The "Other" Bees - A Beekeeping Alternative
On March 1, 2018, we put up our first mason bee “Hotel” as part of a University of Virginia project. Our box is one of about 100 installed across Virginia to gather field data about the status of native blue orchard bees (Osima lignaria) and possible competition with non-native bees. The “hotel” will be left untouched until the end of May and then returned to the researchers for analysis. From March through May, we’ll make observations and take pictures and videos to document Mason bee activity. As a Virginia Master Naturalist, I’m very aware of the importance of native pollinators and the possible decline of pollinator species. This opportunity to observe native bees, started me thinking about how to become a “Native Beekeeper”.
When we think of beekeeping, we think about honeybees. Honeybees are important pollinators and a growing industry exists around providing honeybees for agricultural pollination. It’s also a rapidly growing hobby that benefits the environment and rewards us with a harvest of delicious local honey. But we tend to forget that honeybees are not native. Maintaining healthy hives requires some effort and expense. And honeybees sting – painful for everyone and dangerous for those allergic to their venom. If you want to add pollinators to your garden but don’t want to keep honeybees (and don’t mind not getting any honey), consider keeping mason bees.
Mason bees are solitary. There is no hive with tens of thousands of bees and they don’t make beeswax or honey. From March through May, each female lays her eggs in nest tubes (usually holes in trees or walls) that she has provisioned with nectar and pollen. The eggs hatch in two days and the nectar and pollen is consumed in about 10 days. The larva spins a cocoon and pupates. By fall, they look like adults but stay in the cocoon until it’s time to emerge in spring. The name “mason bee” comes from the way the female uses mud to construct walls between each larva and seal off the end of the tube.
Mason bees are gentle enough to be handled and only sting if trapped or squeezed. They are more efficient pollinators than honeybees. A single mason bee’s erratic flight can touch 20,000 flowers in a day – enough pollination for 12 lbs. of cherries – a task that would take 60 honeybees meticulously moving from flower to adjacent flower! This also has the benefit of increasing cross pollination. Mason bees gather dry pollen on hairs on their abdomen where much of it falls off to pollinate the next flower. Honeybees hold it securely on their sticky legs – better for getting it to the hive but not as efficient for pollination. Best of all, while honeybees might forage miles from the hive – often bypassing blossoms in their path – mason bees stay within a few hundred feet of where they were hatched, keeping them in your garden!
Mason bee hotels are commercially available in a wide variety of styles from rustic to magnificent. Or you can easily make your own. They should be mounted between 3 and 6 feet high on a post, fence, or side of a building (not a tree), facing morning sun if possible and not right next to bird feeders. If you build it, they will come. The cocoons can be left outdoors in the hotel to complete their life cycle. But to improve your chances of success, select a hotel that can be taken apart, so you can harvest the cocoons and bring them inside in June. Harvested cocoons must be put into a refrigerator in November and left there until it’s time to put them back out as the weather warms in spring.
We thoroughly enjoy keeping honeybees and now we’re going to add mason bees. They coexist peacefully and should help us to have an even more beautiful spring flowers in our meadow.


DBT Agriculture Bihar Farmer Registration: (DBT Agriculture Bihar Portal) is being started by the government of Bihar, to help the farmer of the state in the field of the agriculture sector, through this scheme the government of Bihar of providing various benefits of the farmer of Bihar.
This scheme was launched under the Department of Agriculture of Bihar Government; now the registration process for the session 2020-21 has been started under the official web portal of DBT Agriculture Bihar Registration portal. Through this article, we will provide all the information related to the Bihar Kisan Registration procedure, and also the facilities provided under this scheme.
Also read: Ration Card List Check your name 2022
DBT Agriculture Bihar Overview
|Scheme Name||DBT Agriculture Bihar|
|Launch Under||Agriculture Department of Bihar|
|Benefit||Farmer of the State|
|Mode of Application||Online & offline|
DBT Agriculture Bihar Farmer Registration Details
DBT Agriculture Bihar which is also known as the Bihar Agriculture this scheme is launched by the government of Bihar for providing financial support to the farmer of the state Bihar. Through this portal the farmer of the state Bihar can register to apply for the scheme, there is no time set for applying on this scheme. The government of Bihar has taken a major step for providing financial support to the needy farmer, all the farmers of the state can apply for this scheme seem everyone is eligible to apply on this scheme.
DBT Agriculture Bihar Main Objective
The main objective of the government throughout this scheme is to give the benefit of the farmer of the state and to give a better future to the farmer of the state Bihar and bring towards the progress of farming future of the state. Seems many farmers are already suffering from the financial crisis in many the past few years, through this scheme now every farmer can get the benefit of this scheme.
Related Benefit provided under Bihar Kisan Yojana
There are also different types of benefits similar to the DBT Agriculture Bihar, all the registered farmers under this scheme also can apply for this scheme, the complete list of similar schemes has been provided below.
- PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana
- PM Agriculture Irrigation Yojana
- Diesel Grant Yojana
- Agriculture Mechanization Yojana
- The organic farming grant scheme
- Seed grant scheme
- Agricultural input grant yojana
- Agricultural input Rabi scheme
- Water life greenery scheme
Document required to apply under DBT Agriculture Bihar Portal
There are several criteria in which you must be eligible for applying on DBT Agriculture Bihar Portal, here we have listed various criteria and require documents to register for this scheme Bihar Kisan Yojana
- Applicant must be a citizen of Bihar
- Applicant/ Farmer must have up to 2 hectares of cultivable land
- Applicant can also submit their application form on the official web portal of the Agriculture Department of Bihar
- Applicants are to submit only the authentic details or the application will be rejected by the department
- Document required Aadhaar card, Farmer bank account statement, Bank account number, IFSC code, Mobile number link to aadhar, Passport size photocopy
Procedure to register on DBT Agriculture Bihar Portal
To register online on the DBT Agriculture Bihar portal (Bihar Kisan Registration), the applicant must qualify with the above mention criteria, also have handy all the documents mentioned above.
Now to register on the online portal of DBT Agriculture Bihar, here are the step-by-step guide mentioned below.
- Step 1. Go to the official web portal of DBT Agriculture Bihar (Direct link given here)
- Step 2. From the home page click on the “Registration” option, now you will get three options.
- Step 3. Here you will need to click on the “Register” option, If can also click on the second on the third option which will be required to scan your iris and finger, and eyes.
- Step 4. If you click on the first option you will be asked to enter your aadhar number on the screen, fill in your aadhar number and your name on the page accordingly.
- Step 5. Now for the authentication, an OTP will be sent on your aadhar link mobile number, enter the OTP send on your aadhar mobile number.
- Step 6. Now a new page will be open on your screen, here you will get three options of which you will need to select the “Registration” option
- Step 7. Now a new registration form will be open on your screen
- Step 8. Fill out the registration form carefully will all the required information such as your name, address, mobile number, aadhar number, etc.
- Step 9. To complete your registration you will need to click on the “Submit” button
- Step 10. Once your application is submitted, you will get your application number, take a note for future requirements.
DBT Agriculture Bihar Registration Go procedure
If the applicant is already registered on the DBT Agriculture Bihar portal and wants to search for your application records, then here is the step-by-step procedure mentioned below.
- Step 1: Go to the official web portal of DBT Agriculture Bihar (Direct link given here)
- Step 2: From the home page on the registration section click on the “go registration” option
- Step 3: Now a new page will be open on your screen, here you will need to select your aadhar card link mobile number or the registration ID for finding your records
- Step 4: Now enter the details you have selected earlier, and hit on the “Search” button to find your records.
- Step 5: On the next page you will get the complete list of your application
Procedure to print DBT Agriculture Bihar application receipt
- Step 1: Go to the official web portal of DBT Agriculture Bihar
- Step 2: From the home page click on the registration option (Click here for direct link)
- Step 3: Once you click the link a new page will be open on your screen
- Step 4: here you will get two options “Registration acknowledgment” or “ Application Acknowledgment”
- Step 5: Select any one option from the given option, on this page will need to select data from the given option and enter your ID.
- Step 6: Now click on the “Search record” button, then the registration record will be in front of you
- Step 7: You can also print the Acknowledgment records from this page.
Procedure to amend your DBT Agriculture Bihar Registration form
An applicant who has already applied for the Bihar Kisan Application, can amend their application form, here are the step-by-step guide given below to amend your registration form.
- Step: Go to the official web portal of the Bihar Kisan scheme (Department of agriculture)
- Step: From the home click on the “revising the details” option, now a new page will be open on your screen
- Step: here you will need to fill in your details such as your mobile number, bank account number.
- Step: Now your registration will be amended
DBT Agriculture Bihar Kisan Yojana Statistics
Under the various scheme provided in Bihar, we have collected data till the available date from different schemes available in Bihar, here are the statistics of the application of the PM Kishan scheme and other schemes running in the state, check the details on the given table below.
|Description||Total Number of register||Status|
|PM Kishan Samman Nidhi||1,07,46,262||Open|
|Seed subsidy registration||2,18,663||Open|
|Input subsidy for drought-affected block||1629782||Close|
|PM Agricultural irrigation scheme||18480||Open|
|Diesel subsidy (KMS)||1164938||Close|
|Agricultural mechanization scheme||239438||Open|
|Diesel subsidy (Rabi)||2292535||Close|
|Organic farming subsidy||22721||Close|
HelpLine Number for DBT Agriculture Bihar Portal
- Step 1: To find the helpline for the various department of the Bihar Kisan scheme follow this step down below
- Step 2: Go to the official web portal of DBT Agriculture Bihar
- Step 3: From the home page click on the “Contact DBT” option
- Step 4: A new page will appear on your screen, here you will get many contacts from the various department of DBT
- Step 5: From the given hemp line number, the contact timing for the mobile number is from 11 am to 5 pm (Closed on Saturday and Sunday)
- Contact Land Line Number: 0612-223355 Timing 10 am to 5 pm (Closed Saturday and Sunday)


PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana through which Government of India is now assisting Farmers by sending Rs 6000 to their bank acconut . PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana other details are mentioned below .
Objectives of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana
- The PM KISAN Yojana aim is to fulfill the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers in obtaining various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields with the anticipated farm income at the end of the each crop cycle.
- This Scheme will also protect the small and marginal farmers from falling in the clutches of moneylenders for clearing the expenses and ensure their continuance in the farming activities.
- This would also protect small and marginal farmers from falling in the debt by money lending for purchase of such expenses and ensures the consistency in the farming activities.
Benefits of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana
- Through PM Kisan Scheme a direct payment of Rs. 6000 per year will be transferred to the Aadhar seeded Bank account of eligible small and marginal farmers in three equal installments of Rs. 2000/- each in every four months.
- The installments will be transferred immediately to the bank account of the farmer on identification of the eligible beneficiary.
- It also help the farmer to purchase useful inputs with out borrowing form others.
- No benefit will be given in case of landholding of 10 hectare owned by a single farmer family.
- Rs. 6000 to each family will be given in case of landholding of 10 hectare owned by 5 families each owning 2 hectare.
- Rs. 6000 to each family will be given in case of landholding of 16 hectare owned by 12 families with 4 families owning 1 hectare each and other 8 families owning 1.5 hectare each.
- Rs. 6000 to each family will be given in case of landholding of 1.8 hectare in different parcels owned by family members are spread across different revenue records in the same or different villages.
- In case of land holding of 10 hectare owned by 4 families 1 family owns 5.5 hectare and other 3 families own 1.5 hectare each then the family owing 5.5 hectare will not get any benefit and other 3 families owing 1.5 hectare each will get Rs.6,000/- each.
- If transfer of ownership of lands take place on account of sale/succession, etc. on 5th of January, 2019 then proportionate benefit of first installment (for two months and 25 days only) shall be eligible to the new land owner
- If there is a landowner having 1.5 hectare cultivable land but spouse of the landowner is in exclusion list (that is having high economic status) then there will not get any benefit of PM kisan Nidhi Yojana.


- This event has passed.
DDA: Downtown Rochester Farmer’s Market
May 13 @ 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
8:00 am – 1:00 pm. Farmers’ Market Lot, Corner of E. 3rd & Water Street, Rochester, MI 48307. Meet us the market – where friends and families can access the freshest, locally grown Michigan-made products. Celebrating its 24th season, the Farmers’ Market is a frequent stop for area residents to enjoy the vibrant colors, aromas, and flavors of southeast Michigan’s growing season.
Looking for farm-fresh flavors Look no further than the Downtown Rochester Farmers’ Market. The market will feature a variety of fresh produce, herbs, flowers, and specialty foods, including gourmet coffee, salsa, fresh bread, and much more!


Abundant white peach, apricot compôte and white floral notes leap from the glass, with juicy ripe fruit on the palate and beautifully clean, precise acidity through to the finish. A versatile and immensely appealing Riesling, which pairs well with pasta, roast chicken, seabass or fresh asparagus.
Sustainably certified by agroVet, the wineyard also produce their own fertiliser. They produce their own seeds to sew cover crops in the vineyards and use straw from the fields in the young vineyards to protect the vines from dry stress. The winery is energy neutral, producing energy from their Biogas plant and a Photovoltaic system which produces more energy than is required.


Root Health = Gut Health
“Bacterial inoculation of plants is like dietary probiotics in that both introduce live microbes that benefit the host. Laboratory studies and field trials have shown that inoculating the root microbiome with the right bacteria can promote growth, enhance nutrient uptake, help control pathogens, and induce increased root surface area and shoot length.”
David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle – “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health”
It might be called “gut health” in humans but you might call it “root health” in plants. Sound familiar? Humans and plants both rely on beneficial bacteria to make nutrients and compounds for survival. Think about the “rhizosphere” - that area of the soil where the roots of plants reside. Plant roots have an intimate relationship with microbial organisms just like humans. Could current intensive agriculture become more sustainable by continuing research in the role of beneficial bacteria and the life of plants?
There is the potential to at least reduce pesticides and fertiliser use and look at the microbial relationships between soil microbes and plant roots.


Once upon a time, an alien ship crash landed on a tiny island in the Mediterranean sea. For all you know, it might have been Corsica or Ibiza. The two aliens on that ship that survived, incidentally one male and one female, were the only ones on the entire island. They roamed around and explored the island until they were very hungry.
Having looked all around the island, they hadn't found anything that appeared familiar to them when compared to the foods that they had access to back on their planet. When they sat down to think what they could eat for food, they happened to be among a bunch of carrot plants. They noticed little orange things in the ground that had green stems and leaves growing out of it. Wondering why the base was orange, they pulled one out. And they had a carrot in their hands. Immediately, it began to rain. So they ran out of there to find some shelter. Once they did, they looked at the orange thing in their hands. The rain had washed all the mud off of it. And like humans, they were drawn to the colour orange as well.
Given how hungry they were, they decided to bite into the orange thing. When they did, it turned out to be tasty and they were no longer hungry. So they learnt to eat carrots whenever they were hungry.
Then they procreated and proliferated the tiny Mediterranean island with more aliens of their kind. They reached a point when the carrots that naturally grew could no longer feed them. The carrots that naturally grew were just a small percentage of all the edible things that grew on the island. They could very well have eaten apples, or potatoes, or corn, or oranges, or bananas, or tomatoes, or cucumbers, well you get the point. They could have eaten pretty much anything else. But the original two aliens that survived had been dead by now and all their descendants had grown up believing that carrots were the only edible things.
So they put their wits together and learnt farming. The lands where all the other tasty things that grew naturally were slowly taken over to grow more and more carrots. And the aliens reproduced some more. Now, all the carrots from the farms weren't enough to feed the entire population of the island.
The smarter ones began to learn how to grow more carrots per acre of land and in a few years, could grow hundred times more carrots on the same area of land as compared to others. So they started selling the carrots they grew to the others and got them to do their bidding for them.
A few generations later, all those who were buying carrots from the super productive farmers forgot how to grow their own carrots and depended on the owners of the farms to create jobs for them so that they could provide something in return for the carrots that they needed.
A rogue alien or two, here and there, began to rebel and began to live on potatoes, and corn and the more adventurous ones even began to catch and eat fish.
But many were still not brave enough to eat these unsafe foods. What if they fell sick? What if they didn't live as long as the others that ate carrots? What if they couldn't run as fast as the others? No, it was the safe thing to do to eat carrots and nothing else. It didn't matter if it killed them to earn those carrots (well, not literally killed them, of course!), they would do it nonetheless. Because it was scary to not do what everybody wasn't doing and go eat potatoes or fish.
And thus grew their love for carrots.
We are a little like these aliens, aren't we? Only our carrots are getting a college degree, getting a job, a wife, a kid, a house a car, climbing up the corporate ladder.
As Douglas Adams said, so long and thanks for all the fish. I mean, carrots.


Corporate bosses Werner Baumann of Bayer and Hugh Grant of Monsanto have a vision. They want to be innovation drivers for agriculture, feed the world’s population and achieve enormous growth.
In this vision, diverse, living Earth is reduced to industrial space, where genetically manipulated plants, chemical fertilizers and so-called crop protection products maximize profitable biomass. All plants and organisms perish except genetically manipulated agricultural crops. Farmers become de facto dependent workers whose function is to supervise the spreading of substances delivered by the chemical industry and the harvesting of biomass produced via fully automatic, digitally controlled heavy machinery.
The long-term consequences are infertile soil and contaminated groundwater. It means massive destruction of nature’s value for the sake of the capital value of just a few companies. It can also be expected to destroy diverse rural cultures and vibrant cultural landscapes worldwide.
We owe our life to the health of nature and the environment, as well as healthy food. But the vision of an agro-industrial sector of this kind is not to produce healthy food.
We owe our life to the health of nature and the environment, as well as healthy food. But the vision of an agro-industrial sector of this kind is not to produce healthy food. Only naturally integrated agriculture can achieve this. It also strengthens biodiversity and soil fertility. The global trend toward organic food is the expression of the longing for healthy nourishment. And it can feed the growing world population, as borne out by numerous studies, including by the University of Berkley and the World Bank’s Agriculture at a Crossroads report.
A majority of the population in Europe, where the new company will be based, rejects the agro-industrial vision out of hand. Monsanto’s ongoing revenue problems raise considerable doubts over whether it has recognized the needs of future customers. Bayer intends to finance the purchase mainly with loans and bond issues. This would considerably worsen its equity capital ratio and leave the company less financial leeway for innovation.
Last but not least, Bayer-Monsanto is neglecting to take future agricultural reform into account. The fate now suffered by the major energy concerns could also affect a merged Bayer-Monsanto concern. The biggest takeover a German company has ever aspired to could become the biggest destruction of capital a German company has ever been responsible for.
To contact the author: firstname.lastname@example.org.


