Since then, soil preservation via conservation programs has come to the fore. With strategies like planting prairie strips, soil nutrient loss is reduced. This is possible for farms with large acreages, and for smaller market farms too. Prairie strips do not need to be installed all at once, and can be introduced to the farm in stages. 

There are plenty of other reasons for planting prairie strips – soil nutrient loss being one factor. These strips work beyond the soil level, controlling pests, preserving ground water, providing more revenue to the farm, and much more. 

Why Install Prairie Strips?

The practice has roots way back in history, but we can thank soil scientists, conservationists, and various agricultural extensions for its recent promotion and development of standard techniques. The benefits are simple: prairie strips improve water quality, conserve water resources, provide wildlife habitat, and reduce soil erosion. 

By converting 10-25% of your farmland into these strips, you can grow large areas of a single crop without the same risk of nutrient loss that you would have without them. Add to that a regularly rotated and cover- cropped area, and you’ll have increased yields. 

Prairie strips filter water and hold it in the ground where it is needed. Any fertilizer runoff is contained within the strip and stays out of sensitive waterways, where it can cause detrimental effects. This keeps nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil on your farm, rather than running off somewhere else where you can’t access it. 

Prairie strips improve biodiversity on your farm. Increased biodiversity has multiple benefits to crops. These strips attract more wildlife that remains within the strip, rather than your cropland. Furthermore, agricultural pests will be thwarted by beneficial predator insects that rely on prairie plants. 

Aside from water preservation and preventing nutrient loss, prairie strips invite more pollinators to your farm. This means they contribute to better fruit and grain set and higher yields.    

How To Install Prairie Strips

Soil nutrient loss prevention is as easy as putting in the work and spending around $40 per acre. If you’re working with a ton of acreage, there are programs available to assist in cutting the cost. 

Size

To install prairie strips, soil nutrient loss is best controlled with at least 10% of the land outfitted for this purpose. Of course, you can install more than 10%, but just this amount will do plenty of good. Considerably high slope and low soil quality warrant more to have the desired soil and water retention effects.  

Each strip should be 30 feet wide to make your farm eligible for the USDA Conservation Reserve Program. This width also makes it possible to use current commercial farm tools within and outside of the strip.  

Placement

While there are many ways to install these strips, the basic recommendations for where to put them hinge on how your farm is laid out. Look for steep hills, slopes, and areas where water tends to erode the soil. Place strips between crop fields or on the borders of your farm. 

If there are areas where yields tend to be low, plant prairie strips. Soil nutrient loss will then be reduced, and your yields should increase. You’ll begin to notice significant increases as year three comes along. 

Timing

Before you prep and plant your prairie strip, consider the last time you used herbicide in the area (if this is a regular practice on your farm). Consult a label database to determine what the half life of that herbicide is. You want to plant outside of that timespan. 

Before you prep the area for planting, choose which plants you’ll include in the strip. Many native seeds are best sown in fall to overwinter and sprout in spring. Warm-season grasses can be planted in spring, and cover crops have varied timings. Knowing these helps you set a schedule for strip prep and planting. 

The Setup

To begin, farmers should till and remove any perennial weeds that proliferate nestled in the dense foliage of a prairie strip. Some sources recommend tilling twice to reduce perennial weeds. Remember, if any herbicides are used to complete this task, avoid seeding within the half-life of that herbicide. 

Many agricultural extensions recommend pre-planting with soybean, corn, or cover crops. There is debate among conservationists about whether or not this is the best practice for prairie strips that will contain native plants. While pre-planting provides benefits to the soil, eliminating them among native plants can be difficult. They have a tendency to seed out and can be hard to manage.

After terminating the cover crop – if this is the route you’ve chosen – seed at the appropriate time at a rate of at least 40 seeds per square foot. If you have extra seed, it’s ok to overseed, and sometimes it’s beneficial in instances where re-emerging soy, corn, or cover crop is expected. 

Maintenance

If you’re dealing with tons of annual weeds, and they seem to be outcompeting the natives in the first year, mow the strip to six inches three or four times as they reach one foot tall. Follow up with one or two mows in the second year. Once the strip is established, remove top growth. 

If you prefer to utilize fire in your prairie maintenance, wait until the second fall after planting, and don’t burn more than half of the strip at a time. Any cattle safe plants that grow during the year can be harvested as feed. The strip could also double as a hayfield if the plants within work for that.

If you are interested in being a part of the larger effort to regenerate native ecosystems, you can harvest the seeds of the plants. Here is where weed control from the outset is most important. Contact a local native seed dealer to see if you can contribute to their stock. 

The post How to Fight Soil Nutrient Loss with Prairie Strips appeared first on Modern Farmer.

These viruses cause mottled leaves and, eventually, plant death. Necrotic strains damage foliage as well as tubers, which rot from the inside out. Not only is the virus spread via infected tools and plants, but its main vector is aphids. Therefore, farms that haven’t dealt with the virus yet can prevent it by controlling aphids in their potato crops. 

Integrated pest management denotes that one of the best ways to keep pest numbers down is to plant wildflowers. These attract aphid predators and limit their ability to spread viruses in areas where they may be common. 

The primary predators of the potato aphid are lady beetles, carabid beetles, spiders, syrphid flies, green lacewings, and midges. Plants that attract these are great preventatives for potato viruses that aphids spread. Thankfully, many of them double as ecologically restorative.  

Sunflowers

Any type of sunflower attracts lady beetles. Both adults and lady beetle nymphs feed voraciously on aphids. They don’t discriminate between young and mature aphids, either. Farms in proximity to sunflower fields are likely to have fewer problems with pests, as they attract a slew of predators in the insect and animal kingdoms.

If you want to attract the green lacewing, which also feeds heavily on aphids, but mostly in its larval phase, plant Maximillian sunflowers. These North American native plants provide excellent habitat for beneficial predators. They also spread and grow easily, blooming from summer through the milder parts of fall. 

One note on some sunflowers: they take up a lot of space. Plant them where they can spread out, and where they won’t overcrowd other crops or natural areas. Use them as a conservation feature on your farm where there’s plenty of room to grow. 

Yarrow

Of course, it would be a mistake to mention integrated pest management without including yarrow. One of the most vigorous and lovely native plants, yarrow is a beneficial insect powerhouse. It attracts many predators of aphids, and others too.

