Farming

Marijuana is illegal for the majority of the population to smoke, but some people with terminal illnesses and/or extreme pain can legally smoke marijuana for medical purposes. These people have multiple options about how they can use marijuana; one method is to utilize a marijuana vaporizer.

The traditional method of using marijuana is to smoke it similarly to the way one smokes a cigarette or cigar. This is unhealthy as the smoker ingests carcinogens and exhales harmful second-hand smoke. Since smoking is accomplished by setting the marijuana on fire, most of the soothing THC is simply burned up, accomplishing relatively little. Using a marijuana vaporizer can better help ease the pain of those who are trying to reduce their aches by using marijuana.

One of the benefits of using a marijuana vaporizer is that the marijuana is vaporized rather than burned. This not only prevents the release of harmful carcinogens but also makes for a more potent THC count. Another benefit is that using a marijuana vaporizer is scentless, meaning that medical marijuana users will not smell as if they have been smoking marijuana. While these people are not breaking any laws by using marijuana for medical purposes, avoiding questions and the stigma that is often attached to doing such a thing will be desirable to many patients.

Patients treated with medical marijuana (MMJ) vary widely. After all, illnesses do not choose their victims. An MMJ user can be a senior citizen, a young professional, even a kid. With this, multiple methods of ingesting MMJ were developed to cater to the different lifestyles and age groups of MMJ users.

1. Smoking

Smoking is the traditional way of consuming weed or MMJ. The leaves are ground finely, rolled in paper, lit, and smoked like cigarettes. A pipe or bong may also be used instead of rolling paper. Since the THC goes directly to your bloodstream, its effects kick in faster than most of the other methods. This method is advisable if you want immediate relief, and if you are familiar with smoking. On the other hand, this is discouraged for patients with pulmonary conditions and patients of young age.

2. Vaporizing

Vaporizing is similar to smoking. But instead of burning the leaves, the elements are vaporized. This is my preferred method because the THC takes effect as swiftly as with smoking, but the entire process is less health-hazardous. Versus smoking, vaporizing is pricier because of the vaporizer unit (I have recently bought a DaVinci IQ). It also requires power outlets or batteries to run the vaporizer. However, if you are a smoker or used to smoke, this can be a good option in ingesting MMJ.

3. Topical application

Topical MMJ is used when patient prefers to get away with the psychoactive effects of THC. This can come as a lotion, salve or cream. Since the application is external and there is no inhalation of smoke, this is a healthier option in treating localized pain and inflammation. The downside is that it is limited to skin use only. It cannot be used to treat illnesses that affect the internals of the body.

4. Edibles

The most common MMJ edibles are brownies and cookies. THC is extracted by soaking the leaves in butter/oil, and heating. The THC-infused butter/oil is used to cook pastries or any other food. It will take around 30 minutes to an hour for the effects of THC to kick in. The user must wait at least an hour before consuming another serving if the effects are not yet felt by then. Compared to other methods, the dosage ingested with edibles are harder to monitor.

5. Tinctures

MMJ tinctures are mixtures of THC diffused in alcohol solutions. To consume directly, you can put drops of the tincture under your tongue. Versus edibles, tinctures take effect faster. But they are still slower than vaporizing and smoking. MMJ tinctures can also be mixed with food or applied topically.

These are the preferred ingestion method for children and patients who require low dosages. Tinctures are packaged in small brown bottles with built-in droppers. The droppers allow the user to have better control of the consumed dosages.

Conclusion

Other methods are being developed for better ingestion of the drug. MMJ can also come as suppositories, beverages, and teas. These are all to suit the different needs of its users. It is still best to consult a doctor in choosing the right method.

Good crop production often requires the application of lime and fertilizer. Soil testing enables you to find out the makeup of your soil and helps you determine how much lime and fertilizer you need to apply.

What to Know About Your Soil

To find out what you need to do to improve your soil’s quality, you should know each of the following attributes of the soil:

• Current pH levels of your soil.
• Fertility levels of the principal nutrients.
• Type and quantity of lime your soil needs.
• Nutrients need to be added to your soil as fertilizer.
• Amount of fertilizer your crop and soil needs.

If you do not have this information, a soil test may help.

Limitations of Soil Testing

Soil testing can let you know where your soil needs treatment or improvement. However, a soil test cannot do any of the following:

• Tell you which crop to grow.
• Prevent poor crops caused by drought, disease, insects, too much water, or other problems.
• Substitute for proper cultural practices.
• Replace good management.

How to Take a Soil Sample

Keep in mind that soil test results generally take a couple of weeks to arrive back from the lab. Lime may need up to six months to produce the full effect in raising the soil pH. Be sure to send samples to the lab well before it’s time to fertilize so that you can use the results to determine what kinds of fertilizer to buy.

