Women coexisting with nature: “Family urban vegetable gardens in pandemic times.”
My name’s Maria Eras, I am married, and I have three children. For me, participating in creating vegetable gardens has been important. To know the land, prepare it, fertilizer it, planting seeds and then taking care of them to harvest them is a huge process. Nature teaches us to practice the virtue of patience. At the end, we harvest our own vegetables, for our family, for the community. The contact with the land feeds our body and our spirit.
I am Beatriz Mora, mi experience in the family urban vegetable gardens has been beautiful. I have learned to make seedbeds and to take advantage of spaces to build vegetable gardens at home. In this pandemic time, it has helped me to stay away from worries and anxiety. It has helped me to get out from that confinement and I have shared with my neighbors pleasant and relaxed moments.
I am Nieves, I am Spanish, and I have lived in Ecuador for three years. I am married and I have one child. I always enjoyed working the land. Since I was a little girl, I was curious about where fruits and vegetables came from. It is very beautiful how little by little and under many adversities the seeds grow and grow. With this new experience of vegetable gardens along with other people, I have felt really good, because I am learning more about how to prepare the sowing, the land and to see how they give fruit, it is something wonderful!
Thank you from my heart for allowing me to live great emotions by feeling the land covering and wrapping the seeds to make them germinate and grow.”


25kg. Extruded Cubes. A one feed solution for breeding farms; BioMare Cubes are scientifically balanced to support fertility and milk production in broodmares + growth and sound development in weanlings, yearlings and 2 year olds. Part of the Pryde's Easifeed range.
25kg. Show and Sale Preparation. Concentrated formulation allows you to add your own grains or any of the feed from the Pryde’s EasiFeed range when additional calories are needed. Part of the Pryde's Easifeed range.
25kg. Controlled Performance. Complete Nutrition extruded cube feed for Topline, Condition & Endurance. For use with Equestrian, Sport Horses, Performance Horses and Endurance Horses. Part of the Pryde's Easifeed range.
25kg. A grain free and grain by-product free Pellet feed with less than 1% starch and 6% sugars. Cool energy feed to give calm yet responsive energy. Safe Feed For Horses including those with Laminitis, Ulcers, Tying Up or Hyperactivity. Part of the Pryde's Easifeed range.


North America’s largest supplier of fresh Brussels Sprouts offers over 170 commodity and value added products, year-round.
We are pleased to offer the latest emerging vegetable – Organic Asparagus under the Queen Victoria brand.
Renowned as one of the world’s healthiest foods, Asparagus is packed full of nutrients, rich in antioxidants and naturally low in calories. The fresh, nutty flavor makes it a consumer favorite! Now available in a variety of pack sizes year-round.
We offer a full line of conventional produce items and an extensive array of mixed and specialty vegetables.
We are a year-round supplier of premium quality vegetables and North America's largest supplier of fresh Brussels sprouts.


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Calcium Powder for CattleCalva Power, manufactured by Niceway India, is a high-quality calcium powder for cattle. It is designed to provide essential calcium supplementation, promoting optimal health and productivity in cattle.
- Improved Milk Production: Calva Power helps in enhancing milk production in cattle. Providing the necessary calcium supplementation, supports the overall lactation process, resulting in increased milk yields.
- Enhanced Fat Percentage: This calcium powder for cattle is formulated to improve the fat percentage in milk. Ensuring proper calcium levels, helps maintain the quality and richness of milk produced by cattle.
- Udder Protection: Calva Power aids in protecting the udder from diseases. Adequate calcium levels contribute to udder health, reducing the risk of infections and promoting a healthy milking process.
- Stronger Bones in Growing Animals: Calcium is crucial for bone development, especially in growing animals. Calva Power strengthens bones and skeletal structure, ensuring proper growth and minimizing the risk of bone-related disorders.
- Improved Immunity: The calcium powder also plays a role in enhancing the immune system of cattle. It helps strengthen the body's natural defense mechanisms, reducing susceptibility to various diseases and improving overall health.