Plant yarrow among other plants, but provide some space so it doesn’t bully them. It can be grown among other plants (unlike the Maximillian sunflower), but it can be aggressive in optimal environments. However, a strip of yarrow between potato rows is a great idea. 

Intermix yarrow with other native plants, and you have prairie strips that buffer cultivated land, adding to restoration efforts or initiating them.  

Milkweed

Known as the premier host for monarch butterflies, milkweed also attracts lady beetles. But that’s not where the benefits end. Hummingbirds are aphid predators, and they love to sip nectar from milkweed flowers. Bees provide pollination to milkweeds and any crops nearby. 

Like yarrow, it makes sense to plant milkweed alongside your potatoes, keeping them out of the same bed. Milkweed will do well on its own or in a strip of prairie plants. Its stems contain a toxic sap that can irritate skin, so keeping it in an area that receives little human intervention is a good idea. This gives monarchs the space to do their thing. 

Buckwheat

As a cover crop, buckwheat is an excellent choice. It’s a quick-growing living mulch, suppressing weeds as it grows. It can grow in poor soil, requiring little amendment to thrive. Its roots also scavenge for phosphorus. This makes it a good candidate for interplanting with potatoes. 

Its flowers are a huge syrphid fly attractant, too. These guys are another viable predator that keeps aphid numbers down when potatoes are flourishing. With numerous commercial sources for buckwheat, it is one of the more accessible plants listed here. 

For farmers who want to use regenerative practices on their farm, there are numerous native species to pick from. 

Native Grasses

For carabid beetles, the best attractors are native grasses. Ranchers benefit from using natives in their pastures, and even more so if those pastures are rotated in a restorative model. This means it’s possible to have multiple revenue streams on the farm if there’s room for them – from cattle and from food crops.

Regardless of whether or not grazing animals are a part of the farm, including native grasses will reduce aphid numbers when they grow nearby. Plant them in strips or in close proximity to your potatoes. By doing so, you bring in aphid predators, and also host butterflies, skippers, and more. 

Grass seeds are food for birds in winter, and deer appreciate native grasses as well. If having white-tailed deer on your farm for leasing to hunters is something you’ve wanted, here’s your chance. 

Wild Mustard

You’ve probably seen some kind of weedy brassica plant on your farm. What if you learned these are a food source for syrphid flies? Mustards are employed as cover crops, but they’re also one of the primary attractants for hoverflies. This includes some cultivated mustards, too. 

Hoverflies don’t just feed on aphids. They prey on scale insects and thrips too. Flower farmers who have trouble with western flower thrips will get a boost from planting different mustards. Many are beautiful and work as fillers in cut flower bouquets, too. 

Queen Anne’s Lace

A common sight on the flower farm is Queen Anne’s lace, and hoverflies love this one, too. While it’s not advisable to plant this one in areas where it is invasive (which are many), it is a good food source for aphid predators. 

Because it can be vigorous even outside its invasive range, your best bet is to plant it in strips near your potato rows. Give it space, and if you decide to interplant it with another flowering species, opt for one that can handle the intensity of Queen Anne’s lace. 

Penstemon

Beardtongues are similar to foxgloves in their floral shape. They have a similar habit and are often one of the first flowers to bloom in spring. Coincidentally, green lacewings love these flowers, and the adults will enjoy the nectar of the plants while their larvae will rid your potatoes of aphids. 

This is another perfect candidate for North American regenerative farms that want to include restorative practices in their food cultivation. There are over 280 native species to choose from, and all commonly bloom from early spring up to summer. 

If you’re planting these, include them in strips that have longer blooming plants in them to keep predators on the farm, rather than searching elsewhere for another food source. 

Saltbush

In the western half of North America, farmers benefit from planting Atriplex canescens, or fourwing saltbrush. This Amaranth family member is a source of food for green lacewings, which flit between it and potatoes to consume nectar and predate. This plant has a long history of use among indigenous peoples as a dye and a fuel source. 

Farmers should plant multiples of this plant to keep it going on the farm. There is a ton of genetic diversity between plants, and there is little consistency between plants with male and female flowers. Therefore, many plantings will ensure survival. 

Include this one on your potato farm to cultivate a piece of native plant history!

Winecups

Another spring to summer bloomer, winecups are a boon for potatoes due to their ability to bring in green lacewings. They tend to do quite well on borders, making them a good choice for farms that have a smaller cultivation space, and lots of wild areas on the edges. 

You’ll bring in a ton of bumble bees with this one, making it possible to produce potato seed (as opposed to tuber seeds) if you want to. Even if that’s not your end goal, lacewings keep the aphid populations under control, preventing viruses that devastate crops.  

The post Fight Potato Viruses with Wildflowers: 9 Flowers to Try appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Composting is a great way to reduce waste on your farm. It limits the amount of waste going to the landfill, thus reducing methane emissions. Due to its nutrient-filled composition, it’s a perfect way to fertilize many crops. It improves soil structure in the process and helps your soil retain water. 

You can throw most organic waste products into your compost pile. Animal manure, silage, plant debris, kitchen scraps, and leftover mulch and soil all apply. For this list of recommendations, it’s best to avoid adding meat or dairy. For all composting systems, keep diseased plant matter and invasive weeds in the garbage. 

Turn Regularly

One of the best and easiest ways to keep your compost pile aerobic, or full of oxygen that speeds the decomposition process, is simply to turn it regularly. Regular turning increases oxygen and the temperature of the pile. Hotter piles break down materials more quickly than colder ones. 

While it is completely possible to have finished compost in a cold pile, it’s not the best way to do it quickly. So consider the size of your pile as you develop a turning schedule. A general rule is that piles should be turned every three to four days. 

Another aspect to consider is the temperature. If the pile temp drops below 104°F (40°C), it’s time to turn. You can use a compost thermometer to assist you here. Or you can speed things along by turning regularly. Grab a broadfork, turn your bin, or simply use a shovel. Bring the center of the pile outward, and the outside of the pile inward. 

Aerate

Turning is an excellent way to keep your pile aerated. But there are other ways to accomplish aeration, which often occur as you set up your pile or bin. One way to do this is to pop a PVC pipe in the center of the pile with holes drilled along the length. This adds oxygen to the pile as it decomposes. 

If you’re building a bay compost system, leave some room between the slats to promote passive aeration. These openings also allow insects in that consume the matter in the pile and provide even more decomposition. The same goes for worms and grubs.