Developed by Jack Ng, Sky Greens is the world’s first low carbon, hydraulic-driven vertical farm. With large and dense urban centers increasingly distanced from their sources of food, this may be the future of produce.
A unique program in Toronto’s west end gives low-income and marginalized residents access to fresh food and gardening skills through a co-operative urban agriculture model. The Co-op Cred Program has improved food security and health, and also provides an opportunity for low-income workers in the Parkdale community to learn new skills.
Since 2010, more than 1,300 cooperative farmers in southwest Haiti have been defining what participatory development means, and are transforming their community on their own terms. With support from Crossroads (CCCI) and Productive Cooperatives Haiti (PCH), Coopérative des Planteurs de Gorgette was established in the community of Duchity four years ago.
Professor Ricardo Radulovich of the University of Costa Rica has been working on techniques for growing vegetables on rafts and flotation devices. Over the past decade he and his team have developed several techniques for growing lettuce, tomato, cucumber and cantaloupe melons, among others. Some of the plant roots are allowed to drag through the water while others are reliant upon cotton …


Over this long weekend, I have spent a good deal of my time in the garden. I have been planting and transplanting. When we purchased our property four years ago, it was woefully neglected. Over 13 trees had to be removed just to shed some light. Clearing the back of the property meant clearing lots of red rope, also known as poison ivy. Yeah, lesson learned the hard way.
It has only been in the last decade or so that I even took an interest in gardening and landscaping. I now know enough to be dangerous when it comes to plants. Recently I’ve become an expert on plants that deer and rabbits won’t eat. We live in a pretty rural area, backing up to farmland owned by the same family since the 1750s.
My house was built in the 1850s and it too is getting a slow but purposeful makeover. I have always gravitated to older homes. I can feel the history. I can see the craftsmanship. Timbers pulled and hand carved to frame the house. Even my land feels old. What is now a sweep of grass backing up to the old farmland, was once tilled for growing the family’s vegetables. The people who once lived here were not farmers, but they did grow their own food. In an old photo of the property from the 1890s, the old barn is visible. It burned down in a fire at the turn of the century, which led to the town deciding they needed a firehouse. The bucket brigade couldn’t save it.
When I’m touching the soil, and taking the large old stones from the property to create a raised bed, I think about those who have come before me here. There is magic in the soil. It makes me wonder about the days of old. Back then, people relied on their land and the local farming industry to provide them sustenance. They did not get their vegetables from Chili. They did not buy their meat pre-packaged. They were much closer and much more intimate with the source of their food. Old homes and this old land remind me that not everything needs improvement. Sometimes the old ways are better.
I now think a lot about where my food comes from. I’ve seen the documentaries about the meat industry and about how sugar and additives are creating tons of health issues around the globe. The big food industry produces greenhouse gases that rival car exhaust. I’ve personally experienced what processed foods and added sugar have done to my waistline and my immune system. Frankly, sometimes all that information is incredibly overwhelming. Feeding a family good whole food has become more of a challenge as the prices for non-subsidized produce skyrocket while a can of Pepsi gets cheaper. The middle aisles of the grocery store offer lots of calories for low cost and those with limited resources often feel they have no choice. And yet, the cost to treat the rising health issues is becoming insurmountable.
It’s hard to filter all of the information out there. This food is bad, that food is bad. This program works, this one is a fad. I felt very overwhelmed by it all when I woke up and began to take action. And now, I get emails from subscribers and posts from my A-Team that suggest I’m not the only one feeling overwhelmed about the best road to weight loss and healing. Some say go vegan, others say Paleo is the way, some swear by vegetarianism. So with all of the research, the quick fix promises and the endless bits of information I had to make it simple.
When I came up with the plan, I wanted it to have the flexibility for the vegan, the vegetarian and the omnivore. There is lots of conflicting information and opinions out there. Keeping it simple and staying in the lines is the best way to go for me. I can’t have grey areas or it gets muddy and confusing. I eat animal protein, but much less of it and mostly organic. I do my best to buy locally grown produce from farms that actually do MORE than the USDA standard for organic. I eat out less, and aim to make my own food more often.
Making time to make a meal is now a luxury for most of us. We are tethered to many hours at work, kids to care for, and lots of other chores to do just to maintain our life and our home. But I’ve started drawing more lines around that. I need time to decompress, to hang in my garden, to cook more meals, and to learn new ways of eating that not only sustain me, but sustain the planet. Do my choices make a difference? They do. And so do yours.
When you stop buying processed foods, you send a message to the food industry. When you support local farmers and hit the farmers’ market (even NYC has them!), you are voting with your dollars. And that’s where the revolution starts. When you buy organic and non-GMO foods, you are making a difference. Yes you. When you cook a meal, or teach your kids how to cook, you are training them to be self-sufficient and teaching them about the importance of eating the food that remembers where it came from. It matters.
I hope someday to make the time to create my own vegetable garden; right now it’s tough with working full time. When I do, it will need a high fence and have to go two feet below grade, because, hello groundhogs, rabbits and deer! But I do what I can, and I keep it simple. I’m learning new ways to cook, and I enjoy the simplicity of it. I don’t need to be tilling the soil to make these changes. One trip to the local farm or the locally grown organic produce section is all I need. Avoiding the middle aisles has transformed my body and mind. It’s the small changes made in the moment that transform. And it’s voting with your dollars that will fuel the revolution. Getting back to basics and sending the message that good whole food heals is already making a difference. One trip to the grocery store at a time, eating food that remembers where it came from–you can make a difference. Join the revolution!


The town of Sebastopol in Sonoma County is known for Gravensteins, the pretty yellow-green apples with red stripes. Even though many of the century-old apple orchards were uprooted in the last 25 years and replanted with vineyards you still come across plenty of old, gnarled Gravenstein trees when you're driving around the quiet roads here. Besides apples and grapes a bounty of other fruit is grown around Sebastopol. It was, after all, the place where Luther Burbank operated his experimental farm and developed more than 800 new varieties of fruits and vegetables. So, it's not surprising that Sebastopol became one of the leading producers of mushrooms a few years back when shitake, oyster, chanterelles and other exotic varieties started to pop up in supermarkets alongside the old standby white button mushrooms. Sebastopol-based Gourmet Mushrooms produces more specialty organic mushrooms than any other company in the U.S. One of its most popular mushrooms is the delicate, earthy Velvet Pioppini, which has dark caps and an intense forest flavor. (Look for the Mycopia brand at Whole Foods and other fine markets). Gourmet is not open to the public but, just south of Sebastopol there's a small mushroom operation -- New Carpati Farm -- where you can visit, talk to the mushroom grower and pick your own funghi. Steve Schwartz, the owner (photo above), named the company for the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe where his father was born. His company is a simple operation consisting of a small cave-like hut. Inside, shelves are lined with bricks made of oak saw dust, where he plants fungus spores. A wild assortment of fungi emerge, mostly varieties of shitake and oyster. Schwartz sells them at the Sebastopol farmer's market on Sundays but you can also call him (707-829-2978) and set up an appointment to visit the little hut. There, in the damp and quiet, you do as chefs sometimes do and pick your own mushrooms, the freshest you've tasted.
Up on Skyline Boulevard above Palo Alto, hidden inside the MidPeninsula Open Space District, is a little-known orchard full of old chestnut trees. No one really knows their origin, but the most reliable story seems to be that the trees were planted by a Spaniard about 100 years ago, says Hans Josens, who with his wife, Donna, runs the orchard under an agreement with the district. The grove consists of about 120 trees, including what Johsens calls the "honey tree" where the largest of the green, golf-ball-sized nuts grows. For only a few weeks in the fall, the orchard is open to the public as a u-pick operation. For certain ethnic groups, particularly Koreans, French and Italians, gathering chestnuts off the ground in the chill of the fall is a nostalgic event that usually culminates later in the evening with roasting the nuts over a fire. For those new to the whole process, the ranch provides gloves, buckets and tongs. For sale are roasting pans and special knives to pry open the pods. The orchard will be open Oct. 11-Nov. 23 this year. The price is $5.25 per pound. Call (408) 395-0337 (no Web site at press time). The only other chestnut orchard that I could find in the region is in western Sonoma County -- at Green Valley Chestnut Ranch, which is only open two weekends this fall. The first was this weekend and the second will be Oct. 11-12. The ranch, outside the town of Graton, covers several acres containing about 800 chestnut trees that grew from seeds from a Gold Rush-era tree planted by Italian immigrants in Nevada City. The variety is called Colossal, a type that produces large and sweet nuts. A friend and I on a foodie jaunt of the area passed by Green Valley (a lovely drive from Graton) the other day and, although the ranch was closed, I took some photos (including the one above) of the lush, gorgeous groves of trees, sagging with the weight of the pods, the ground covered with the nuts ready for the taking. For more information, check out the ranch's Web site. Before heading out to see the chestnut trees, we had a terrific lunch at a new restaurant, Eloise, in Sebastopol (reviewed recently in the San Francisco Chronicle), and, after seeing the ranch, stopped by another eatery that specializes in local ingredients, the lively pub, Ace-in-the-Hole, in Graton. Ace makes the first hard cider produced in the U.S. , much of it from local apples, including the beloved Gravenstein. The results are delicious.
After years of exploring and writing about Northern California, there's still so much to discover.
I started blogging when my book, Great Escapes: Northern California, was published.
I'm sharing my most recent wanderings, day trips and weekend getaways. Feel free to comment and subscribe. Happy travels. Laura Del Rosso
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Dwarf fruit trees are the perfect plants for those who have limited space, whether it be a small backyard or even an apartment balcony. You can use them as a source of fruit snacks or as ornamental plants. These trees grow for about eight to ten feet. Dwarf fruit trees are the fruit trees which have a limited height growth. Browse our selection of dwarf apple trees, apricot, cherry, banana and … It matures at 8 to 10 feet tall. There are great advantages to growing a Dwarf Apple Tree: The following Dwarf and Miniature Fruit Tree selections are self-fertile trees that will produce a good quantity of high quality fruits. They can even be as small as three to four feet. Full fruit trees can not only take up a lot of space, but they also need significantly more maintenance, so check out these 5 best dwarf fruit trees and you'll be on your way to enjoying fresh, home grown fruit in no time! Dwarf fruit trees have many uses in the garden as well as indoors. Apple trees are among the hardiest of fruit trees, and some kinds are disease-resistant. These apple trees will be about 50% smaller in size than a standard apple tree BUT THE FRUIT IS REGULAR SIZED! These dwarf fruit tree selections offer a smaller, more compact form tree, without compromising it's fruit quality. Some fruit trees like lemon or other citrus varieties also give off a lovely … This dwarf bears bright red fruit that is sweet, crispy, and juicy. Kackenhoff’s also carries a wide selection of dwarf apple tree varieties. This one grows in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 to 6. Even though they have a small stature, they provide an abundance of full-size fruit that can be picked without using a ladder. A popular dwarf apple tree is the Cameron Select brand of the Honeycrisp. The fruits that these trees bear is the same size as that of any normal fruit trees. Gemini® Apple Malus x ‘Jefcoutts’ Parentage: Norland x Haralson Fruit Colour: Red over pale yellow Fruit Size: 7 - 8 cm Hardiness: Zone 2 A crisp, juicy and medium sweet apple, that is … Imagine picking ripe apples or oranges from your patio. Our fruit trees with the smallest mature height are ‘dwarf’ fruit trees. Introduced by Boughen Nursery, Valley River, Manitoba in 1934. Dwarf fruit trees are perfect when space is limited. All of our fruit trees are propagated on hardy rootstock for Manitoba winter survival. But that does not mean you will have to compromise with the size of the fruits. Tree is very cold hardy.