Before following these instructions, contact your county Extension agent for complete information.

• Divide your farm into fields or areas for sampling. If you have areas with different crop growth, soil color, or lime or fertilizer histories, take a sample from each area. Keep the samples separated.
• Collect samples that provide an general example of the field or area sampled.
• Do not sample areas that are too small to be fertilized or limed separately. Do not sample unusual areas, wet spots, feeding areas, burn piles, old fence rows, sand boils, and other problem areas.
• Use a proper sampling tool, such as a sampling tube or auger. If it is necessary to use a shovel or trowel, dig a 6-inch-deep V-shaped hole in the soil. Slice a 1-inch slab off one side of the hole, and lift out the slab. For the sample, save a 1-inch-wide strip of soil from the center of the slab.
• Use a sampling tube to take a 6-inch-deep core of soil from at least fifteen spots in each field or area to be tested. Sample lawns only to a 3-inch depth. Mix together the cores from one field or area. Put about a pint of the mixed soil in a soil sample bag.
• Identify the samples by letter or number. Make a sketch or record of some kind so you will know which sample came from which field or area.
• Fill out the appropriate information sheets and submission forms. These forms are available at your county Extension office and the Extension Soil Testing Laboratory website. Include these forms and payment when mailing the samples.
• Send samples to the laboratory for analysis. Shipping boxes are available at your county Extension office.
• Consult with your county Extension agent if you need help interpreting the test results or fertilization recommendations.
• Follow the recommendations!

Our Aim

·         To get a high quality for the crops which make us have a good chance to compete in the international markets .

·         We use every thin in our disposal to achieve the scientific methods in applying fertilizers and pesticides .

Because we know that the good quality depends on fertilizing so we use our scientific technology to make analysis for the soil, water and plant diseases to get the best quality

My Ag Pen Pal First Grade Class emailed me a question this morning. They are studying magnets. Somehow they came across a Cow Magnet in their search. They promptly decided that they should ask their Agriculture Pen Pal what a Cow Magnet is and what it does. I am excited that they thought to ask me such a challenging question! So I decided I would post my answer for you as well. This is my take on what a cow magnet is, and it’s used, please call a vet if you have questions about hardware and your animals.

HARDWARE DISEASE & COW MAGNETS

Mostly Dairy Cattle get Hardware Disease, but Beef Cattle can get it too. This is when the animal eats or ingests anything metal, such as fence staples, wire, etc. Often these metal items will tear or puncture the animal’s internal organs and cause a major infection. When this happens to a cow there are 3 options: call the vet and have him surgically remove the items from one of the cows stomachs; feed them a cow magnet and hope the cow passes the items through its 4 stomachs and intestines or maybe keep the metal items in one place reducing the chance of infection; euthanize the cow.

Why do the animals eat metal items? Animals that are fed mostly put up hay (bales) have an increased chance of getting hardware because whatever the baler picks up in the field goes into the bale. This is not intentional; often there are small pieces of wire that fall out of a pickup or staples that naturally pop out of a fence post when the weather changes; sometimes equipment breaks down and broken parts fall into the hay that we are unaware of.

So all this baled hay is fed to animals that are not able to be pastured for some reason or another. One these animals are the dairy cow. Dairy cows spend most of their lives in a dairy barn being milked and fed baled hay. This increases their chance of getting Hardware Disease.

I do not have dairy cows, but I have read that some dairy farmers have their calves ingest a magnet at branding or weaning time to reduce the animals chance of getting Hardware Disease. By giving them the magnet, they are hoping if it eats anything metal the items will be collected and stay in one place for the duration of life, so they don’t puncture the animals internal organs.

Our cattle herd is out to grass pasture 50-75% of the year and when they are not we feed them hay from our farm; so Hardware Disease is a very rare occurrence on our farm.

We have decided to do some highlight feature for the month of October. On Wednesdays, this month we will be discussing wildlife.

There is much more awareness now for our pollinators than ever before. With the population collapse of the bee colonies in the decreasing numbers of monarchs, it has caused a sensational buzz. It forced me to start thinking about my farm and what we do here.

Several years ago, we were approached by a local beekeeper and honey producer. He’s the third generation in his business, and many of the things he does for the bees is done with knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Howland Honey has a brief description on honey.com that reads, “James Howland started with Bees in the summer of 1930 as a hobbyist while working in his father’s furniture factory. By 1940 James was ready to go commercial. During the 2nd World War, the price of honey was high, so James increased his Bees. In 1960 his son David, who loved helping his father work with Bees since he was eight, was out of college and went into business with him. Howland’s had 4,000 colonies of Bees by 1970. David’s son, Michael, joined his mother, Joan & father in the business in 1988. Today, 77 years later, Howland’s Honey is not only well known for it’s high-quality honey in NY state but in other states all over the country as well.”