Any bins you use should have holes in them to allow airflow through. Without airflow, you’ll force the pile into an anaerobic state. This leads to bad smells and a much slower rate of decomposition (if any at all). So ensure there is oxygen getting into contained bin systems. 

Water

The proper moisture content helps matter break down more quickly, and is absolutely essential to speed up compost toward a more usable format. As you turn your pile, keep the hose handy. If you notice dry areas, spritz them with water. 

As you add your layers of greens and browns, water. Moisture will speed up decomposition by providing mobility to the detritivores within. These organisms, both insect-sized and even smaller, are responsible for consuming the matter in your pile and ensuring nutrients move around. 

Don’t add too much water, or locate your pile in an area with standing water. Too much of a good thing will slow the process of decomposition. Keep it in an area that drains freely, and water regularly to keep the microbes moving.  

Additives

Have you ever heard that you can speed up compost by adding specific materials to your pile or bin? Grass, leaves, and inoculants are just a few additives that kick-start a semi-dormant compost pile. Kitchen scraps can also induce a more active composition. 

It’s important to maintain the right balance as you add these, though, as balance is key. Just like too much water can mess up the pile, so can too much green matter, or inoculant. As you add greens, remember a three-to-one ratio of browns to greens protects that balance. 

Most likely, if you’re dealing with slow compost, you may not have the right balance to begin with. Adding some greens will get you there. As for inoculants, find one that fits your required nutrient profile, and follow the directions on the bottle. 

Ensure It’s the Right Size

If your compost pile is too small, it won’t break down. If it’s too large, it will be hard to manage. Instead of piling everything in one spot, keep your piles or bins at least (and not much more than) one cubic yard (3x3x3 ft). 

Build bays to 5x5x5 feet, so they’ll fit one cubic yard inside each of them. Multiple bays accommodate multiple piles. Thankfully, most pre-made bins, or even trash cans repurposed for composting are already the right size. Keep your pile the right size, and you’ll speed up compost in no time. 

The post How to Speed Up Your Compost: 5 Recommendations appeared first on Modern Farmer.

If you’re practicing no-till or thinking about reducing your tillage, you may be wondering how to beat weeds in a no-till landscape. How do you manage these unwanted plants when you can’t rely on a disc or tiller to churn them into the ground? Fortunately, you can practice a few strategies to keep weeds at bay while minimizing your tillage.

Before we dive into weed management, it’s important to remember that you should approach tillage with your specific growing context and landscape in mind. Rather than being dogmatic about never tilling or grabbing the rototiller each spring, pay attention to your soil and how certain tillage events (or a lack thereof) impact both soil and plant health.

Know Your Weeds

Any plant that’s out of its intended growing space can be considered a weed—a rye cover crop that accidentally went to seed in your field, the Canadian thistle that’s been on the property for decades, and the fast-growing pigweed that germinates each spring.

While all of these plants are unwanted, they have varied growth habits and characteristics. Therefore, methods that work well to control one type of weed may not effectively control others. That’s why correctly identifying weeds is the first step in controlling them.

Perennial Weeds

Perennial, rhizomatous weeds like bindweed, bermudagrass, johnsongrass, and Canadian thistle are some of the most difficult to control. After you pull the above-ground portion of the plant, the rhizome resprouts and produces more weeds. Tilling chops these rhizomes into tiny pieces and spreads the problematic plants, so reducing tillage puts you a step ahead in terms of weed control.

Pulling as much of the rhizome as possible is a good place to start, but you’re unlikely to remove all of the plant’s deep-rooted rhizome. Covering the ground with an opaque material like a silage tarp smothers the weeds and depletes their access to the sun. Over time, they’ll exhaust their stored energy and die, but this process can take up to a year.

If you know a growing area has high perennial weed pressure, tarping the area for a season before planting can be worthwhile. Although the space will be out of production for an extended period, you won’t have to deal with as many of these challenging weeds.

Annual Weeds

Many common weeds are fast-growing annuals that germinate, grow, and set seed in just a month or two. That means just a single plant that blows in with the wind can quickly turn into thousands of weeds. Removing these plants before they produce seed is a key part of keeping them under control.

One way to beat weeds in a no-till landscape involves limiting the number of weed seeds that are able to germinate. Since you won’t be bringing up weeds that are lying dormant below the soil surface, only weeds in the top inch of soil can germinate. Killing this layer of plants and eliminating tillage means only weed seeds that arrive from outside your field will germinate.

The exact definition of no-till varies depending on who you talk to, but mechanical cultivation is often used to help kill weeds without severely disturbing the soil. A scuffle hoe or wheel hoe works well on a small scale, while basketweeds and fingerweeds are more suitable for larger farms. Killing weeds while they’re small will limit the need for tools that create more soil disturbance.

Implement Cover Crops

Fighting plants with plants? You got that right. Introducing cover crops into your no-till system can help limit weeds in your cash crop.

Fast-growing and dense grasses like rye, wheat, and oats are great for shading out and suppressing weeds. Rye is an especially great choice due to its allelopathic nature. The plants produce chemicals that harm other plants when the rye is growing, and when the residue is on the ground.

Mulch the Soil

Adding organic material to otherwise bare soil helps prevent weed seeds from germinating and limits the growth of weed seedlings. If you’re working on a smaller scale, you can mulch pathways and areas between plants with straw, wood chips, or other types of organic material.

Growing cover crops and utilizing the residue as mulch is effective at larger scales. Timing is extremely important when it comes to terminating cover crops; most crops are easily killed just after the anthesis stage, after the flower is fully open, but before seeds have fully developed.

Rolling and crimping crops is a popular option to keep the mulching material intact. You can also mow the crop, but this will break the material down into smaller pieces and lead to faster decay.

The post How to Beat the Weeds in a No-Till Landscape appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Regenerative practices on farmland are not new. They have been carried out by people across the world for centuries. One important aspect of maintaining a regenerative agricultural system is nutrient cycling. It’s a closed system that emulates natural cycles inside the bounds of a farm or pasture. 

Most literature about nutrient cycling is related to livestock, where keeping nutrients within the bounds of the pasture is important for maintaining its regenerative potential. However, nutrient cycling is a process that occurs in wild areas and can be fostered on farms without livestock. 

If we view soil organisms as another kind of livestock, we get a better sense of how nutrient cycling practices work – even in home gardens. There are easy ways you can enact a nutrient cycle in growing spaces, as well as those that work in livestock systems. 

What Is Nutrient Cycling?