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Jan 20, 2023
In modern agriculture, silage bales are the most common way of producing silage as feedstock for the winter. Silage is the result of the fermentation of organic materials for animal feed. Plants like grass or maize are cut and baled with plastic film to exclude oxygen. This process creates the perfect conditions for naturally occuring bacteria to ferment and preserve it. The silage can then be stored and fed to livestock in winter.
The bales can easily be spoiled, however, if the plastic cover is damaged. This can occur during transport or during storage outside by birds and rodents which cause holes in the wrapping. To repair this damage and save the animal feed before it is unusable, we have developed a new product, tesa® 4648 repairing tape for silage films.
When developing tesa® 4648 repairing tape for silage films, we paid special attention to three things: The tape can be torn by hand, it is UV and water resistant, and it has great tack even in cold weather.
tesa® 4648 repairing tape for silage films is also extra wide to reliably cover larger tears. It is made from PE film, the same material that is commonly used for silage films, and halogen free (according to IEC 61249-2-21). tesa® 4648 repairing tape for silage films is a black tape with a natural rubber adhesive. Due to its thickness of 120 µm, and can resist the stresses typical of agricultural processes.
After the silage is consumed the film is gathered to be scrapped. However, the recycling of agricultural film is trending. Within the recycling process for agricultural PE-films impurities, such as PVC, needs to be sorted out. tesa® 4648 has been tested in industrial recycling processes with a good result: typical quantities for the repairing of damaged silage films can be recycled.
With all its features and benefits of tesa® 4648, our customers can rely on this ideal solution for the repair of damaged silage films.
If you are interested in our new tesa® 4648 repairing tape for silage films, please get in touch with us by filling out the form at the bottom of the page: just click the GET IN TOUCH link.


Feeding and Watering Open Close
Containerised topiary plants rely on you for all their feed and watering requirements. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer such as Vitax Q4 once a month from Apr†-Jul. Discolouration of foliage is usually due to lack of feeding.
Pruning: As a minimum,†prune†topiary during early June then again in October to shape it up†ready for†winter. Alternatively, trim little and often throughout the growing season. Use secateurs to avoid leaving cut leaves. Prune Viburnum tinus after flowering if necessary but bear in mind that the flowers will go on to produce very attractive berries for the autumn-winter.†
Don't rely on rainfall to water containerised topiary; the foliage is so dense that little if any rain would reach the soil. Luckily however, holly is a very tough plants. Water container grown plants throughout the growing season (Apr-Sept). The frequency very much depends on the sun/shade situation of the plants and the weather conditions. Waterlogging can also be a problem if the container does not drain between waterings.
Pests and Diseases Open Close
Discolouration of foliage is usually due to feed and/or watering requirements - see above. On holly, low numbers of yellow leaves is part of the natural shedding process; these can just be picked off if too unsightly. However, if an excessive amount of yellow leaves appear this can be a symptom of waterlogging - check the compost.
Situation Open Close
†Holly (Ilex) and Viburnum tinus topiary is very adaptable; being happy in full sun, part shade or full shade. Watering just needs to be adjusted accordingly.†Holly and Viburnum tinus suit all soil types apart from waterlogged! In a container, a soil based compost such as John Innes No.3 with added organic matter and coarse grit to aid stability and drainage would be ideal.


Learn more about what makes GoGro the best solution to your automatic watering needs, and how to get the most out of your new system.
The sleek and versatile GoGro system is truly innovative, every detail has been carefully designed to ensure a minimum level of upkeep and boasts many USPs including;
The valve is constructed from ABS to allow precision manufacture,
while the rest of the system is made from high quality, durable
Polypropylene – both are made right here in Britain!
It’s simple, firstly, you can use your existing pots (most standard 15L and 25L pots will fit within the system)! Simply place your existing pots in GoGro trays, lay down the required pipe work and attach to your reservoir. If you don’t have a compatible pot, you can easily transplant your existing crops into a new GoGro round pot.
No, our valve has been specially designed so it automatically controls water flow and level within the tray without the need for electricity. All you need to do is ensure your reservoir is elevated above the supply line and GoGro will do the rest!
The first generation valve has a 2mm inlet, a second generation is already in production boasting a 2.7mm valve inlet without compromising the valve inlet strength.
The tray floods to a maximum depth of approx. 3cm and then drains to a depth of approx. 1cm; we believe the additional depth/volume in the tray allows for a buffer capacity of nutrient as well as better circulation of nutrient beneath the pot.
We recommend only transplanting crops into the GoGro system when the capillary action of the crop is sufficient to provide adequate nutrient exchange in the tray. We recommend ROOT!T’s range of innovative propagation solutions to give your plants to best start in life.
Every plant is different and there is no definitive stage at which you should transplant into the GoGro system; however, we recommend the best time to do so is when you notice your crop becoming thirstier, and when you find yourself needing need to water the crop more frequently.
We expect a medium sized plant to consume 1.5-2L of water/nutrient per day under normal indoor conditions. This allows for a minimum of two nutrient exchanges into each module per day.
1-1.5L per 15L module and 1.5-2L per 25L module.
Each module comes with a copper impregnated root control disc, which should be placed at the base of the tray underneath the Clay Pebbles. For fast growing crops, it is inevitable that some roots will get past the control disc and start to grow into the tray, a swift quarter turn of the pot fortnightly (or more frequently if needed) is all that is required to disrupt this root development and prevent blockages.


needs love and courage.
Our winery is and should remain a pure family business. The size of 13 hectares allows us to do the important work in the vineyard ourselves – traditionally by hand.The vines are carefully cherished and cared for by us. In this way, we lay the important foundation for the high quality of our grapes.
Red: Zweigelt, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir, Roesler, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah
White: Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Scheurebe, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Green Veltliner, Yellow Muscat
In the wine cellar it becomes more modern. And braver. We always want to develop further and combine the advantages of traditional viti culture with the innovative power of state-of-the-art wine production (vinification). The result is harmonious wines that are unique in their characteristics.
part of it..
DAC stands for “Districtus Austriae Controllatus” and is the legal seal for particularly typical quality wines. The basic idea of this designation of origin is to combine the taste of the wine with the landscape from which it originates and to vinify a wine that expresses the uniqueness of the area. www.dac-neusiedlersee.com
are our wines.
counts only handicraft.
We have great respect for nature. Accordingly, we treat her with care and care. Not only the care is done manually, but also the harvest is carried out quite traditionally by hand. This means that the first quality control takes place in the vineyard, only the best grapes make it into our cellar.
Our vineyards are located around Mönchhof, at the entrance to the Seewinkel. The warmest wine-growing region in Austria is characterized by very different terroir. On the areas north of the Parndorfer Platte we grow our red wines, the white grapes thrive better in the southern vineyards.
into the bottle.
A good wine takes a lot of time, and even more flair. Thanks to the mild climate and the long growing season, our grapes absorb the minerals of the soil particularly well and are also full of fruit and aromatic substances. This potential must be exploited.
Come and get to know our sparkling and fruity white wines and delicious red wines in the cosy atmosphere of our tasting room.
Knowledge, experience and patience are our tools as winemakers. But the courage to innovate is the secret of our success. How the wine develops, so we also want to develop continuously. In our modern stainless steel tanks and high-quality barrels, this driving force always creates new harmonious wines with an independent character.