Since we started working with them years ago, we have learned to co-adapt what we do in our pastures to promote the health and well-being of the bees. We have multiple varieties of clovers that we allow to flower out as a food source for the bees. It also has a benefit for us as we graze cattle. The benefit is that before flowering, the clover can cause bloat in cattle. After flowering, the nutritional components within the plant itself alters just enough that it reduces the chances of bloat. (Bloat is caused by quick fermentation in the cattle’s rumen and the resulting buildup of gasses in the stomach.)

We also have areas that we set aside with natural, native vegetation for the bees. If you live on the east coast, you know that goldenrod and purple asters bloom late into the fall and holds up under light frost conditions. You can smell the difference when the bees start bringing in the heavy goldenrod pollen to the hive. In the spring months, we have areas that are loaded with dandelions. Many people consider them a weed and a nuisance, but we’ve discovered that this is the first spring food source for bees. We’ve also noticed that the cattle devour the plants at certain stages of growth too. One cow in particular with seek out large patches and nip it all off in a matter of minutes.

While other farms are spraying pesticides to remove weeds, we have learned that weeds are a good source of many nutrients and minerals for cattle. We’ve seen our cattle eat whole leaves off burdock plants, bull thistle, and even golden rod.

It isn’t only the bees that are benefitting from the way we are grazing, managing and harvesting grasses. Our farm was the host this spring to several mating pairs of Bobolinks. Bobolinks are a bird that has seen major declines in numbers for many years. Upon reviewing and researching why they have chosen our farm, we discovered that our spring grass growth and later grazing or haying cycles provide a natural habitat for their ground nests. It’s interesting how assisting one level of the ecosystem, ultimately benefits another.

We’ve also noticed an influx of cowbirds that are now hanging out with the grazing cattle too. The cows and the birds would band together. The cows stir up bugs in the grasses, and the cow birds will eat them up, including any flies.

Grazing later and not clipping pastures after the first grazing has also provided habitat for numerous amounts of butterflies, spiders and other insects too.

We are still seeing monarchs all over in the pastures this last week, the first week in October.

And there is nothing like sitting on the tailgate of a truck while watering the cows that are belly deep in third growth grazing paddocks and seeing a fence line covered in Eastern Bluebirds.

Line of Eastern Bluebirds

These are just a very small portion of all the wonderful world of wildlife we have seen this year on the farm. If anyone is a bird watcher, butterfly fanatic or just love nature…you are welcome to come for a visit and a photography journey through the pastures or just sit to watch the birds. We would love to have more people experience our little world here at Barrows Farm.

 

Are you concerned about high food costs? Would you like to feed your family more fresh produce, but can’t because of the expense? Would you like to eat healthier, but don’t have the time to stop at the market every day for fresh vegetables and herbs? Does your house or apartment have a window? Then we have a solution for you.

Our e-book, Window Farming from A-Z is a complete educational guide with detailed instructions on how to set up your own window farm. What is a window farm? A window farm is your very own “farm” utilising interior window space in your home to slash grocery bills by growing your own food year round. Window farming is the solution you’ve been looking for to provide better nutrition for your family.

Yes friends, your neighbours using WINDOW FARMING are now growing their own food all year round in apartments all over the globe.

Window farming was first developed by NASA to provide fresh produce to the astronauts on the space station. Utilising the science behind hydroponics, essentially nutrient rich liquid soil, you can now grow a full garden in a small space.

Your home is already climate controlled, and you no doubt have a window. Hydroponic gardening makes it possible to use those resources to produce your own supply of fresh food year round.

Using space aged engineering, you can get back to the basics of food production- fresh food that you grow yourself, available anytime you’re hungry.

 

The key to saving money and being healthier is as close as your kitchen window. Order our e-book today, or a hard copy if you prefer, to take control of your grocery bill! You’ll save enough money the first week you don’t have to buy produce to pay for the book, and then some. Plus, you’ll know that your food is completely natural and completely safe for your family.

You don’t have to worry about unsafe chemicals, or questionable growing practices ever again. Plus, eating fresh produce will immediately help you get more of the necessary nutrients needed for optimal health.

Save money, eat safer, be healthier, all for little costs and in the comfort of your own home? What are you waiting for? Order our book and get started today!

This week for me has been interesting to say the least. I’ve learned a lot of things that aren’t part of normal dinner table conversations.

