Solar Energy in Agriculture

Juan Aldaz2017-11-10T14:39:12-05:00

We wanted to bring an article about Solar Energy in agriculture because in these times farmers in tropical and developing countries are learning first hand how Climate Change and Global Warming are changing the way we do things in agriculture and other industries.  A key component of mitigating Climate Change is Energy.  Without practical and reliable sources of energy, the challenges with increasing production and stepping up to processing requirements to create more value-added commodities for markets and the community. Solar [...]

November 10, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Industrial Hemp Making Strides as an Emerging ‘New’ Crop

Juan Aldaz2017-10-27T16:52:45-05:00

Industrial Hemp, historically somewhat misunderstood by the general public, is making strides in being recognized for what it is… a crop completely different than its related strain which is still classified as a narcotic. Hemp is a form of Cannabis sativa L., is still classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act in the U.S.  This past July, legislators introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2017, authored across party lines and seeks to remove Hemp from [...]

October 27, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Perennial Forage and Cover Crops in Tropical Climates Can Help Solve Many Problems

Juan Aldaz2017-09-29T11:32:47-05:00

Many Subtropical regions experience an extended dry season, and this is expected to increase as a trend with Global warming and shifts in climate patterns throughout the world, but cover crops can help.  Left unmanaged, dry soils will have sparse vegetation, be much warmer, and when combined, these conditions lend themselves to massive nutrient losses within the soils impacted.  The lack of soil cover from the lack of biomass subject the surface horizons to soil erosion when hard rains [...]

September 29, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Effect from Hurricanes on Farmers Can Be Devastating

Juan Aldaz2017-09-25T11:58:39-05:00

In this historically active Hurricanes season across the Caribbean and Gulf Coasts of the US, we read and see the horrific damage to homes and properties across vast areas of land.  The impact on Agriculture as an industry and farm families as a demographic is equal or greater in its impact; not the least of which is the effect on market prices to the consumer.  While the oil refineries and retailers of gasoline have the ability to be ‘ahead’ [...]

September 21, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Soil Compaction Robs Yields and Profits

Juan Aldaz2017-09-18T16:56:05-05:00

Soil compaction is a significant issue in production agriculture around the world.  It can be caused by several processes and/or activities in your crop management practices.  Essentially, soil compaction is defined as an increase in bulk density (weight of soil at a given volume) and/or a decrease in porosity (air exchange) within a soil.  It degrades the structure of a soil, and degrades the soil’s ability to drain, exchange nutrients, sustain microbial life; prevents ideal root development, and other [...]

September 18, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

The Rainforest Alliance

Juan Aldaz2017-08-18T11:31:15-05:00

Recent findings from the United States Environmental Protection Agency continue the mounting proof that Climate Change is real, that's why we want to show in this article, the importance of The Rainforest Alliance's work around the world (see: Report: Federal climate findings counter Trump's stance on climate change - CBS News - Aug 8, 2017). Founded in 1987 by Daniel Katz, the Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on certifying farms and businesses which actively conserve biodiversity and [...]

August 18, 2017 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Tracking Weather for Farming Across the Sub-Tropics

Juan Aldaz2017-07-07T10:31:20-05:00

Using the Cloud to Help Farmers make farming decisions Managing your farm carries a multitude of challenges…decision making in the sensitive environments of the tropics and sub-tropics adds another layer of things to consider.  Knowing your regional climate and local weather for farming can be crucial to protecting your crops and animals. Several organizations and groups are trying to step up to these challenges with tools that can be utilized by farmers across the equatorial belt to assist with short-term seasonal [...]

July 6, 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...

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...