SBWire

It all started in 1945 when Donna Buechler’s dad started cutting wild trees to sell as Christmas trees. About that same time he purchased the first piece of property of what would become the farm Donna grew up on eventually starting her own family on that same farm.

Water and its supply has been intensely reported on and debated in recent months. This year saw the largest consultation on water in farming for 50 years from Defra and the Environment Agency, and this week, Defra is seeking input from the country’s water extractors to understand their demands and understanding of the relationship between extraction and other catchment issues.

Keeping birds and daytime predators away from crops is a constant battle, especially for farmers and gardeners trying to avoid crop damage and pollution. Predator Guard Scare Tape is a safe, non-toxic bird repellent that does no harm to animals, acting effectively as a visual deterrent.

Olives. A wonderful fruit and often comparable to grapes and wine when it comes to vintage and making oil. Harvesting olives is all about timing. Pick them when they are too green and unripe and they are full of Chlorophyll and can make oil taste bitter. Pick them when they are too black and beginning to fall off the tree after the Chlorophyll has left the fruit and it may be too late. Picking can be tedious as traditional methods include combing the ripe fruit from trees into nets, or even hand picking the fruit into baskets tied around the waist. Ladders are often used to climb higher into the trees to reach fruit not easy to comb. An Italian company hopes to change tradition and make it easier to harvest olives by launching an Indiegogo campaign to help them produce and manufacture Project Alpha, what they deem is a better way to harvest olives.

Water companies across the country have issued warnings over the government’s plans to allow shale gas exploration across half of the UK’s mainland, much is which is valuable farmland.

It is extremely important for farmers to protect their bins and silos so they can prevent water infiltration and a significant buildup of moisture. Bins and silos that are exposed to too much water over time eventually rust and as a result they develop structural problems which can be costly to repair or even replace. Those who want to protect the goods they are storing will definitely need the kind of effective waterproofing solution that will ultimately save them money over time.

Norfolk MP Liz Truss replaces Owen Paterson as Defra secretary, a move that could bring water more to the forefront of farming. The move comes as part of David Cameron’s major cabinet reshuffle. With an interest in food and farming issues in her constituency, particularly surrounding food and water security, after the last drought, Truss arranged for farmers to meet ministers to discuss concerns about water supplies for irrigated crops in Norfolk and Suffolk. She has also called for greater protection for farmland from flooding.

Peterborough-based plastic water tank specialist, Enduramaxx, is helping farmers to utilise a new wave of Farming and Improvement Scheme (FFIS) funding which could help them to buy rainwater tanks, amongst other vital farming items.

With water featuring highly on the agenda at this year’s Cereal Event, the issue of potential water extraction limits suggested by Defra to bring the UK in-line with the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive are of concern to many in farming.

Only 4,500-7,500 snow leopards remain in the wild of central Asia. Living in the rugged, forbidding mountains, these endangered, elusive cats continue to be threatened by the humans sharing their land. Conflicts with traditional livestock herders have escalated sharply in recent years, resulting in retaliatory killing of snow leopards. From the Himalayas north to Siberia, herders are especially angered by surplus killing that occurs when a snow leopard enters a corral and kills up to 50 or more of the confined sheep and goats. In a very real sense, such livestock represent each family’s primary “bank account.”

Spending in mahogany trees is an old concept and a tree owner can help clean our environment and also earn real money. It is much better than having a pension, as the mahogany tree is a palpable asset, not a volatile investment!

Keno Tractors - the premier west coast Jinma dealer - acquired fellow Jinma tractor dealer CeeTee Tractor Co in an effort to expand their online presence and add to their customer base. The acquisition took place April 2014, and the companies merged without difficulties within a short amount of time.

There's nothing more disturbing than seeing fresh gardens or valuable livestock being obliterated by wild animals or night predators.

Hahndorf Farm Barn provides great birthday party activities in Adelaide at value for money prices. Their birthday party ideas have been developed into either fully catered and hosted birthday parties, or a self-catered birthday party option, both are filled with adventure and fun, something which surely will make your child’s birthday parties a memorable one! These parties are available for children of all ages who will just love to celebrate their birthday surrounded by the cutest and cuddliest baby animals in a safe and supportive farm environment.

Organics of Chicago promises to help grow healthy neighborhoods, lives and lifestyles through the best of green innovation and social responsibility. Organics is going to be more than just an urban farm. The buildings will include transitional or supportive housing apartments. The units will house challenged individuals while providing job training and personal development support programming.

The Land Connection is pleased to announce a new series of farmer training intensives that will delve deep into agricultural topics that are critical to entrepreneurial farmers. These intensives will typically span three days and be composed of farm tours, hands-on experience, and presentations from highly knowledgeable speakers. Meals and welcome packets are also provided, and participants will earn certificates of completion.

Carbon Cycle Crush offers their environmentally friendly bulk Canola oil at reasonable prices. Carbon Cycle Crush purchases the best Canola to provide high-quality lubricant oil and bio fuel. The Canola oil is extracted from the seeds of Canola through a process called expeller-pressed. The extracted Canola seeds are further used and then sold as byproduct meal. Carbon Cycle Crush Canola oil has great advantages. This oil is used to help in manufacturing, biofuels and lubricants, and bio-based oil products that range from soaps to pharmaceuticals.

Farmers and gardeners can now have a peace of mind knowing that their hard work and investments will be protected against night predators when using a Predator Guard solar-powered predator control light. This product is an affordable and maintenance-free device that scares away night predators that damage gardens and livestock.

The most common nocturnal animals that are likely to attack bird feeders at night are raccoon and bear. It is strongly advised that homeowners not put out bird seed or bird feeders if bears are in the area. Bears in people’s gardens seeking out bird seed is to be discouraged at all costs. The replacement cost of smashed bird feeders is expensive! If raccoons are a problem, it is recommended that people take feeders in at night when these animals are most active.

As farmers adjust their businesses in time for the abolition of EU Milk Quotas next year, Peterborough-based Enduramaxx is supplying solutions to provide farmers with the additional resources required to cope with increased capacities.

Waterworks proposes to build a commercial aquaponics system in Northumberland County that will provide fresh local produce and fish to the community year round utilizing aquaponics agriculture practice.

The new website and nonprofit organization Farmished announces board of directors with varying backgrounds. Members of the nonprofit’s board of directors include founder Michael Wolfe, who has a corporate background, Dave Ring, who has a background in retail and food service, Michael O’Donnell, who works with the Purdue Extension Office of Delaware County and Daniel Wasson, who runs a commercial nursery.

With any growing season, fertilizer spreading and spraying is an important exercise and requires good management in order to time application correctly and to enjoy savings from storing and controlling fertiliser correctly. Enduramaxx provides farmers with a range of liquid fertiliser tanks that store fertiliser, not only in optimum condition to avoid waste, but in tanks ranging up to 30000 litres. This enables farmers to bulk-buy liquid fertilizer. As well as the cost savings from bulk-buying, having ample supplies pre-mixed for precisely when needed saves on mixing time and allows for extremely timely application.

Keno Tractors - the premier west coast Jinma dealer - is maintaining a continued focus on simplifying its online parts store. As a result of this focus, Keno Tractors has updated its parts ordering system to no longer be a 3 page process, instead the whole ordering process is now condensed into one page. Keno Tractors knows that customers will be more inclined to come back to their website as return shoppers now that the process is so quick and easy

MDBarnmaster, the leading provider of modular equestrian barns, was recently selected to build the horse stables at a large new international equestrian center in the southeastern United States. Construction of four state-of-the-art MDBarnmaster barns began at the new Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, NC, in March.