryland cultivation, a practice that relies on rainfall without the benefit of irrigation. So, when it comes to incorporating cover crops into a dryland rotation, many farmers hesitate, wondering: “How much moisture is the cover crop going to demand, and will I pay for it later […]
The Ogallala Aquifer of the Texas High Plains: A Race Against Time
As the drought in the Texas High Plains continues to intensify, a unique partnership of producers and researchers is working diligently to find economically viable alternatives to the region’s irrigation-dependent crop monocultures.
Low-Till Forage Production
To fill their need for year-round, inexpensive forages, California dairy producers typically plant and harvest a series of forage crops: small grains, corn for silage, milo and sorghum sudan. While this requires considerable tillage and seed-bed preparation ahead of each successive crop, the production systems lend themselves to conservation tillage approaches developed in other regions. […]
Energy Independence: On-Farm Biodiesel Fuel Production
Roger Rainville is ahead of the curve when it comes to reducing costs on his farm near Alburgh, Vt. He’s currently producing biodiesel from canola and sunflower for about $1.70 a gallon.
Growing Biodiesel Crops: A Couple of Tips
In this short video, Rainville describes his philosophy for trying something new on your farm. It’s all about making the most of the learning curve.