Every morning, I stand at the front window of our house, looking out over the gentle slope of an Iowa farmfield rolling down toward the road. Our crops are vibrant and green, and they wave a morning greeting in the breeze. There’s always something so hopeful about that.
But then, as I scan this field, I see the sad sight that greets me morning after morning: a bald spot in the middle of the field, where crops should have been planted but weren’t. It looks like a giant scar, or a wound, a reminder that, for a season, all was not well.
My husband, Scott, is a crop farmer. And like farmers across the heartland, he was unable to plant some of his corn and soybeans due to unrelenting rains that kept him out of the field. Three months later, in the middle of a field, there remains this ugly, bare spot, where nothing was allowed to grow, because we couldn’t plant the seeds.
All spring, we read news reports like this one on our iPhone news apps: “U.S. corn planting this spring has crawled at its slowest pace in 40 years. It now may be at a standstill.” We saw the headlines come to life in our own community and on our own farm.
It felt like a sort of vandalism, like Mother Nature worked tirelessly to destroy the perennial hope of the farmer. And if we dug down deep into the whole matter of things, it felt like God had turned His back on the farmer while the vandal roamed unchecked.
I suppose some farmers lifted their hands to the sky, saying “Thy will be done” to a sovereign and holy God. Others felt cheated, wronged, and wholly frustrated.
All of us were in the middle of a hard but important lesson: farming is an act of faith. Like my husband says, “I didn’t learn surrender in a church. I learned it in a field.”
You may not be a farmer, but I’ll bet you know what it feels like to look out on what God has given you and see a wound in the fields you’ve been called to plant. You’ve probably heard a sermon or seen a social media graphic that reminded you it’s your job to plant the seeds, and it’s God’s job to make them grow. Quite often, that is a pretty fitting metaphor — that is, if you can actually plant those seeds.
But what about the fields you can’t even get to? What do you do when you’ve been called to steward that which God has given to you, but you find yourself on the edge of your field with fistfuls of seeds that will never make their way into the ground?
Perhaps, for you, the inaccessible field looks like the heart of a wayward child who won’t even text you anymore. Perhaps it’s an unfulfilled dream on which someone closed a door. Perhaps you’ve tried to plant seeds in a flailing ministry or a fractured marriage, but you can’t reach the field. Lord, why can’t I get to the field?
What then? What do we do when the cynicism creeps up, like weeds on a bald spot of a field?
This is what we do: We stand at the window, and we dwell in hope. That’s what the people of God do — we hope.
It takes great courage, but we wake up each day with hope. We accept that disappointments happen, but we don’t lose hope.
A single bit of hope is a very powerful thing. It compels you to look out on your fields, believing that in another season, another time, the fields will open up for you once more.
In time — if the seeds that God has placed in your hands were intended for those fields rolled out before you — they will open. I promise you, they will.
Until then, cast your seeds where you can. Wait for the time to enter the fallow fields. But never lose the hope given to you, in the name of the One who gave you the seeds in the first place.
I believe it as sure as I’m standing at the window today, looking out on a field in the heartland, knowing that in due season, we will plant again.
As for me, I will always have hope.
Psalm 71:14 (NIV)
We dwell in hope. That’s what the people of God do — we hope. -@dukeslee: Click To Tweet Leave a Comment


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The Preparedness Seeds Ancient Grains
Can provides 10 grain seed varieties which have been chosen for their proven health benefits and potential for sustainable farming. Through the ages, various civilizations have used these grain crops to sustain, nourish and cloth their peoples.
These Seeds are Non-Hybrid, Non-GMO and are not chemically treated. Because they are non-hybrid, seeds may be harvested at the end of the growing season and then used for the next year’s planting.
BARLEY, Waxy Hulless
KAMUT Brand Korasan
MILLET, White Proso
CORN, Hopi Blue
10 large seed packets sealed in a #10 can.
Will keep up to 4 years if stored at 66 to 70 degrees and much longer if kept colder
All Non-hybrid, open pollinated varieties
Equivalent of more than 100 average size seed packets.
Harvested seeds can be planted year after year
Packets are re-sealable for lasting protection
Complete planting and harvesting instructions included
Please Note: Because of the shortage of Non-Hybrid seed, substitutions may occur.


Pig International - July/August 2017 - 29
PigInternational ❙ 29
Strategies to control and combat Salmonella on the farm
Breeding unit. Transmission of sow to piglet is not relevant in most herds.
It is not the primary target.
Weaning-growing. Control at early life can cut the infection cycle,
but there is the potential of reinfection later on.
Finishing. The objective of control in this stage is to deliver Salmonella-free pigs to the abattoir.
Size of the grain
Control strategies can be applied at different stages. Hygiene and biosecurity measures are of paramount
importance in all stages, while control strategies in feed or vaccination can be applied to reduce on-farm
levels. Antibiotherapy is not recommended, as it is not effective against multi-resistant Salmonella strains.
formic, butyric or a mix of acids at a concentration between 0.3 percent and 2 percent for prolonged periods
(between 6 and 12 weeks) could decrease the percentage
of pigs shedding Salmonella in feces.
■ Salmonella serotype: In contrast to vaccines, the effect
of organic acids is not serotype-dependent.
tively. Cost-benefit analysis in different commercial products
revealed interesting data. Using these products at the recommended rates, FCE was improved in pigs with the acid diet
compared to the control diet, together with a better cost of
feed per Kg of live weight gain (EUR0.89 in the control feed
and EUR0.84 in the feed supplemented with the acid).
Cost-benefit analysis of use of organic acids
Organic acids as a strategy
Despite the infection in most occasions subclinical,
there is a lower performance of infected pigs compared
to Salmonella-free pigs. In a study in grower pigs, feed
conversion efficiency (Kg/Kg) (FCE) was 1.88 and 1.66 in
Salmonella-infected and Salmonella-free animals, respec-
Organic acids are one of the strategies offered to control
and reduce Salmonella levels on the farm. The right dose and
treatment duration are essential for success, but acids need
other on-farm interventions related to hygiene, biosecurity and
management to reduce Salmonella to negligible levels. ■
Hector Argüello-Rodríguez, DVM, Ph.D., is a researcher at the Genomic and Animal Biotechnology Laboratory,
University of Córdoba, Spain. Contact e-mail: Arguello.email@example.com
July/August 2017 ❙ www.WATTAgNet.com


Lindley Mills is known for their proprietary blend of Super Sprout, a unique process for sprouting and milling whole grains. Sprouting enhances the nutrition and digestibility of wheat. The body sees sprouted wheat more as a vegetable than as a grain and allows for higher water absorption and enhanced nutrition.
From Joe Lindley, president of Lindley Mills: “Super Sprout sprouted wheat flour is revolutionary because is it the ‘live’ viable wheat seed, stabilized and milled into a bakeable, flavorful, nutritionally enhanced whole grain. In my opinion, one of the next branches in the evolution of that as a food source is to utilize the more complete nutritional potential of wheat by letting it fulfill its true destiny and sprout.”
Lindley Mills was established in 1755 on Cane Creek in Graham, North Carolina. The mill was the site of the Battle of Lindley’s Mill during the Revolutionary War. The Lindley family owned the mill for 100 years. Two hundred and 10 years after its inception, the Lindley family restored the mill and began to produce flour again. For the past 36 years, the mill has been grinding organically grown grain and is operated by ninth-generation Lindleys.


Focus on Feedlots
Focus on Feedlots was created in 1990 at Kansas State University to provide basic feedlot performance data for steers and heifers, and feed ingredient prices. Each month, closeout data from various Kansas feedlots are summarized to provide average values for days on feed, average daily gain, harvest weight, dry matter feed conversion, cost of gain, and death loss, as well as corn and alfalfa hay prices.
The Monthly Reports are available as Adobe PDF files. An Excel spreadsheet of the data is available upon request. Links to individual tables of each year's data (Yearly Data tables), charts for the four most recent years (Yearly Charts), and charts for three-year averages since 1990 (Three-year Average Charts) are located on this web page.
Appreciation is expressed to Brookover Ranch Feed Yard, Decatur County Beef, DM&M Feedyard, Fairleigh Feed Yard, HRC Feed Yards Inc., Hy-Plains Feedyard, Kearny County Feeders, Poky Feeders Inc., and Supreme Cattle Feeders for their support for Focus on Feedlots.


I’ll tend Covenant’s expanding herb garden a couple of times this week – everything is growing well, and you might want to stop by to see it. I planted one of my favs – Nasturtiums: a peppery tasting leaf and a beautiful/edible flower for garnish. It’s takes about ten days for the Nasturtiums to appear – as of today, it’s been six days since planting … will they come up? Will all of them take root?
Seeds are an amazing thing – that little piece of hard-shelled life sends down a root (how does it know to do that?) and a shoot upward, reaching for the light. A little water and sunshine, a little fertilizer further down the road – and it grows into what it should be.
Most every word we say, most every deed we do, most every thought we have, is a seed.
This week, we’ll plants a few seeds – seeds of love and hope – we’ll encourage our children through a tough time, we’ll help our spouse face a challenge, we’ll bless a friend along the way, and we’ll enliven our own spirit with the seeds of trust and love, planted with prayer and nourished with faith.
We’re all gardeners in God’s Garden of Life.
Have a good week, and keep your eye out for your seeds sprouting to life.


Eva rib – Very popular in decorating environments. this is a kind of easy cultivation and able to make your space even more elegant. Check out!
Table of Contents
The eva ri-b, also known as Monstera Adansonii , is a plant native to the rainforests of Central and South America. It is valued for its large and showy green leaves with irregular cutouts, being very popular in the ornamentation of environments.
With that in mind, today we’re going to teach you how to grow the eva rib at home and make your space even more elegant. Check out!
Step by step how to grow
Eva ribs need indirect light and should not be exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, the ideal temperature for the plant varies between 18°C and 27°C. Therefore, choose a location with indirect light and a suitable temperature.
Eva ribs need moist, well-draining soil. You can use a plant soil mix and add a little perlite or sand to ensure good drainage.
With regard to watering, it is important that it be regular, keeping the soil moist, but not soaked. It’s important not to let the plant dry out completely between waterings, as this can cause damage to the roots.
Eva ribs can be fertilized every two weeks during spring and summer with a liquid fertilizer for green plants.
As the eva rib grows, it may need support to stay upright. You can use a stake or a trellis to help the plant stay upright.
Eva ribs do not need regular pruning, but can be pruned to control their size and shape.
Eva ribs can be propagated by cuttings. To do this, cut a piece of the plant with a knot and one or two leaves and place it in a glass of water so that the roots grow. When the roots have grown long enough, plant the cutting in a pot with moist soil.
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A couple months ago Christopher was watching his "Curious George Goes Green" DVD and for the first time I actually sat down to watch it with him. There was an episode dedicated to composting and I though, "HEY! ...I CAN DO THAT!"
1.) choosing a location-- You can either compost in a container OR choose to simply put it in a pile
-- Make sure the area gets equal shade AND sunlight. Too much sun and it'll dry out...too little sun and the compost won't properly activate
-- If you're concerned about critters...use a container. Fairly inexpensive to build yourself!
( in an apartment or duplex? You can compost indoors, too! )
I chose to put our pile on bare ground in an old farm structure on our property. It gets plenty of shade and the area is fence off so I'm not worried about animals.
2.) add "Greens" & "Browns"-- The secret to perfect composting (so I've read) is getting the right mixture
-- "Greens": fruits, vegetables, old plants...things with moisture in them
-- "Browns": Dead leaves, wood scraps, ....dry
|September 17, 2012|