Methods of adding compost in Greenhouses
The cultivation process inside greenhouses includes several important steps and procedures, including soil preparation and plowing, plant irrigation, as well as fertilization,
The farmer needs to understand the best ways to carry out each of these steps, in a way that suits the type of crops to be grown.
Where we will talk in our article about ways to add compost in greenhouses.
The importance of fertilizing the plant
Fertilization is providing the agricultural soil with the nutrients it needs, as it contributes to stimulating the seedlings to obtain the maximum possible response.
Also, the economic return of the crop is often measured by the extent to which fertilizer costs are equal to the degree of plant response.
Methods of adding compost in greenhouses
It consists of adding fertilizers sparingly, and this method is often used when the farmer wants to add a large amount of fertilizer.
In this situation, it is not stirred into the soil with a depth of more than 10 cm. It is also possible to turn it by means of a hoe or a regular plow.
The method of adding fertilizer by lines
This method is done by making trenches under the plants with a depth of approximately 10 cm, and then distributing the quantities of fertilizer in them before covering them with soil.
Then the farmer irrigates the soil directly after completing the fertilization.
It is intended to add fertilizers in narrow and limited places of agricultural soil, and this method is always employed with vegetable crops grown on terraces or walkways inside plastic tunnels.
Add fertilizer with irrigation water
This is what is called the “fertilizer solution”, and this method has several advantages.
First: Reducing the costs required to complete the fertilization process, as well as accelerating and facilitating the arrival of the fertilizer to the root zone.
In addition to the great balance in the distribution of fertilizers.
Second: In addition to that this type of composting and its presence provides a great opportunity for precise control of the degree of soil fertility
Where it is possible to adjust the proportions of the various elements, as well as the degrees of concentration of liquid fertilizer, to suit the needs of the plant at different times of its growth.
This method is done by spraying the leaves of the plants with chemical fertilizers, and then the leaves absorb the mineral elements easily and quickly.
The plant’s response to foliar fertilization appears within a few days.
Read more about: greenhouse cultivation


