If you’re a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, you may be eligible for special programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help you start a farm. Here’s what you need to know. USDA Programs to Help Veterans Start Farming First things first: Although this isn’t a USDA benefit for veterans, you may be […]
Can You Buy a Farm With a VA Loan?
If you’re like many veterans, you need to know whether you can buy a farm with a VA loan. In some cases, you can – but here’s what you need to know. Can You Buy a Farm With a VA Loan? In many cases, you can use a Department of Veterans Affairs home loan to […]
2 MORE Considerations When Choosing Winter Feeding Areas for Your Livestock
Florida very seldom gets much snow at all, but freezing temps and snow are more likely in the northern parts of the state. In fact, most North Florida locales see temperatures drop below freezing at least once each year, according to Weather.com. When it’s time to determine which parts of your farm to use as outdoor […]
3 Major Factors to Consider When Picking a Winter Feeding Spot for Your Cattle
When deciding on which areas of your farm to use as outdoor winter pastures, or feeding areas, for your cattle there are lots of factors to consider in order to maintain the health and performance of your animals. If your feeding area is not well planned it could result in problems like soil erosion, soil compaction, excessive […]
What Is a Spotted Lanternfly? Can It Harm Your Crops?
Flies are nuisances, whether they be a common housefly or a horse fly. But have you heard of the spotted lanternfly? It’s a nuisance on a grander scale. It’s considered to be beautiful by some…but deadly by all. Spotted lanternflies won’t harm you. Your crops, however, are a different story. Don’t be deceived by the […]
2 Ways to Combat a Twospotted Spider Mite Infestation
If you read our previous post on twospotted spider mites you probably have a good understanding of just how deadly these minute menaces can be to your crops. We won’t leave you without a game plan. Here are two ways to help combat an infestation that threatens to destroy your fields. Using natural predators Twospotted […]
How to Know if You Have a Twospotted Spider Mite Infestation in Your Fields
Very often twospotted spider mites can collect at the edges of your fields, especially if the fields are bordered by weeds. Although the mites don’t have wings, the insects can travel with the wind and a mite problem that began at the periphery can eventually spread and create an infestation that spans your fields. Here’s […]
How to Identify Twospotted Spider Mites in Your Fields
Twospotted spider mites love to consume crops, and if left unchecked they can literally suck the life out of your plants by piercing leaf tissue with their needle-like mouths and extracting the contents of plant cells. Here’s how to identify these crop-hungry critters that can create infestations that hurt your bottom line. Identification The appearance […]
What Are Twospotted Spider Mites? What You Don’t Know Might Kill Your Crops
Are you familiar with twospotted spider mites? What you don’t know could harm or kill your crops. Twospotted spider mites live on the undersides of leaves, and are oval-shaped insects that are easy to miss—they’re only about 1/50th of an inch long. They sometimes have a brown or orange-red appearance, but are typically green or greenish-yellow […]
2 Tips for Managing Grass Grazing Shortages in Unusually Dry Conditions
Although the prospect of drought in a state like Florida may seem unlikely, in recent years—2014 to be exact—portions of northern Florida experienced abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions, according to the Florida Climate Center. In late March of this year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast in its spring outlook that warmer-than-average […]