The basic definition is this: nutrient cycling is how nutrients move through a system via processes of consumption, excretion, and decay. The most common attribution of the term as it relates to farming is with ranchlands. However, any system – even those without livestock – can cycle nutrients. 

Below Ground

In the space within an inch of most plant roots, there are millions upon millions of living organisms that move nutrients around. This is the rhizosphere, where the most essential nutrient exchange takes place. 

This is the foundation of a healthy farm, where bacteria, fungi, archaea, and other micro-organisms work together and feed on one another. It’s a scene present in natural spaces too. In order for elements to break down and be ready for absorption by plants, we need these organisms to convert them into a form suitable for uptake.

Above Ground

And then there is the air and water. In order for plants to grow, feed livestock, or simply develop fruit, they need to be able to transform water and nutrients into usable ones. Once they’ve done this, their tissues can expand and grow above and below ground. 

At the same time, they excrete nutrients back into the earth, where the soil organisms can benefit. Similarly, they exude different compounds into the air and nearby water, which are pulled into the atmosphere via condensation and evapotranspiration. Animals do this in a more visible and obvious way, as their manure fertilizes the earth.

Living in the soil are micro-organisms, but there are also macro-organisms. Earthworms and beetles tunnel through the soil, adding tilth, and feed the soil with their excretions. 

How to Nutrient Cycle: 5 Steps 

It’s not hard to have a more cyclically-nutrient-rich farm. By including various established regenerative practices, you’re able to keep it going without much need for intervention. After you put a few practices in place, there’s an element of passivity that sets in, allowing you to focus your energies on more pressing needs.

Till Less

One way to keep nutrients in the soil is to preserve your topsoil by tilling less often. This not only keeps the soil on your farm, but also keeps the organisms below intact. There are different ways to farm without tilling as often as a conventional farm would from season to season. 

One way to do this is to simply add material to the top layer of the soil. A hefty dose of well-rotted compost or manure topped off with a substantial layer of mulch is great for planting, and offers no disturbance to the. Using hay bales as planters is yet another way to do it. 

There are intermediary means of tilling less – for instance, using no-till planting tools that create a furrow just deep enough to plant seed. Gently broadforking the earth between seasons is another means of low-till cultivation. For larger plots, rotary power harrow or slicer planters work, too. 

All of these protect the most important part of the nutrient cycle: the soil. This reduces erosion, builds rich soil over time, and ensures that water and nitrogen are captured within the bounds of the farm, rather than escaping. 

Feed the Soil, Not the Plants

Conventional practices focus on inputs that pump up crops, making them more desirable for the marketplace. But using hefty doses of synthetic fertilizers can cause problems for soil and the surrounding environment down the line. Eutrophication is an example of nutrient leaching that comes from overfertilization of crops, largely with synthetic inputs. 

Instead of focusing solely on the crops you’re growing, start with a soil test that tells you which nutrients are needed to have healthy soil at the most basic level. Then, consider the additional nutrients needed to bolster your market share. 

When you’re inbetween seasons, give your soil a break and foster nutrients by planting cover crops. Before they flower, chop them and drop them on the soil surface. As they break down, they’ll feed the soil and mulch the surface, preserving the soil’s structure and top layer. They also protect local water quality by absorbing surface water that builds up in heavy rain and snow.

Plant Native

One of the best ways to keep nutrients within the farm or pasture is to plant native. That means wildflower strips in between crop rows or on the borders of the cultivation space. It also means native forage plants that not only bolster the local ecology, but also return to the pasture once they’ve been digested. 

Native plants aren’t maintenance-free, but they don’t require the kinds of inputs or management that non-native plants do. Native forage plants in particular offer more nutrition to livestock than non-native forages and feeds do. 

They also keep the farm’s system closed by inviting in local wildlife. These wildlife offer services to the farm, like pest control, soil maintenance, and even hunting fodder if you’re working on a conservation-intensive rangeland. Native plants are primed to work with local soil organisms in a more efficient manner, as they’ve evolved to do so over millennia. Planting them promotes higher soil fertility. 

Leave the Leaves

One obvious example of a pristine nutrient cycle is the process of growth and decay that occurs in forests. Trees in deciduous woodlands grow supple green leaves that turn in autumn and eventually fall to the earth in winter. 

The leaves insulate the forest floor, and detrivores (organisms that feed on decaying matter) convert fallen leaves into nutrients that can be used by trees and plants. They also offer habitat to overwintering insects and amphibians, who nestle in through the cold to emerge again in spring.

You can mimic this by leaving the leaves along the more forested areas of your land. This keeps the carbon and nitrogen in the farm, rather than escaping into the air via a brushfire or disposal. If they need to be moved, throw them in your compost pile, or shred them and mulch your winter beds with them. 

Leaf mold is an incredible resource for farmers who grow from seed. A small part of a seed starting mix has a better structure with decomposed leaves included. To make your own leaf mold, fill your raised beds with fallen leaves, or throw them in large contractor bags and let them sit over winter. Then add the crumbled nutrient-rich matter to your seed starting mix at no more than ⅙ of the mixture. 

Rotate Pastures

If you’re a rancher, one of the most beneficial practices you can take up is pasture rotation. This conserves all of the nutrients on the ranch and gives the land a bit of a rest as it attempts to recover from a heavier grazing period. Instead of dealing with low-quality livestock, simply get into the rotation. 

To implement this on your range, you’ll need to divide the acreage into evenly sectioned pastures. Fencing and water access are important here. You’ll also need a food source, but if you plant native forages, simply letting the pasture rest and reseeding every other year will suffice.

In rapid-growth seasons, give each pasture at least 20 to 30 days of rest before bringing livestock back to that section. While they’re out, any pasture maintenance that needs doing can be carried out. In slower growth seasons, give your pastures 40 days each to rest.  

Your local Natural Resources Conservation Service can help with implementing a rotational system, and they can advise you on which forage plants are best for your region. Some farms are eligible for financial assistance as well, so don’t forget to ask about that. 

This is a perfect way to keep nutrients inside the farm’s system. By providing your livestock and the soil organisms with what they need to thrive, they provide you with a valuable product. 

The post Nutrient Cycling on the Farm: 5 Practices to Implement Now appeared first on Modern Farmer.

If you want to implement these practices on a larger scale, consider starting a permaculture farm. I’ll introduce some key permaculture design principles and outline a few ways you can apply them when creating a farm.