During the first part of the week, I learned about genetics in cattle. For example: When you breed cattle, the offspring take one set of chromosomal pairs from their father and one from their mother. In the case I was researching it had to do with chondrodysplasia. Chondrodysplasia is actually a dwarfism disease that is found prevalently in the Irish Dexters. When researching how to breed a mother carrier to an animal that is a non-carrier, I learned all about DNA research testing and how the structures are carried to the next generation.

Here is some information on the subject from Ingenity, a DNA testing lab: How Genes Determine Performance

Within the nucleus of virtually every cell in cattle are 30 pairs of chromosomes — each pair includes one chromosome from each parent. Each chromosome contains several thousand genes, all with DNA — the essence of all life. DNA is like a spiral ladder with the “rungs” made up of base molecules, called nucleotides. Groups of these nucleotides make up genes that code for production of amino acids, proteins, enzymes and other compounds that determine desirable and undesirable traits, and genetic variants affecting how an animal will grow and function. Alleles are forms of genes containing heritable characteristics.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) gathers genetic information from both chromosomes and uses it as the “recipe” for protein production. If both chromosomes include the same base molecule at a specific point, the animal is homozygous for that trait; if they are different, it is heterozygous.

The chondrodysplasia genetic is a concern because of it’s lethal traits. It causes something we call “Bulldog Syndrome”. The calves have no way to survive and is a birthing concern because typically the cows are not able to pass them as normal. Many times they need to be removed via cesarean section, which in turn causes additional health risks and concerns.

About mid-week, I happened to be checking on one of the very pregnant heifers (which is an adult cow who hasn’t had a calf yet) and noticed some bugs, yes bugs, along the back of her neck. After inspecting a couple of the others within the herd, I confirmed 9 animals that had the same issue.

Some of the creepy crawlies that were discovered were ticks. After making a bunch of phone calls and doing a little research, we knew this was an issue that needed immediate attention but we also knew we had to be extremely careful in our choice because of impending calves.

A run to the local farm supply store and we had one choice for immediate application. The active ingredient was Permethrin. Permethrin is actually derived from chysthaniumums and is an insect repellent for ticks, lice, fleas and other pests. The type we picked up was a pour on oil based product but could also be applied to a back rub. With supplies in hand, we set about treating each animal because these are highly contagious among a herd of cattle. We also have started working on an integrated pest management program to set up a long term plan of action.

After having the samples of the little blue looking things from the photo above examined, it was discovered that, along with the ticks, we also have a severe case of short nosed cattle lice infestation.

Here are the samples we sent to the Cornell University Entomology Lab

These little pesky things require a double treatment. We are already seeing an improvement and many of the lice have pulled away from the skin!

Needless to say, this week turned into an educational and eventful week. At the beginning of the week, we expected the excitement to be over calves and not these issues. It is what it is though. Now that we know what’s going on and how to get it fixed, things will go better. Farming isn’t always easy and sometimes we get thrown for a loop with things like this. There is a quote out there that says, “Expect the Unexpected.” I think it was written by a farmer because that sums up the day to day on a farm. Today, it’s lice and ticks. Yesterday, it was about genetics and breeding. Who knows what tomorrow will hold. I know I’m praying for calves but sometimes you just don’t know. It could be water problems, broken tractors, flat tires or broken fences.

I know it all sounds stressful and in some ways it is. Until that moment when calves run and play or the chickens are fighting over a worm. The good outweighs the bad a thousand times over. Besides, it feels good to be able to overcome issues, it’s rewarding and fulfilling making life feel like you’ve accomplished something great when you overcome these hurdles!

Similar to the past five years, the Hydroponic Crop Farming industry is projected to expand in the next five years, according to latest report from IBISWorld, the nation’s largest publisher of industry research. From 2011 to 2016, revenue is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 4.4% to $674.9 million. An increased focus on healthy eating habits will boost demand; further, consumers will look to buy more food locally, supporting this growth. Also, the industry will continue to fill the gap, when poor weather conditions hurts fresh field farmers’ goods. On the other hand, Mexico is expected to increase its hydroponic crop farming output, which may pose a threat to the industry. Nevertheless, in 2012, revenue is set to rise as more consumers demand local and organic produce.

In the five years since 2006, revenue for the Hydroponic Crop Farming industry has maintained positive growth, indicating that the recession had a minimal effect on participants. During the period, more individuals focused on healthy eating and consuming organic produce, resulting in high demand. In addition, extreme weather conditions damaged many crops for fresh field farmers, so grocery stores and farmer’s markets quickly turned to hydroponic farmers to meet their demand. From 2006 to 2011, industry revenue rose at an average of 7.8% per year. Further, in 2011, revenue is expected to increase. Rising food prices are also supporting growth, since food is largely a non-discretionary necessity.