Disentangling information and role model effects in rural Uganda
Women can play a critical role in decision-making on the allocation of scarce resources for household consumption, investment, and production choices. In a farm household, these investment and production choices include decisions like what crops to cultivate, what inputs and technologies to use, and how to manage these crops throughout the season, among many others. Taken together, women’s roles in multiple decisions have important consequences for labor, food, nutrition, health, and many other facets of a household’s livelihood strategies.
However, women often have less access to information than men, including information about productivity-enhancing agricultural technologies and practices. This can constrain women’s informed participation in decision-making on crops, technologies, and practices. Often, it is a consequence of the fact that male farm-household heads are targeted by agricultural extension programs. At least two strong assumptions explain the persistence of this form of discrimination: all information flows freely within the household from men to women, and women are insignificant actors in agricultural production.
With these two assumptions in mind, we recently conducted a field experiment with monogamous smallholder maize-producing farm-households in Uganda to examine the impacts on women’s empowerment from the use of gender-responsive information and communications technology (ICT) in the provision of extension services. We focus on the use of informational videos to assess the impact of both providing women with direct access to video-based extension information and featuring women as information providers in the videos themselves. This helps us test the impacts of passing information to women and of projecting a woman farmer as a role model. We estimate the impacts of these videos by measuring the impacts on women’s knowledge, their agency, and their achievements in farming.
In the context of our study, we define women’s empowerment as the state in which women have greater ability to make and act upon choices, both individually and jointly with their male co-head within the household.
Our intervention consisted of short informational and aspirational videos, screened on tablet computers, that provide viewers with verbal recommendations and visual demonstrations of appropriate input use, management practices, and investment strategies to obtain higher maize yields.
Our field experiment uses a factorial design, illustrated in the figure below. The first “factor” is the gender of the person(s) who receives the extension information in the video. The videos were randomly shown by our enumerators to either the male co-head of the household, the female co-head, or the male and female co-heads together as a couple. Varying the gender of the information recipient(s) allowed us to test our hypothesis about the importance to women’s empowerment of improving women’s access to information.
The second “factor” is the gender of the person(s) who delivers the information in the video. One video features a male actor only, another features a female actor only, and a third features both actors together. Otherwise, each video features exactly the same content and script. The different versions of the video were shown randomly to participants in the experiment. Varying the gender of the information provider(s) allowed us to test our hypothesis about the importance of female role models to women’s empowerment.
By crossing these two factors, participants in the experiment were assigned to one of nine possible treatment combinations (Figure 1).
We conducted the experiment in five districts of eastern Uganda, where maize is both a staple and marketable crop. We showed the video to participants in July 2017, prior to maize planting, and again in August 2017, during planting time. Endline data were collected following the harvest in January 2018.
To test our intrahousehold information asymmetry hypothesis, we compared women’s empowerment outcomes between households where the female co-head watched the video alone or as part of a couple and households where the male co-ahead alone watched the video (Table 2 Model 1).
To test our hypothesis on role model effects, we compared women’s empowerment outcomes when a female actor featured in the video, either alone or as part of a couple, with outcomes when only a male actor featured in the video (Table 2 Model 2).
Table 2: Hypotheses tests. Light gray cells represent the treatment group used to test the specific hypothesis and dark gray cells represent the control group. M=man; W=woman; C=couple
The findings of our experiment are complex and nuanced, but provide potentially important insights for ICT-enabled extension programs.
First, we found that having women (i.e., not just the male co-heads) receive information had positive effects on women’s knowledge outcomes. We also found that men’s knowledge outcomes were negatively affected when the information was only given to the female co-head—meaning women may not share information with their spouses either.
Second, we found that women participated more in decision-making when they had received information, particularly when they alone received it. Joint decision-making remained unchanged. Conversely, men’s individual decision-making was reduced when women received information.
Third, women not only gained in terms of decision-making, but they also increased actual adoption of recommended inputs and management practices. These gains were observed in both women’s individual decision-making and in joint decision-making of female and male co-heads.
Fourth, the total area of the household maize plots that were managed by women increased as a result of providing only women with information, and maize production on those female-managed plots more than doubled. There is no evidence of any increase in maize production, productivity, or area under cultivation for jointly managed plots when women received information, not even when they received it together with the male co-head.
Fifth, when women received information, they were also more likely to independently sell maize—and in larger quantities—if they alone received the information, while men were less likely to sell maize. We saw no effect on joint sales of maize, even if the couple received information together.
In short, these results point to several strong informational effects. Our role model treatment, however, returned mixed results. We found no impact of featuring a female actor in the video—either alone or with a male actor—on women’s knowledge outcomes, their individual decision-making, or their adoption of recommended practices. We also found indications of a negative effect on yields on female-managed plots and the sales of maize by women.
However, we did find a positive role model effect on women’s decision to use organic fertilizer. This may reflect the ready availability of organic fertilizer and the possibility that women do not have to bargain with men over its use.
Finally, we found no role model effects on joint outcomes, apart from an increase in the joint sale of maize, and negative effects on men’s individual decision-making and the quantity of maize independently sold by men, which may have resulted from greater involvement of women in decision-making and action.
Overall, our findings suggest that extension programs aimed at providing women with information—thereby addressing intrahousehold information asymmetries—may be a first-best means of empowering women in agriculture. Other, more subtle means that seek to influence perceptions and norms about gendered roles in the household by projecting women role models may not generate expected effects, though they remain worth further exploration.
For more information on our experimental methods and findings, please see:
Lecoutere, Els; Spielman, David J.; and Van Campenhout, Bjorn. 2019. Women’s empowerment, agricultural extension, and digitalization: Disentangling information and role model effects in rural Uganda. IFPRI Discussion Paper no. 1889. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133523
Els Lecoutere is a post-doctoral researcher at the Development Economics Group, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, and an associated post-doctoral research fellow with the Institute of Development Policy at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. David Spielman is a senior research fellow in the Development Strategy and Governance Division of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA. Bjorn Van Campenhout is a research fellow in the same division of IFPRI and an associate research fellow of the LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance at KU Leuven, Belgium.
This study was carried out with financial support from Digital Green and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under Feed the Future’s Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project; the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE), led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT); and the International Development Research Center (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada (grant no. 109177-001), through the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The CGIAR programs and platforms, in turn, are supported by these funders. The study is registered in the American Economic Association RCT Registry (#AEARCTR-0002153), and received approval from IFPRI’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of Digital Green, USAID, IDRC or its Board of Governors, or the CGIAR research programs, platforms, and centers mentioned above.
This story is part of the EnGendering Data blog which serves as a forum for researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners to pose questions, engage in discussions, and share resources about promising practices in collecting and analyzing sex-disaggregated data on agriculture and food security.