Know Permaculture Design Principles

Permaculture, as we know it today, was created in 1978 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. They developed this system as a response to industrialized agriculture and communities, and sought to establish areas that cared for the land and people while avoiding overconsumption and sharing any surpluses with others.

Holmgren later wrote “Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability,” where he laid out 12 permaculture design principles that should guide all projects, including starting a permaculture farm. Here are these principles, as well as a few ways you can apply them on your farm.

• Observe and interact. Watch how the water flows and settles before determining where to build beds and plant species; don’t forget to read the landscape during heavy rain events.
• Catch and store energy. Use ‘waste’ materials like leaves and sticks to fuel compost piles that feed crops.
• Obtain a yield. Plant and care for species in a way that provides the greatest harvests.
• Apply self-regulation and accept feedback. Be willing to adjust your systems as you continue to observe; you may need to relocate ponds to areas where water naturally collects or plant deep-rooted crops in areas susceptible to erosion. 
• Use and value renewable resources and services. Choose organic mulches over plastic, and capture water rather than letting it run off the property.
• Produce no waste. You can use organic debris to create compost and collect would-be runoff for future irrigation. 
• Design from patterns to details. Plant tender seedlings in the area you walk by multiple times a day, and place tall perennials on the west side of heat-sensitive annuals.
• Integrate rather than segregate. Consider what other local farms are producing, and think about how you can work with rather than against them. Maybe you can feed ugly produce to a neighbor’s animals in exchange for nutrient-rich manure.
• Use small and slow solutions. Use the tools and resources you have readily available rather than importing lots of outside materials; use fallen leaves or pine needles as mulch rather than buying woodchips.
• Use and value diversity. Add plants that vary in height, bloom time, moisture needs, and other factors.
• Use edges and value the marginal. The ends of beds, sides of walkways, and other areas that would often be mowed provide space for low-lying groundcovers and perennial plants.
• Creatively use and respond to change. Increasingly dry summers coupled with heavy storms provide an opportunity to implement rainwater catchment systems. 

Think About Zones

Another key component of permaculture design is understanding the different zones. If you start a permaculture farm with varied crops, considering the various zones will help you establish the best places to place each type of plant.

There are five different zones, with one being closest to your home, workspace, or other highly-trafficked area. Zone five is the farthest away from this central point.

Placing daily-harvested crops like annual herbs in zone one makes the most sense since you can walk directly out the door and pick what you need. This zone is also the best option for spaces you visit daily, like the seedling propagation area and compost bin.

Zone two is ideal for perennials you use in the home, like blueberries, fruit trees, and a small asparagus patch. As you enter zone three, you begin looking at commercial production zones. This is where your annual vegetables and fruits are located, as well as orchards and pasture for animals.

Zone four moves into semi-managed woodlands and grasslands. You may have a few nut trees that you visit a few times a year, but you won’t travel to this area multiple times a week. Zone five is an unmanaged area that is left wild.

Consider Your Dream Farm

Once you have the design principles and zones in mind, you can think about your dream farm. What and how much do you want to produce? Do you have a well or pond for water you can rely on to irrigate crops, and do you plan to dry farm portions of your property? What native species exist that you want to protect?

Before you jump into any decisions, consider the permaculture design principles and think about how they affect your decision making. Have you observed your space long enough and chosen renewable materials? Should you plant your crops along the landscape’s contour rather than in straight lines to eliminate runoff?

Don’t let fear of failure prevent you from starting a permaculture farm. You’ll surely make mistakes along the way, but how you respond to these mistakes is more important than avoiding them entirely.

The post How to Start a Permaculture Farm appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Since then, I’ve worked at farmers’ markets in four different states. These experiences have taught me how to sell a large number of products and keep customers coming back for more, as well as what causes people to walk by your booth without giving it a second glance. I’ll share some farmers’ market tips you can utilize to drive sales and build relationships with customers.

Keep Everything Clean

Whether you’re selling vegetables, cheese, meat, or anything in between, it’s essential that you keep your products and stand clean. Some farmers make the mistake of keeping dirt on their carrots or lettuce heads, thinking this only confirms that the products are straight from the farm. But most customers prefer to receive their produce clean and as ready to eat as possible.

Spending extra time at your wash station will make it easier to make sales at the market. If you notice your produce looking sad, spritz greens and roots with water to cool it down and help it shine.

You should also maintain a tidy market stand. That means keeping your bags on a hanger or in a neat stack rather than strewn across your tables. Consider using tablecloths or, at the bare minimum, washing your tables before each market.

Look Approachable

Looking approachable is a key part of encouraging people to inspect your products and make a sale. Sitting at the back of your booth is a subtle way to tell people that you’re not too interested in their business.

If possible, stand the entire market. This isn’t a problem at busy markets since you’ll be spending the majority of the time ringing up customers and restocking your stand. Taking a break once in a while is fine, but don’t spend the entire market sitting in a chair and staring at your phone.

Pile It High

“Pile it high, and watch it fly” is a common farmers market tip. I’ve found it true that tall piles of radishes or cucumbers sell better than short stacks of the same products. Even if you only have a handful of a certain item, make a stack rather than a single layer.

It’s better to keep a single table filled with a tight cluster of products instead of spreading the same products across multiple tables. You can use crates and baskets to help add a vertical element to your stand. This works particularly well if you’re working with difficult-to-stack items like tomatoes and bouquets.

As items dwindle and sell out, rearrange your offerings so they’re neat and compact. Remember, you want your stand to look intentional and well cared for.

Don’t Forget Signage

Even if you’re familiar with every product you’re selling, remember that not everyone is! Having a sign for less common items, such as Thai basil and radicchio, introduces customers to products as they walk by your booth. Common items like carrots or eggs also deserve signs, even if they just let people know how much each product costs.

You can also create signs to highlight special sales and give ideas on how to use a specific item. If you’re trying to move lots of cherry tomatoes, you can offer a special deal if someone buys three more or highlight how you can use these tomatoes to make salsa, pasta salad, pizza, and more.

Know Your Product

One of the great aspects of farmers’ markets is the direct connection between producers and customers. Shoppers can ask questions about how their melons were grown, cheese was produced, and beef was raised. They can also inquire about how to select, use, and store items.

It’s okay if you don’t know everything about what you’re selling, but you should at least be familiar with it. How do you like to store your basil at home? How peppery are the radishes at this time of the year? Knowing the answers to these questions makes you a valuable vendor and can give you a competitive edge.

