Mathematical Applications in Agriculture

Get the specialized math skills you need to be successful in today’s farming industry with MATHEMATICAL APPLICATIONS IN AGRICULTURE, 2nd Edition. Invaluable in any area of agriculture-from livestock and dairy production to horticulture and agronomy–this easy to follow book gives you steps by step instructions on how to address problems in the field using math and logic skills. Clearly written and thoughtfully organized, the stand-alone chapters on mathematics involved in crop production, livestock production, and financial management allow you to focus on those topics specific to your area while useful graphics, case studies, examples, and sample problems to help you hone your critical thinking skills and master the concepts.

Read More →

Green Agriculture

Organic agricultural methods blend medical understanding of ecological science and modern innovation with only conventional farming methods based upon naturally taking place biological procedures. Organic farming methods are checked out in the ground of agro ecology. Although standard farming makes use of synthetic pesticides and also water-soluble synthetically cleansed fertilizers, natural farmers are restricted by policies to using all-natural pesticides as well as plant food.

Although natural is essentially various from traditional since of the utilization of carbon based plant foods contrasted with only incredibly soluble synthetic based plant foods and biologic insect command as opposed to artificial chemicals, organic agricultural and also large-scale established agricultural are not totally equally exclusive. A bunch of the techniques created for natural farming have actually been embraced by more established agriculture. Integrated Pest Management is a many-sided method that utilizes various organic strategies of vermin command whenever conceivable; nevertheless in conventional agricultural could consist of artificial pesticides only as a last hotel.

Crop diverseness is a distinct function of natural agricultural. The science of agro ecology has revealed the benefits of polyculture (a number of plants in the same area), which is frequently utilized in organic farming.

Organic agricultural counts on to a wonderful level on the organic breakdown of organic matter, making use of strategies like green manure and also composting, to change nutrients taken from the filth by previous plants. Organic agricultural uses an assortment of techniques to much better filth fertility, including plant turning, cover cropping, reduced husbandry, and application of garden compost.

Organic weed management developments weed curtailment, as opposed to weed elimination, by enhancing plant competitors and phytotoxic impacts on weeds. Organic farmers integrate cultural, biologic, mechanical, chemical and bodily maneuvers to deal with weeds without synthetic weed killers.

Read More →

The Working Chicken: Learn everything you need to know to become a backyard egg and meat producer in 30 minutes or less!

A short, sweet, and self-sufficient guide to keeping chickens as part of a rural or urban homestead.

Learn everything you need to know to get started on your poultry adventure with these quick answers to your frequently asked questions. The Working Chicken begins by helping you choose the perfect flock for your family, then explains how to feed and house your new pets. Finally, the book’s permaculture twist ensures that your chickens will not only be happy and healthy, they’ll also keep your family healthy too.

Now with a bonus picture book to inspire the next-generation of chicken lovers!

Read More →

The Emergent Agriculture: Farming, Sustainability and the Return of the Local Economy

Long embraced by corporations who are driven only by the desire for profit, industrial agriculture wastes precious resources and spews millions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year, exacerbating climate change and threatening the very earth and water on which we depend. However, this dominant system, from which Americans obtain most of their food, is being slowly supplanted by a new paradigm.

The Emergent Agriculture is a collection of fourteen thematic essays on sustainability viewed through the lens of farming. Arguing that industrial food production is incompatible with the realities of nature, science, and ethics, this lyrical narrative makes the case for a locally based food system which is:

  • Stable in the face of economic uncertainty
  • Resilient in the face of environmental variability
  • Grounded in stewardship of the land, on attaching value to food and the craft involved in producing it, and on respecting the dignity of farmers, consumer,s and livestock

A revolution in food production is underway. Written from the vantage point of an ecologist who is also a farmer, The Emergent Agriculture is essential reading for anyone interested in food security and the potential for growing local economies. Food for thought about the future of food.

Gary Kleppel is a professor of biology at the SUNY Albany, where he focuses on sustainable agriculture, conservation-based grazing, and the ecology of human-dominated landscapes. He and his wife Pam are owners of Longfield Farm, where they produce grass-fed lamb, wool, free range chickens and eggs, and artisanal breads.

Read More →