Throughout the 1930s, a drought swept through the Southern Plains of the United States of America and devastated a region already in the midst of the Great Depression. Though it would affect farms and families across many states, it came to be known as the Oklahoma Dust Bowl. The drought, heavy windblown dust and agricultural decline all combined to wreak havoc on the area and prolong the economic decline of the entire country.
Beginning in 1931, and lasting a full eight years, the Dust Bowl highlighted the poor agricultural practices of the time and showed how the bountiful harvests of the 1920s had been built on short-term visions. In that, way the Dust Bowl is the perfect metaphor for the entire era. The poor ploughing practices of the 1920s had enriched the entire area during the heavy rainfalls of the Roaring Twenties. The rain produced huge harvests and led to prosperity for many farmers.
At the onset of the 1930s, two years after the Wall Street Crash had plunged the entire country in to crisis, the droughts that would last the entire decade began. The farmers were not ready, the soil had been ripped up over the course of the 1920s, and strong dust clouds began enveloping the area. Throughout the decade, many families were forced to leave the Southern Plains as the Dust Bowl worsened. Children went back and forth from schools wearing masks for their mouths, wives hung wet blankets over windows to keep the dust out and the farming economy collapsed completely.
The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history within a short period. Between 1930 and 1940, approximately 3.5 million people moved out of the Plains states, more were said to have moved to California during the Dust Bowl than during the Gold Rush of the 1840s.


Blue and I took a nice walk out to the back yard this afternoon. Those tomatoes, lettuces and beans are growing like crazy. Even in "autumn", our growing season just goes on. One of the great things about Hawaii. We can plant just about anytime.
Now that they are growing, I have to learn the best way to harvest them... I think my tomato plants are a bit crowded, but I don't have the heart to pull any more out.
I hate thinning growing seedlings!
In John chapter 15:1-4, Jesus says,
Thundershowers are forecast for the next two days, so I'll enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. There's even a "winter advisory" out for the Big Island. Yes, we do get snow! Just on the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.


Did you know that the colorful gold, red and brown leaves that blanket your lawn in the fall can add to your garden’s beauty in the spring? Fallen leaves contain an abundance of soil-enriching nutrients that can keep landscapes healthy after they breakdown.
Organic materials, such as leaves, grass and food can be composted or used as leaf mulch to improve soil structure, conserve water, and control aeration corrosion.
So, rather than shoving them into a garbage cart headed for the landfill (now illegal in some areas) or burning them (which pollutes air)―transform your fallen leaves into compost or use as leaf mulch.
Good Green Habits for Fallen Leaves
Here are planet-friendly tips for fallen leaves, grass clippings, shrub trimmings and other decaying compostable materials:
- Place leaves in your green waste cart along with other yard trimmings (some garbage companies also accept food waste and food-soiled paper) to be transported to composting facilities where they decompose into rich soil amendment and mulch.
- Save extra leaves and green waste in trash bags and empty a little each week into your green waste cart―but no plastic in the cart!
- Store extra leaves in bags and add a little at a time to your compost bin―visit USEPA to learn how to compost at home.
- Shred or chop leaves (some lawnmowers will do this for you) and spread around trees, shrubs and perennials to mulch and insulate for winter―or allow shredded leaves to remain on your lawn.
- Till or dig whole leaves directly into gardens to keep them healthy.


North Texas Mowing Tips
TIPS From “Weed Man”
DO NOT SCALP your North Texas lawn!
A thick lawn creates a canopy over the soil, which helps to prevent weeds from germinating. When you scalp the lawn, you remove this blanket and expose your lawn to severe weed outbreaks. Additionally, scalping the lawn before it has fully come out of dormancy exposes your lawn to weed outbreaks at the most vulnerable time of year for weeds in our region. Pre-emergent applications do not stop all weeds, but a thick lawn along with pre-emergent applications help prevent many weeds.
There are a significant amount of web sites, landscapers, and mowers who insist scalping the lawn is necessary. They are wrong! The trusted resource for lawns in our region is Texas A&M University, and they recommend normal mowing heights at all times of the year (scalping is not a normal mowing height), and do not remove the grass clippings from the lawn.
North Texas lawns should be mowed regularly at their proper heights (see below). This means that your North Texas lawn may require mowing more than once a week during peak growth and only once every two weeks during periods of slow growth.
The root system of a grass plant grows proportionately to the above grounds parts of the plant; therefore, a longer cutting height results in a stronger, deeper root system.
Calculate your mower blade height by measuring the distance between the concrete surface and the base of your lawn mower at the sides, front and back.
Lawn mower blades should be kept razor sharp. A sharp blade makes a clean, precise cut of each grass blade. This clean cut allows the grass blade to heal quickly and keeps the lawn looking tidy.
A dull blade chews and frays grass blades. This messy chopping results in straggly, rough tips which give the lawn an ugly, gray appearance and expose wounded tissue to disease attacks.To maintain a razor-sharp blade throughout the mowing season, sharpen the blade 2-3 times each year. Remember that few new lawn mowers are sold with a pre-sharpened blade. A sharp blade results in longer blade life and less wear and tear on your lawnmower’s engine.
Please mow frequently. No more than 1/3 of a grass plant should be removed with each mowing.
It is only necessary to remove lawn clippings if they are long and will smother the lawn. Leaving grass clippings in the lawn when mowing is an environmentally beneficial practice referred to as grass recycling. Leaving grass clippings to decompose on a lawn naturally adds valuable nutrients back into the soil and also helps to conserve valuable landfill space by reducing waste.
The use of a mulching type mower is preferred for this practice since it promotes a more uniform distribution of grass clippings, thus allowing for quicker decomposition of the recycled grass plants.
If the optimum mowing height selected is 2 inches then the lawn should be mowed before the lawn height reaches 3 inches to ensure that only 1/3 of the blade height is removed.
To reduce the chance of frayed grass blades, and slips and falls, lawn mowings should be done when grass blades are dry.
The mowing direction should be altered each mowing. This procedure will keep the grass growing strong and straight while reducing weed grass infestation.
Lawns cut at the proper height are stronger and healthier because the root system is stronger and deeper. Your lawn will require fewer waterings and will be more able to resist insect and diseases attack!


To keep your lawn lush green, and the trees & plants healthy, mulching is definitely an aspect of gardening and lawn care that you should never overlook. You can do it by yourself but it’s always best to hire a professional tree service in Texas to ensure it’s done the right way.
Before we go on to explaining the amazing benefits of mulching around trees and shrubs, let us first explain what exactly mulching is and how it’s done:
Mulching – What is it?
Mulching can be described as an organic material spread on the surface of the soil. Some of the most popular types of organic mulch are grass clipping, hardwood bark like pine or shredded barks, animal manure, mushroom compost, pine bough, composted leaf-litter, pine needle, shredded leave, straw, sawdust and peat moss.
How to Apply Mulch?
Here’s how to mulch:
- First, select the mulch type and spread it under your trees and planting beds. The recommended depth is 3 to 4 inches for both medium and coarse textured mulch materials.
- Once you spread it, pull it away from the base of your tree, creating a donut like hole. Never pile it against the trunk because excessive mulch around the trunk can build up moisture which is an ideal condition for pests and fungi.
- Remember, the mulched area should ideally extend to the drip-line of the tree branches covering at least a 4 to 5 foot diameter area.
- Make sure to check the depth of the mulch every year and replenish it if and when necessary.
Now that you know what is mulching and how to apply it, let us look at some of the amazing benefits of mulching around trees:
- Excellent for Insulation
Mulch protects the roots from temperature extremes. As compared to bare soil, it offers an insulation layer. Mulched soil is warmer in winters and cooler in summers.
- Help Conserve Soil Moisture
Bare soil tend to heat up during summers, causing water to evaporate, which often leads to root desiccation and eventually, death. Mulch, on the other hand, can lower moisture loss significantly by preventing the light from the sun from heating the soil.
- Improves Soil Fertility and Physical Structure
When mulch breaks-down, it adds organic matter to the heavy clay soils and also dramatically improves the water retention capacity of sandy soils by releasing essential nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen.
- Prevents Water Run-off
Bare soil can break apart or disperse due to sprinkler droplets or rain. However, if you add mulch to your soil, you don’t have to worry about this as the mulch provides a sponge surface that quickly absorbs water and lowers water runoff greatly.
Other great benefits include:
- Recycle landscape waste
- Helpful for creating a favorable environment for organisms like earth worms that benefit soil fertility and structure
At Trees Inc. of Denton, we offer a wide range of tree care services including tree trimming in Texas, tree removal and general landscaping services. So whether you need assistance with removal of infected trees or landscaping services like mulching, we can assist you with it all. Call us today to discuss your lawn care needs and we’ll provide you with the best services possible with complete satisfaction.