Aim for Sincere Interactions

As I mentioned above, farmers’ markets are about more than just finding high-quality products. Many customers are looking to put a face and a name to their farmer while establishing relationships. Being genuine doesn’t mean treating everyone like they’re your best friend, but putting in a little effort to know people can go a long way.

If you’re attending the same market week after week, you’ll probably see some of the same faces. Make an effort to learn shoppers’ names, and take a moment to ask how they’ve been or what they’ve been cooking lately. Creating relationships is one of the top farmers market tips.

Keep Things Moving

While spending a minute chatting with a customer as you’re ringing them up is a great way to form a connection, avoid spending 15 minutes talking with a single individual. These extended interactions can lead to a long line and cause your stand to become crowded with impatient shoppers.

Aim to keep your checkout process quick. Have bags, payment collecting devices, and cash organized and ready, and politely encourage chatty customers to move along while focusing on who’s next in line.

The post Success at the Farmers Market: 7 Vendor Tips appeared first on Modern Farmer.

The truth is that you can grow enough to make a few loaves of bread even if you only have a small backyard. Scaling up to a few hundred square feet can provide enough grain to supply your family with its yearly flour needs.

Still, making your own flour, starting from seed, is a new territory that can be intimidating to enter. Knowing some basic information about growing and grinding wheat will simplify the process and give you the confidence to get started.

Choosing the Right Type

Just like with tomatoes and lettuce, there are dozens of different types of wheat. It’s fascinating to explore the new varieties that seed breeders are creating to withstand changing local environments, but the variety can also be overwhelming.

If you want to grow it for the first time, know that there are three main distinctions within varieties: soft versus hard, red versus white, and spring versus winter.

Soft wheat contains a lower amount of protein, also known as gluten, and produces flour that works well for cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. Hard wheat contains more protein, so it’s preferred for yeasted breads.

Red wheat has a more pronounced flavor and often packs significant protein. White wheat has a mild taste and lower protein content.

Spring wheat is sown in the spring and harvested in the fall. Winter wheat is sown in the fall and then harvested the following summer.

When and How to Plant 

The best time to plant depends on your location and whether you’re growing a spring or winter variety.

You can plant spring wheat as soon as the soil warms to 40°F in the spring. The plants can tolerate a light frost, so it’s fine to plant before your last predicted frost date. Avoid planting too late in the spring, as this will require young plants to endure high temperatures that can be stressful.

Mid-fall is the ideal planting time for winter wheat. Sowing the seeds a few weeks before the predicted first frost date is ideal.

Planting in neat rows makes cultivation and harvesting easier, making it the recommended method. Space rows four to ten inches apart with seeds spaced between one-half and one inch apart. A push seeder makes sowing the seeds much quicker, but you can also plant the seeds by hand.

If you don’t want to deal with planting seeds in rows, you can broadcast the seeds across an open area. Scatter three to four pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet, then lightly rake the surface to incorporate the seeds. 

Caring for Your Plants

Once wheat has sprouted, it won’t need much care. The plants can tolerate a fair amount of drought and don’t require any fertilizer once they’re in the ground. Keep an eye on the plants and look for the seed heads to begin forming.

At first, the head will flower, a stage called anthesis. Upon close inspection, you’ll see tiny yellow anthers sticking out from the sides of the heads. After pollination occurs, the plants will begin forming the grains that you’ll eventually harvest.

Harvesting 

You can harvest when the grain heads are fully formed and the plants have dried. The stalks and seed heads will be golden brown and hard. If the wheat berries are still chewy, it’s not ready! It’s best until the crop has fully dried, but if you’re expecting a long spell of rainy days, it’s okay to harvest the grains and further dry them off the plants.

When you’re growing on a small scale, using a scythe is the easiest and most ergonomic way to harvest. However, you can also use a sickle, sharp knife, or pair of pruning shears. The end goal is to cut the stalks so they’re at least a foot long, but cutting closer to the ground equates to more straw and requires you to spend less time dealing with the leftover residue.

Processing the Grain

Once you have the wheat heads, it’s time to remove the grain from the stalk and husks, a process known as threshing. Large-scale growers use machines known as threshers to complete this task, but you can also complete it by hand.

First, remove the grain from the seed head. You can do this by placing the seed heads in a paper bag and hitting them, whacking the seed between two tarps, or using other creative methods. When you’re done, you’ll be left with a mess of grain and chaff.

Next, it’s time to winnow. Slowly dump your grain and waste over a running fan. The heavy grain will drop to the ground while the air blows away the lighter chaff and straw. You may need to complete this process several times to achieve completely clean grain.

Grinding Into Flour

You can store and eat whole wheat berries, but many people are interested in grinding their homegrown flour. Wheat berries are close to rock hard, so you need a specialized mill to complete the job. You can find numerous countertop grain mills that allow you to grind your wheat as you want to use it, so homegrown flour is accessible from start to finish, even in a small space. 

The post Growing and Grinding Your Own Wheat: A Beginner’s Guide appeared first on Modern Farmer.

While spraying pesticides on your farm initially has the desired effect, it’s not the best long-term option. Instead, using integrated approaches that include cultural, mechanical, and biological controls is better, with insect predators as the primary beneficial force.

Many of these predators feed voraciously on pest larvae, stopping them from reproducing and keeping their numbers low for good. You can certainly purchase some of these and release them in your garden, but they’ll only stay for the buffet. They need plant hosts to call your farm home. 

Thankfully, many native plants are perfect for some of the best beneficials. Native plant species may even grow along the borders of your farm naturally. In that case, it’s just a matter of fostering them and bringing them closer to your crops. 

Here are 11 of the most amazing predatory insects, and the plants that host them. Plant some of these species (or better yet, a diversity of species) to attract these beneficial predators. All of these helper bugs will flourish with the right plantings, especially if you reduce or eliminate your use of pesticides. 

Hoverflies

These flies are all members of the family Syrphidae. They may look like wasps or bees, but they are flies, and they feed on aphids, thrips, mealybugs, leafhoppers, and various larvae of slower-moving insects. Depending on the species, they look different, but many have yellow and black stripes.

They feed on nectar and pollen as well as the pests mentioned above. Adults lay eggs among masses of congregating pests and when they hatch the larvae get to work. Some pupate in the area where they’ve been feeding, while others head to the soil to become adults. 

