Permaculture and Regenerative Agriculture Systems

Juan Aldaz2017-06-15T16:32:58-05:00

One of the most challenging barriers to regenerative agriculture, or sustainable agriculture in the equatorial regions across the world is the farmer’s ability to establish and maintain a soil resource that can ensure long-term production of food crops.  The extreme weathering that takes place on the soils across these regions makes sustainability so difficult to achieve in food production.  Combine that with the socio-economic challenges these populations face and it leaves us as a planet looking for solutions. Climate change [...]

June 15, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Small Farm Rice Production

Juan Aldaz2017-06-09T13:07:45-05:00

Small farm rice production in Japan (Source: Growing Rice in Japan) Rice production is on the rise in many areas of Africa and other regions of the equatorial belt, specially small farm rice production. Many farms in these areas working with small plots of land may hold promise for the use of compact tractors in producing a successful rice crop. Building Bunds/Levees In order to contain the water that will be flooded or irrigated into the paddy, the building of dams or [...]

June 9, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Global Agricultural Equipment Market Trends

Juan Aldaz2017-06-02T15:06:30-05:00

In researching current trends in Agricultural Equipment worldwide, I found that regardless of where any given region is with regard to its Ag industry; Agricultural Engineering is moving forward with unprecedented growth in technology advancements.  This means different things to different regions of the world. By:  John Deibel, Freelance Author for Tractor Export North America: Gross receipts and profitability in North American Agriculture continue to slide.  2017 is a Census year in the US.  Many are anticipating some significant and perhaps not [...]

June 1, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Understanding Fertilizers and Soil Fertility

Juan Aldaz2017-05-25T17:57:39-05:00

Soil Fertility is the most limiting factor to economic crop yields in many regions across the Equatorial belt and Sub-Saharan Africa.  The expense of purchasing fertilizers is several times higher than in other regions of the world.  For example, it might cost a smallholder of land 100 km from a port more to transport fertilizer from the port than it cost to ship it thousands of miles across the ocean. However, the dilemma still exists, and as food and other [...]

May 25, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Raised Bed Farming

Juan Aldaz2017-05-22T12:20:41-05:00

Many small farms are converting from flat land field management to raised beds.  There are several considerations to go through before converting to raised beds that we’ll cover here. “Raised-beds are a type of planting crops in which furrows - long, narrow trenches made in the ground by a plow - are widely spaced and crops are planted on raised strips. The width of the strips is determined to ensure homogeneous adequate water distribution into the soil profile to meet [...]

May 19, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Did you Know? You Can Also Use Agricultural Implements with ATVs

Juan Aldaz2017-05-15T17:17:47-05:00

ATVs (also known as Gators), Compact and Sub-Compact Tractors with the appropriate agricultural implements offer an efficient way to manage small jobs, or can be used across many jobs on small farms.  In this article, I want to focus on what types of attachments can be used with a compact tractor for your field tillage needs and what to look for in them. Maybe you know you need a tractor to help you take care of many of the heavy [...]

May 11, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Did you Know? You Can Also Use Ag Implements with ATVs-2

Juan Aldaz2017-05-12T09:48:04-05:00

Powered Tillage (Rototillers) Rototillers are an excellent power implement to equip with your compact tractor in that they will work in a variety of conditions, depending on how they are set up. Chain vs Shaft Driven – Rototillers are set up according to the outside width of your tractor tires.  Many compact and sub-compact tractors will be equipped with a 48” rototiller.  When you’re operating this small a tiller, it’s best to use a Chain driven type because of cost, and [...]

May 11, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Understanding Pesticides and their Fate in the Environment

Juan Aldaz2017-05-05T10:55:15-05:00

Pesticides have gotten their fair share of abuse over the years. Some of it justified, some of it hogwash.  In these days of social media and ‘fake news’, whomever can make the biggest splash for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and unique hits to a webpage or a video, wins.  Right?..uhm..not so much. The bottom line with Plant Protection using pesticides lies in risk: benefit.  The risk being economics, effectiveness, the persistence of the chemical in the environment, and the hazard [...]

May 5, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Organic Agriculture – Is it Really the Answer? What’s the Question?

Juan Aldaz2017-04-28T17:30:18-05:00

Having been educated in Agriculture, with a particular focus on Agronomy, I’ve been particularly interested in the ‘Organic’ trend sweeping the politics, economy, and agricultural industry today.  Consumer perceptions of Organic Agriculture as being something ‘new’ to farmers is particularly unsettling to me, and I’m sure, to many of us who have either farmed it or worked with farmers over the years. I thought I’d write about this topic today, so I did my usual search of the internet for [...]

April 28, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Irrigation Systems for Sub-Tropical Agriculture

Juan Aldaz2017-04-20T16:06:53-05:00

Technology in irrigation systems has been rapidly advancing across the world.  Low flow systems are assisting farmers at reducing the amount of water they need to satisfy the crop’s requirements while keeping their energy and costs associated with irrigation down.  ‘Smart Phone’ technology allows farmers to monitor the moisture and temperature in their fields from the palm of their hand, which will greatly reduce waste and increase economic yield when used properly.  Advancements in pump designs, water delivery systems, [...]

April 20, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...