From expert advice and elite seed products to agronomic support, Channel Seed is with you for every step of the growing process. Visit us at Monsanto booth #839 at the Commodity Classic to learn more about Seedsmanship at Work.
We look forward to seeing you
Please join Channel for a special reception at Commodity Classic to celebrate you, the hard-working farmer. Enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres, drinks, prizes and entertainment from renowned speaker and live-painter Sam Glenn. Plus, see first-hand how Seedsmanship At Work can benefit your operation.
You will have the opportunity to learn about more about the Channel Field Check Up Series. This program brings a Channel Seedsman to your field to guide you through challenges in the growing season. We’ll walk you through the entire process with a live demonstration.
Booth visitors who play our Pin Drop game will have the chance to win cool prizes including tumblers, towels and mini drones. They can also enter to win a DJI® Phantom 4 Pro UAV drone valued at $2,500* — the perfect tool for measuring crops and field management.
© 2023 Monsanto Company, All Rights Reserved
Refuge seed may not always contain Genuity ® DroughtGard ® Hybrids.
Certain statements contained in this presentation are "forward-looking statements," such as statements concerning the company's anticipated financial results, current and future product performance, regulatory approvals, business and financial plans and other non-historical facts. These statements are based on current expectations and currently available information. However, since these statements are based on factors that involve risks and uncertainties, the company's actual performance and results may differ materially from those described or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, among others: continued competition in seeds, traits and agricultural chemicals; the company's exposure to various contingencies, including those related to intellectual property protection, regulatory compliance and the speed with which approvals are received, and public understanding and acceptance of our biotechnology and other agricultural products; the success of the company's research and development activities; the outcomes of major lawsuits and the previously-announced SEC investigation; developments related to foreign currencies and economies; pursuit of acquisitions or other transactions; fluctuations in commodity prices; compliance with regulations affecting our manufacturing; the accuracy of the company's estimates related to distribution inventory levels; the recent increases in and expected higher levels of indebtedness; the company's ability to fund its short-term financing needs and to obtain payment for the products that it sells; the effect of weather conditions, natural disasters, accidents, and security breaches, including cybersecurity incidents, on the agriculture business or the company's facilities; and other risks and factors detailed in the company's most recent periodic report to the SEC. Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of the date of this presentation. The company disclaims any current intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements or any of the factors that may affect actual results.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not an offer to sell Roundup Xtend™ with VaporGrip® Technology.This product is not yet registered or approved for sale or use anywhere in the United States.
Commercialization is dependent on multiple factors, including successful conclusion of the regulatory process. The information presented herein is provided for educational purposes only, and is not and shall not be construed as an offer to sell, or a recommendation to use, any unregistered pesticide for any purpose whatsoever. It is a violation of federal law to promote or offer to sell an unregistered pesticide.
At this time, Vistive® Gold soybeans have received full approval for planting in the United States but have not yet received import approval in certain export markets. While certain export approvals are pending, Vistive® Gold soybeans will be available in limited geographies only to growers who have signed a 2023 Vistive Gold Soybean Grain Production Grower Agreement and agree to follow the stewardship requirements. Upon receipt of appropriate approvals, Monsanto will inform growers and determine whether the stewardship requirements will need to remain in place.
Do not export Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa seed or crop, including hay or hay products, to China pending import approval. In addition, due to the unique cropping practices do not plant Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa in Imperial County, California, pending import approvals and until Monsanto grants express permission for such planting.
DO NOT APPLY DICAMBA HERBICIDE IN-CROP TO Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton in 2023 unless a dicamba herbicide product is approved that is specifically labeled for that use in the location where you intend to make the application. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton.
IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL AND STATE LAW TO MAKE AN IN-CROP APPLICATION OF ANY DICAMBA HERBICIDE PRODUCT ON BOLLGARD II XTENDFLEX COTTON UNLESS THE PRODUCT LABELING SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZES THAT USE.
Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans has been approved for cultivation in the U.S. and Canada, and for import in Australia/New Zealand, Colombia, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The single events in this product have been approved for import in the EU. As of February 2, 2023, E.U. stack approval is in the final stage of approval and is expected but not guaranteed to be received in the near future. Growers should refer to www.biotradestatus.com for any updated information on import country approvals.
Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate and dicamba. Bollgard II® XtendFlex® cotton contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate. Glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Glufosinate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glufosinate. Contact your Monsanto dealer or refer to Monsanto’s Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.
Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto's Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops.
B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your Monsanto representative for the registration status in your state.
SmartStax ® multi-event technology developed by Monsanto Company and Dow AgroSciences.
IMPORTANT IRM INFORMATION: Genuity® RIB Complete® corn blend products do not require the planting of a structured refuge except in the Cotton-Growing Area where corn earworm is a significant pest. See the IRM/Grower Guide for additional information. Always read and follow IRM requirements.
Insect control technology provided by Vip3A is utilized under license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG.
Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FOR USE ON PESTICIDE LABELING. IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL AND STATE LAW to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba or glyphosate are approved for in-crop use with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend ® soybeans, Bollgard II ® XtendFlex ® or XtendFlex ® cotton. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION.DICAMBA FORMULATIONS MAY NOT BE APPROVED IN ALL STATES. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend ® soybeans, Bollgard II ® XtendFlex ® or XtendFlex ® cotton. Acceleron and Design ®, Acceleron ®, DroughtGard ®, FarmFlex ®, Genuity Design ®, Genuity Icons, Genuity ®, Ground Breakers ®, Growing Knowledge and Design ®, Growing Knowledge ®, Integrated Farming Systems & Design ®, RIB Complete and Design ®, RIB Complete ®, Roundup and Design ®, Roundup Ready 2 Technology and Design ®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™, Roundup Ready 2 Yield ®, Roundup Ready PLUS ®, Roundup Ready ®, Roundup Xtend™, Roundup ®, SmartStax ®, VT Double PRO ®, VT Triple PRO ®, YieldGard VT and Design ®, YieldGard VT Triple ® and YieldGard ® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. SilageSmart ® is a registered trademark of American Seeds, LLC. Channel ® and the Arrow Design ® and Seedsmanship At Work ® are registered trademarks of Channel Bio, LLC. Liberty ®, LibertyLink ®, LibertyLink ® and the Water Droplet Design ®, Poncho ® and VOTiVO ® are registered trademarks of Bayer. Herculex ® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Headline AMP ® and Headline ® are registered trademarks of BASF Corporation. Respect the Refuge and Corn Design ® and Respect the Refuge ® are registered trademarks of National Corn Growers Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2023 Monsanto Company.


My work for the municipality
As a Municipal Manager, I am responsible for all municipal affairs. I lead various departments and ensure the proper implementation of our municipality’s strategic plan. As such, I am also responsible for the local economic development programme.
Experience in the Netherlands
First of all, I found the Local Economic Development course very rich in content, because it provided a holistic comprehension of what LED is all about. The course provided practical examples of LED projects from different approaches and skills. My experience at the Municipality of Huizen was also beyond expectations. I was impressed to learn about the high level of development in the municipality and the level of in-house capacity that the municipality has. I got to know many different strategies that I would also like to implement at home.
Sustainable Urban Farming for a Living
I have a passion for rural development and believe that the poorer population should benefit from this. My project aims to create food security, address unemployment and environmental management for a six-month trial. In addition, I use volunteers to grow foods. We do this to feed vulnerable orphans and sell the food production with profit. After six months, the project will be expanded to the rest of the municipality and will encourage the cultivation of products and their sales on the local market. The surplus of food will go to the 44 orphans of the Care Point community centre run by the same volunteers.


Being well-known for beautiful seagrass products for centuries, Nga Son district (Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam) is always bustling during the harvest season. Local farmers harvest seagrass together and dry them everywhere from the grass fields to the village roads and the yards of each family.
You might ask why we choose Nga Son’s seagrass but not from anywhere else as raw material for our production. Thanks to the featuring climate and soil of this area, Nga Son’s seagrass material is very well known for its durability and outstanding appearance.
For more than 40 years, naturally occurring fibers from seagrass, water hyacinth, palm leaf, and cornhusk from the villages of Vietnam have been transformed into woven handicraft products by craftswomen. The oldest seagrass village in Vietnam’s Nga Son district has existed for more than 150 years.
Seagrass in particular is best harvested in the afternoon and split the next morning for the fibers to be of the highest quality. This is followed by three days of drying in the sun before the fibers are ready to be twisted and woven by skilled artisans. Product design dictates the way these natural materials will be braided and twisted using the unique skills of the craftsmen.
Thousands of farmers and artisans of Nga Son in Seagrass Season engaged in various stages of making seagrass items, from cutting, splitting, dyeing, and drying, to weaving.
Greenvibe is also a supplier of handicraft home decor products – from natural placemats and coasters to wholesale baskets and trays. We value quality, trust, and effectiveness in our business ventures.


Gated 13+- acres Napa Valley vineyard opportunity with 10.6 vine acres planted in chardonnay. Possible building site suitable for a high-end residence with fabulous views of vineyards and distant Western hills. A 20 acre foot shared reservoir provides irrigation to the vines and the frost protection system. Rare location, all just a few minutes to vibrant downtown, cafes, restaurants and golf courses with easy access to San Francisco. In short, the perfect spot. (adjacent 12+- acres with a vineyard & residence is for sale at $7,200,000 MLS#321008164)
Land Lot - Land, Other
Exterior / Lot Features
- 2nd Unit Possible,Single-Family,Vineyard,See Remar
- Additional Exterior/Lot Features
- Reservoir,Security Gate,Shape Regular,Sprinkler Irrigation. Reservoir,Security Gate,Shape Regular,Sprinkler Irrigation.
Active Market Trends
Median list price
Days On Market
Properties For Sale
Sold Market Trends
Median sold price
Median Sq. Ft. Price
Courtesy: Jocelyne Monello, Golden Gate Sotheby's
Agent License: 00871806 Office License: 02027353 Office Phone: (707) 255-0845
Information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change. Copyright 2023 Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. All rights reserved.