The key to attracting these beneficial predators is to plant nectar hosts that bring in the adults. When they realize your farm is a good place to feed on nectar and pollen, they lay their eggs. Some of the best hosts for them are carrot family plants, like Queen Anne’s Lace, dill, fennel, and coriander. Alyssum is another good one. 

The most common native plant they love to feed on is yarrow. You will find many of the bugs on this list adore this plant, and due to its widespread range, this is perhaps one of the best plant allies for your integrated biological controls.  

Tachinid Flies

Some predatory insects are parasites, and use pests to host for their young. The flies in the Tachinidae family are one parasite it’s good to have around. They’re all tiny, under one inch, and most are gray or black. Some are bee or wasp mimics, similar to hoverflies. All of them have a bristly and shield-like appearance. 

Sometimes adults lay eggs on pest-infested plants, and the eggs are eaten and taken in by the host. Other species deposit their eggs on or inside the body of pest larvae. The larvae of tachinid adults then parasitize the pest larvae and kill them, sometimes creating little pest mummies in the process.

These flies control various beetles, earwigs, grasshoppers, true bugs, and sawflies. They are some of the most important beneficial predators for your management arsenal. Attract them with native asters and rudbeckia, as well as carrot and dill flowers. The composite flowers of yarrow attract them as well.  

Trichogramma Wasps

Tomato farmers have probably seen a hornworm with long rows of eggs sticking out of their backs. This is a result of the parasitic wasp from the genus Trichogramma. These wasps are so tiny, you may not see them moving around your tomato patch. But they’re there!

Topping out at just a few millimeters long, adult wasps are yellowish or brown with red eyes. Unlike tachinid flies, Trichogramma wasps parasitize the eggs of various caterpillars, depositing their eggs within the pest’s egg. Sometimes this prevents the caterpillar from hatching, and other times the larvae develop alongside the caterpillar, killing it in the process. 

If you have a healthy crop of cabbage, corn, and tomatoes, it’s likely these beneficial predators are around, waiting to knock out some of the most damaging pests. These include corn earworm, cabbage moths, and tomato hornworms. Codling moths, pinworms, and other worms beware. 

Once again, yarrow brings the adults in and gives them a nectar source to feed on while they reproduce. Composite flowers, like asters, daisies, and chamomile are great attractors too. Mint family plants, specifically Pycanthemum and Monarda species are great native options. Plant Eurasian species in containers to prevent their spread and ultimate takeover. 

Predatory Mites

If you farm in a dusty and dry region, you’ve probably dealt with a host of different mites. Spider mites and broad mites are common pests in veggie patches and in orchards. Varoa mites and bird mites are two that bee and chicken farmers need to be aware of. And every farmer has had their share of chigger bites. 

Predatory mites feed on all of these guys. They’re way too small to be seen with the naked eye (though if you look really hard you might see them), and they are probably already doing their thing on your farm. Each mite only feeds on a couple of pests per day, but they lay so many eggs they can knock out huge swaths of pests quickly.

A number of cultivated plants attract varying species of predatory mite. However, they also appreciate plants that have hairs and pits on their leaf undersides. Many natives fall into this category. This gives them a place to shelter from their predators. They are also attracted to a host of cultivated plants due to their tendency to have pestilent mites. 

Predatory Thrips

You have probably heard of thrips, and their tendency to silverize the leaves of various plants they feed on. Did you know there are predatory types? These thrips feed on small caterpillars, other thrips, aphids, and scale insects. They come from two types: sixspotted thrips (Scolothrips sexmaculatus) and black hunter thrips (Aeolothrips spp.). 

Both of these thrips are less than 1/15th of an inch long. They either have a dark body, or in the case of the sixspotted thrip, they have a light yellow body and three brown spots on each of their front wings. They are voracious beneficial predators that are particularly useful in orchards. 

Bring them in with Gerber daisies, feverfew, marigolds, and sunflowers. Similarly, native asters are perfect attractants. Bidens species are a great option as well.  

Beneficial Nematodes

In areas where root-knot nematodes are a problem, a good treatment is beneficial nematodes. Applying these to soil in temperate seasons a few weeks apart is an effective control of certain beetle larvae as well. But what if there was a way to bring them into your garden? 

As members of the roundworm group, these nematodes move around under the soil surface feeding on whatever they come into contact with. They do this either by waiting for the pest to arrive or hunting it down. The most common species are Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. There are other species available to farmers via the market as well.  

In areas where soils are healthy and full of microbial life, good nematodes are present. Unlike the other beneficial predators here, you don’t need to plant to attract them, but you do need healthy soils. Using compost on the farm instead of synthetic fertilizers is one good way to bring them in. Planting cover crops to enrich soil is another way. Mulching to protect your soil through extremes also helps. 

Green Lacewings

The larvae of green lacewings simply cannot be satiated! They must feed on soft-bodied pests incessantly – until it’s time to become adults, that is. While ladybeetles are the number one aphid predators, these guys are likely number two. They gobble up colonies with ease. 

If you’ve seen little masses of eggs that look like they’re suspended on silken wires, you’ve seen lacewing eggs. The larvae look like little alligators with mandibles. Adults have a thin green body and transparent wings. There are numerous species, and these differ from the brown lacewing, which is a beneficial insect but not as useful for pest control. 

We’re not trying to be redundant, but yarrow is one of the best hosts for this pest predator. Cultivated plants like dill, fennel, and cosmos are also good hosts. Asters, sunflowers, and coreopsis are great natives and attractants. Verbenas are an excellent option. 

Pirate Bugs

If you have aphids, psyllids, whiteflies, thrips, or spider mites, minute pirate bugs are on your side. These bugs in the Orius species consume tons of these pests, and prey on eggs of other pests while they’re taking out the nymphs and adults. They’re ovular, and roughly ½ to ⅛ of an inch, with wings that cross making an X shape. 

As generalists, they feed on the pests mentioned above, but they consume almost any pest. They love to nest in leaf litter and bark, and often emerge first among other insects in spring. If you want to attract these guys, you can keep some areas of the farm natural. Have a few shade trees around, and you’re set. 

Plants that attract these beneficial predators include vetch, alfalfa, corn, and crimson clover. Natives like elderberry, willow, and goldenrod feed adults as they sip on nectar until they get to the next pest. Some pirate bugs bite people, but they don’t cause more harm than a mosquito bite.  

Ladybugs

Pro beneficial predator number one is everyone’s favorite: ladybird beetles or ladybugs! There are so many species of either type present across North America, and they love to feast on tons of different pests in their larval, nymph, and adult stages. Mites, aphids, scale insects, spider mites, and mealybugs are in danger when ladybugs are on the case. 