Concentration in the Hydroponic Crop Farming industry is higher at the top, with the two largest companies, Eurofresh Farms and Village Farms International, dominating the market. IBISWorld projects industry concentration will remain steady over the next five years as expansion by the top firms is mitigated by growing consumer demand for locally grown produce.

According to IBISWorld analyst, Mary Gotaas, from 2011 to 2016, revenue in the Hydroponic Crop Farming industry will continue to increase. “Revenue is forecast to rise to $674.9 million,” says Gotaas. “Demand for quality organic produce will keep rising, fostering this industry’s growth.” In addition, “poor weather conditions are projected to increase downstream purchasers’ reliability on hydroponic farmers.” Mexican imports will pose a small threat to their industry, as the country increases its hydroponic farming capabilities. Nevertheless, as consumers increase their desire to buy locally, Mexican imports will not be too substantial.

As revenue and demand continues to expand in the next five years, the number of enterprises is projected to grow. The number of industry firms is expected to increase to 3,361 companies. Many of these new firms will focus on growing exclusively organic fruit to help meet the demand at fresh markets. Other operators will start farms to solely provide goods on a local basis

Well, it’s that time of year for sleepless nights and multiple trips to the barn in the middle of the night. It’s the time of year when sleep deprivation doesn’t matter because there is a new baby on the farm.

No matter how many times I’ve watched or seen a live animal born or hatch, it still amazes me. Calves stand within minutes, chicken chicks are running by the time their feathers dry and some livestock like goats and piglet hit the ground running it seems.

A heifer, which is a cow prior to having a calf, is bred when she is a teenager. Cattle research says that breeding can be safely done anytime after 14 months of age so long as the animal is in good condition. Cattle have the same gestation length as us humans, 9 months.

The heifer in the video, affectionately known as Katie, is slightly older (I will explain why in a future post). She is 29 months old and celebrated her 2nd birthday on October 31st. She is a Holstein/Jersey cross. Since this was her first calf, we wanted to ensure that her calf would be a small one so we crossed her with our Irish Dexter bull. The result, as seen in the video, is a stout little guy who weighs about 30-35 pounds.

When calves are born, they come feet first with the head laying along the legs, nose first. If you watch the video closely when the hooves come out, you can actually see them wiggle inside of the placenta sac.

 

Within seconds after being born, calves start working on their first goal of getting up. The first thing they do is pick their heads up. Their mothers will start licking them clean. This is important because the licking not only stimulates the calf but also familiarizes the mother with her calf.

 

The cow will also start working on clean up the placenta or afterbirth. This is called placentophagy. It is the act of mammals eating the placenta their young after childbirth. The placenta contains high levels of hormones which stimulates the shrinking of the uterus to its former size. This squeezing helps clean the uterus out. The placenta also contains small amounts of oxytocin which eases birth stress and causes the muscles around the mammary cells in the udder to contract and expel milk for the calf.

Cattle naturally attempt to hide any trace of childbirth by eating their placenta from predators in the wild. The most general benefit of placentophagy, according to recent research, is that placenta and amniotic fluid contain a molecule that produces an enhancement of the natural reduction in pain that occurs shortly after and during delivery.

Now, back to the calf (because that’s my favorite part). Within the first hour, the calf will be cleaned, standing (although a little wobbly at first) and suckling colostrum from its mother. The colostrum is a crucial part of the development for a calf. It’s full of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and probiotics. Calves instinctively know to go for the milk. It has a sweet smell and is very thick in texture. I like to compare it to sugar cookies for us.

Calves are born, again similar to humans, with no immunity system. The colostrum provides the basic start to building that immunity. Research shows that the more colostrum a calf gets within the first 24-48 hours of birth, the healthy the animal is throughout it’s life. It’s also important that the calf gets it’s first feeding within the first 3-4 hours of life.

As a farmer, it’s my job to ensure the safety of the cow during delivery, for postnatal care, that the calf is functioning correctly and that it gets the much needed colostrum. Some cows are great mothers and will spend the time caring for the calf. Others will abandon them for reasons unknown. A great example of oddities is Katie. She didn’t want the calf to nurse. She did great on cleaning the calf off but once the poor little guy decided it was time to try eating, she would shove him away. It took holding and soothing her for long enough to let the calf suckle. Everything was fine after the first minute. Remember, she is a first time mom and instincts don’t always kick in first thing.

We have two calves now, respectively born on 4/7 and 4/8. One is a heifer and the other a bull. They are both doing very well and can be found racing around the pastures with their moms.