Welcome to our new web site!
To give our readers a chance to experience all that our new website has to offer, we have made all content freely avaiable, through October 1, 2018.
During this time, print and digital subscribers will not need to log in to view our stories or e-editions.
McKENZIE (August 7) — Jimmy Tosh of Tosh Farms, Henry, was the featured speaker at the McKenzie Rotary Club on Tuesday, August 7.Tosh said the Henry-based farming operation began in 1913 and …
McKENZIE (August 7) — Jimmy Tosh of Tosh Farms, Henry, was the featured speaker at the McKenzie Rotary Club on Tuesday, August 7.
Tosh said the Henry-based farming operation began in 1913 and now operates under three brands: Tosh Farms, Tosh Pork, and Bacon By Gosh (trucking operation).
It is a family-owned, award-winning operation with 385 employees, 20,000 acres either owned or leased for crop production, 33,500 sows in production, and sells 770,000 hogs annually. It owns and operates its own production barns plus has 80 contract family-owned barns. The topped-out hogs are transported mainly to Louisville, Kentucky for processing.
Tariffs had depressed the pork and row crop business, said Tosh. Also, the increase in the price of steel has greatly affected the price of erecting new hog barns, such as the Crutchfield site just outside of McKenzie. One portion of that construction project will be not be completed at this time, said Tosh.


Tips for repotting -
After years the soil your plant is in will become nutrient deficient and will become root bound. Repotting will greatly benefit your plants. Contact us for maintenance and any help.
Here are simple steps to repot:
- Wait for planter to be dry
- Remove plants from planter
- Cut the dead or oversized roots from the bottom of the succulent (removing more than half of the roots will not effect the plant)
- Remove the dead leaves at the base of your succulent
- Add new soil to replenish nutrients
- Place the succulent back into its planter
- Add the stones or pebbles back onto the visible soil around your succulent
- Do not water your repotted succulent for a week. This is so the roots of the succulent can callus and the roots do not rot!


Every summer we seem to grow loads and loads of squash and zucchini. I love to sautee them in with a little butter and salt and pepper but this is another wonderful way to serve them that I think you will enjoy.
It is made with homemade croutons.
And lots of cheese.
We had it when Shireen and Russell were here a few weeks ago and they both loved it and deemed it “blog worthy”!
CLICK ON THIS LINK to print the recipe.
More garden recipes coming soon…


The Single Best Strategy To Use For Cutting Down A Big Tree
Steps to Start a BackyardThere are a few plants that are difficult to grow from seeds like tomatoes, peppers, and petunias, so you may want to plant their seedlings instead. If you would like growing from seed, then consider planting inside and transplant them as seedlings, when they have been strong, to your backyard. That you may operate the probability of another frost if you plant any seedlings outside too premature and also your plants will die. It is probably best to check with your local backyard hammock for planting locally for best times or an buddy.
For what it is you're going to grow, where ever you choose to own your garden be sure the area is going to get the suitable quantity of sun. Many vegetables, fruits, and fruit will need six hours, at least, of full sunlight daily; some of them may need more time. Flowers are going to differ; a few desire full sun sun; and sometimes colour. You can have a container flower garden for shade or sun and an in-ground flower garden in full sunshine. Make sure that your garden hose is going to be long enough to reach if your garden is not likely to function as next to the water spigot. Preparation is needed by your backyard soil that is in-ground after the ground is pliable with plenty of compost or natural stuff. Garden dirt needs to get organic material added to be sure it stays nutritious. If you feed garden dirt each season it will increase and create everything your plants need for generating a decent crop or gorgeous crops and flowers.
As new gardeners you may find your very first season gardening might not provide if you loved, the very harvest of the most attractive flowers or vegetables; do not become discouraged. Just remember to cultivate the plants which will do well on your environment, keep your lawn small at early and expand the plants that your loved ones and you can enjoy.
You can check out to see whether there are some classes being presented to gardening; some nurseries, garden centers, or master gardeners in your town can offer some hints. You may even have neighbors who might be eager to show you just how exactly to begin and also do some gardening. Which means that you can easily see what's going to grow effectively within your atmosphere, some cities have gardens for you to see. In order to turn your gardening adventure enjoyable start out small therefore it will squeeze into a own schedule. A garden that is new really should perhaps not be so large that you're going to speculate exactly what you have yourself in to.
You are likely to require a couple gardening provides regardless of whether you are planning on growing vegetables, flowers, or herbs. Compost, which is composed of decaying organic material, will greatly improve your soil by adding back nutrients that will improve progress. By using yard and kitchen bits and garden waste Compost may be created at house or it is available in bags from home improvement centers and garden nurseries. It will cut back on your time, in the event you add compost and it will keep moisture for those plants especially. Organic mulch is probably the most useful to make use of because it help nourish the soil and also will breakdown over time. Forms of compost may be straw or wood chips.
The basic set of gardening tools generally consists of a dibbler or trowel for digging holes for seedlings and to plant seeds and a three-prong cultivator for planting a little garden and establishing troughs for planting seeds. A garden hose with a spray connection for releasing gentle sprays is a must. A good investment is a garden hat with a wide brim to protect your head and face from the sun along with a superior sunblock. In the event you may not need to use sunblock some garments with long sleeves and trousers may be put on for defense. An assortment of gloves which is going to last awhile during gardening tasks is a must. There are gardeners that spend a lot time in their own knees whilst gardening and have purchased gardening mats or kneelers that help protect those knees.
There are various gardeners who really love it and have been planting herbs, vegetables, and flowers for the years. New gardeners may also be hoping to get exactly the enjoyment but might possibly not make convinced on the way and where to start. You do not need a large area to start a brand new garden, it's better to start small to learn it is going to work and after that progress to something larger. You may even want to click here start off using a container garden instead of the plot at the earth.


What’s All The Buzz About Honey Bees?
December 8, 2014
by Dr. Susan Bradt
Honeybees are getting a lot of attention lately and for good reason.
These busy workers pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops, which constitute 1/3 of everything we eat! Without them, we couldn’t grow the food we currently grow.
These amazing insects are not only important to our food supply but also may have an intriguing role to play in our health. The medicinal benefits of honey, bee venom and pollen have been recognized for quite some time and have been used to treat such conditions as arthritis, allergies and skin wounds.
Their populations have been declining rapidly over the past few decades, threatening the food supply of many important crops. This steep decline is still a bit of a mystery but mites, pathogens and pesticides are likely to blame.
Dr. Bradt’s A Beekeeper!
I started my own venture in beekeeping this year after learning more about the difficulties honeybees are facing in maintaining their populations. Keeping bees has been a humbling and incredibly fun learning experience for my family and myself. Though I am certainly not an expert in beekeeping yet, it feels great to be teaching my children about such an amazing and important insect that our lives literally depend upon.
We are lucky to live in a city that is passionate about honeybees and their plight. Asheville is now proudly named an Official Bee City USA and 2 other cities in the US have followed suit so far. Learn more here:
President Obama has even formed a task force to begin to address the issue on a national level. http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/22/politics/honey-bees-protection/
On an intriguing health note, here is an article that I came across about the potential for honey to fight MRSA and other resistant bacteria, a growing concern in the United States and elsewhere:
If all goes well with our hives over the winter, we will hopefully enjoy the fruits of our labors with our own honey harvest next season.
This spring, consider planting your own honeybee garden or visiting our local honeybee stores in Asheville! Support you local beekeepers by buying local raw honey, which is great for coughs, immune support and allergies.
~ Dr. Susan Bradt


History of Cotton
The first people in Eurasia to grow cotton for clothing and towels and sheets were the Harappan people in India, about 2500 BC. We know because people wrote about cotton in the Rig Veda, and that was written about 600 BC in India. Egyptian farmers also grew a little bit of cotton, but cotton never became very important in Egypt, where people mostly wore linen clothing.
In the 400s BC, aGreekhistorian,Herodotus, wrote that in India there were "trees growing wild, which produce a kind of wool better than sheep’s wool in beauty and quality, which the Indians use for making their clothes" (Book III, and again in Book VII, where Herodotus tells us that Indians fighting in Xerxes’ army were dressed in cotton). Around this time, the Ajanta Cave carvings show that cotton growers in India had invented aroller machine to get the seeds out of the cotton.
By the Guptan period, about 200 AD, the Indians made a good business of selling cotton as a luxury to the Parthiansto their west and to the Chinese to their east. The Romans, further away, thought of cotton as an expensive luxury like silk. They had to buy it from Arabic or Parthian traders. The Roman encyclopedia writer Pliny reported that in India there were "trees that bear wool" and "balls of down from which an expensive linen material for clothes is made" (Pliny Book XII 38).
Indian cotton cloth was so expensive that their customers started trying to grow cotton for themselves. By the 400s AD, people were growing cotton in East Africa. In the 500s AD, the Sassanians were growing cotton, at least at the eastern city of Merv.
The establishment of the Islamic Empire in the late 600s AD gave a big push to cotton production, which spread westward across the Islamic Empire to North Africa and Spain (which also uses the Arabic word for cotton, "algodon"). The English word for cotton comes from the Arabic qutun. It's possible that the Medieval Warm Period helped to encourage cotton growing in West Asia. And the Eastern Roman Empire also started growing cotton, by the 700s or so. In West Asia and northern Africa, poor people began wearing cotton clothing. In Central Africa, people were wearing Indian cotton by 800 AD, and by 1000 AD Indian cotton was reaching West Africa. By 1100 AD, people were growing and weaving cotton in West Africa. The Berbers and Tuareg in Chad and Niger used cotton for their tents by the 1300s (according to Ibn Battuta).
But in Europe, cotton was still a very unusual luxury, imported from India through the Islamic empire. After about 1000 Italian traders brought a little more cotton to Europe, but still as a finished luxury product, not growing it in Europe.
In the 1200s AD the Mongol emperors of China encouraged people to grow cotton there, and their tax rebates and training programs were so successful that cotton soon became the first choice for poor people's clothing. In the 1400s Italians began to produce cotton for themselves at Genoa and other North Italian cities, though it never became ordinary clothing in Europe.