There is a difference, however, between ladybugs native to the continent, and the Asian lady beetle, which is an invasive species. The latter of these tend to infest homes and swarm, causing allergies in some people, and generally damaging structures when numbers are too high. They have a distinguishing M shape on the base of their heads. This is how you can tell them apart from native species. 

The larvae of the good guys kind of look like green lacewing larvae, with an alligator-shaped body and black, yellow, orange, or blue coloring depending on the species. Adults have the characteristic red body and black head. 

Ladybugs love milkweed, which is a great boon to your farm, as it brings in and hosts monarchs, too. Look for a species native to your region for the best results. Coreopsis also supports ladybugs, and so do native coneflower species like Echinacea and Rudbeckia. In companion planting, sweet alyssum is a wonderful attractant, as well as dill and marigold. 

The post How to Attract the 9 Beneficial Predators You Want on Your Land appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Pesticides originate in multiple areas. Whether they are used on the farm in pest-prone crops or from municipal sources that want to control disease-spreading insects, there are ways to mitigate the harm pesticides cause to honeybees. These solutions range from very simple to more complex ones. 

Sometimes honeybees perish. While this is a fact of beekeeping, you can protect the majority of the honeybee hive from pesticides by using different techniques. This saves offspring and lengthens the lifespan of the hive as a whole. Using these strategies also helps honey farms maintain their regular market share.

How Pesticides Harm Bees

Bees come into contact with pesticides in numerous ways. One way is direct contact with plants sprayed with pesticides, whether organic or systemic. As bees forage, they touch the pesticide-soaked tissue with their tongue or body and take on the toxin. This is the least damaging mode of contact, as the infected bee dies in the field and doesn’t spread the toxin to the hive. 

If a bee transports an insecticide back to the hive via contaminated nectar or pollen, the entire hive is at risk. This could result in total hive death, and beekeepers may have to start over completely. At the very least, the offspring still growing in the hive will suffer. 

How to Prevent Pesticide Damage to Bees

Even though bees are affected by broad-spectrum insecticides, there are ways to preserve the health of your hives. Whether the pesticides are used on your farm, or via some outside source, here are a few ways to protect your honeybees from pesticides. 

Limit Pesticide Use

The easiest way to prevent pesticide damage to bees is to simply avoid using them on your farm. Plant a diverse array of nectar plants that invite natural predators who feed on pests, rather than spraying non-selective chemicals that do widespread damage. These are a natural, selective form of pest control that pose no threat to honeybees.

Use cultural techniques to keep pests at bay. Trap cropping, rotation, and companion planting are all viable modes of cultural control. Delayed planting is another useful method for limiting pests. Combine these with insectary plantings and you may find you don’t need to use pesticides at all. 

Or Use Them Responsibly

If you can’t get around pesticide use, there are ways to limit damage to beneficial insects and to your hive. Your first line of defense is to use OMRI-certified pesticides. These are generally gentler not only on the ecology of the farm (including bees), but they’re also easier on plants. 

When using neem or insecticidal soaps, spray plants in the early morning or at dusk when honeybees and other pollinators are not active. A light mist is enough to saturate plant tissues. There is no need to overspray, as the substance won’t have time to dry before bees begin foraging. Similarly, avoid spraying during flowering.

Use targeted pesticides when possible. For caterpillar issues, find a Bachillus thuringiensis strain that works on the specific pest you want to control. Always follow the directions on the bottle, as the label is the law. Avoid using pesticides over and over again, opting for a different type when one isn’t effective. This prevents built-up resistances that cause larger agricultural problems. 

Plant Hedgerows to Control Drift

If you grow adjacent to a more industrial farm where spraying non-targeted pesticides is common, it’s essential to prevent drift that damages bee colonies. One way to do this is to plant hedgerows that catch the drift before it enters the bounds of your forage space. 

Using native forbs, grasses, and shrubs provides a screen that is easy to manage, is better for the local environment, and supports a wide array of insects that keep pests in check. This lessens the need for pesticides on your farm. 

Use multiple rows of native plants spaced adequately apart to limit drift. With the right canopy density, this is an effective measure to prevent pesticides from affecting your honeybee hives.

Place Nectar Plants in Safe Areas

Related to hedgerows is how and where you plant your main forage plants for your honeybees. If you’ve dealt with drift problems from adjacent farms, protect your honeybees from pesticides by keeping the plants they love within the bounds of plants that can stop drift. 

Yes, planting within the bounds of a hedgerow is pertinent. But an even better assurance is planting your forage field at least 4 miles from a pesticide-treated field. Where this is not already the case, moving the colony is an option. In this situation, hedges planted around the apiary are an effective control. 

Municipal and Aerial Pesticides

Sometimes area-wide sprays occur with little notice or indication from the agencies and municipalities that enact them. In that regard, beekeepers have to prepare themselves in case of a snap spray from aircraft or trucks. 

Purdue University recommends using Beecheck.org to register beehives. Another failsafe is to link with your local agricultural extension office to let them know where your apiaries are located. If you’re in an urban area, contact your local municipality to determine if there is a planned schedule for mosquito sprays. Figure out which pesticides will be used to give you a better sense of how long the hives will need to be relocated or battened down.   

These give sprayers an indication of the locations of beehives and provide you with information about when to cover your apiary to limit damage. Then you should have a couple of days to prepare. Your next step after networking with local and governmental organizations is to determine if it’s feasible to move the hives away from the areas where spraying will occur.  

If not, it’s time for protective measures. Take a sample of about a cup to a pint of the bees in the hive and store it in the freezer in case other bees die as a result of the spraying. Clearly label the sample with the date and time of collection, and figure out which agricultural office deals with any issues related to die-off in pesticide spraying. 

Give your bees water and an internal feeder to ensure they have it for more than 24 hours of sealing. Put a mesh screen at the hive entrance after bee foraging hours, and cover the entire hive with a loose cloth that allows air to flow to the hive. Then set a reminder to remove the cloth and mesh cover when the appropriate time has elapsed. 

After the spray, collect any dead bees with a sheet of paper and freeze them in a separate container from your initial sample for reporting to your extension office. Clearly label the sample. This gives the office an indication if any violations occurred, and if any corrective actions are necessary. 

The post 5 Ways Farmers Can Protect Honeybees from Pesticides appeared first on Modern Farmer.