The rapeseed oil , also now known as canola oil , is extracted from the seeds of rapeseed, a plant species belonging to the family of Brassicaceae. Specifically, this type of oil is obtained from two plant species: Brassica napus and Brassica rapa . Both are grouped under the common name of rapeseed and have been cultivated for at least 4,000 years in India.
It is a cheap, profitable oil that also has beneficial nutritional properties for health. Although it is widely consumed in Europe in countries such as Germany or France, in Spain its use is limited to the industrial sector and for export, as a consequence of the serious health crisis that occurred in 1981 due to the consumption of this adulterated oil.
What is canola and what are the differences from rapeseed oil?
Rapeseed is a vegetable from whose seed oil is extracted and it is cultivated in the European Union, the main producer globally together with Canada, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN) . In this sense, they add, “conventional rape produces an oil with a very high erucic acid content.”
This fatty acid can be “harmful to health” by contributing to the formation of “fatty deposits in the heart” and that is why the main use of rapeseed oil has been in the industrial sector. However, since the early 1970s, rapeseed crops with very low amounts of this fatty acid have been selected for consumption .
This is how “canola” was developed, a variety of rape whose erucic acid levels are below 2%. Likewise, the amount of flucosinolates in the flour is also low. Thus, canola oil is “the most widely used in food in Canada and in other countries,” they say.
What are its nutritional properties?
Canola is a source of nutrients and non-nutritive substances such as lipids, with a significant predominance of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. Rapeseed oil is “highly unsaturated” and is one of the vegetable fats “with the lowest content of saturated fatty acids “, they explain in the FEN.
On the other hand, it is composed of high contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (around 28%) and is “very sensitive to oxidation”. The oleic-linoleic-oleic triglyceride in canola oil stands out as it represents about a quarter of the total composition. In addition, it contains a significant percentage of brassicasterol . On the other hand, the presence of vitamin E stands out and, as with other vegetable oils, it does not contain minerals.


Aerial Filming Cambs
Our client asked us to undertake a crop survey by drone, which was effectively carried out over a large agricultural area.
We were also asked to take aerial footage of part of the farmland for marketing purposes and for onward use on our client’s website. Contact us to find out more about surveying or aerial film content.
|Job Type||Aerial Filming|
|Client||P J Lee & Sons|
|Location||Highflier Farm, Ely, Cambs|
|Brief||Marketing for their website along with carrying out a crop survey|


The other day, I came across an interesting chart on my friend's facebook page. The chart above, "Organic vs. Conventional" presents the results of a research conducted by Dr. Firman E.Bear at Rutgers University in the Natural Gardener's Catalogue (1995). It compares several vegetables' nutritional content in organic and conventional farming. My friend feels the results are impressive and speak for themselves. He is surprised that people think there is "no difference" between the two. I thought we would share this chart with you so that you too can read about it and give us your impressions.
After looking at the chart, my curiosty got the best of me and I began my own research on Organic vs Conventional farming.
Let's be frank, organic vs conventional is a very complex debate. Therefore, my conclusion is that I will not venture too deeply into a topic that I can not provide a definitive answer. Here is what I have noticed.
1. Organic products are different from conventional ones because they are regulated by organisations that supervise the farming process. The soil and environment are monitored to ensure they don't come in contact with pesticides or fertilizers.
2. Not all conventional products are harmful. However, I am concerned about genetically modified foods. We need to be careful and educate ourselves about the additives present in our food and the methods by which they are grown. When I think about words like "genetically modified foods, human sewage sludge, and nanomaterials", I wonder...
3. Organic produce must be closely monitored, but in many cases it is not controlled properly. Hence, when buying organic produce, it is essential to verify that certification is adequately validated as in ECO-CERT and USDA / NOP.
Products that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.
Pesticides (Herbicides, Insecticides and Fungicides)
Biological pest control
Livestock antibiotics and Food additives
This has been a very interesting topic, I will definitely continue on the subject of organics in my future blogs.


Compost Organic Amendments
Spreading is available for the Colorado Compost product.
We can deliver and spread in one truck, or the material can be stockpiled and loaded into the spreader on site.
Large applications in places such as turf production, turf installation, organic operations, and other disturbed areas are made easy.
Application of commercial fertilizers and Biosol are also accomplished with our spreaders.
Please contact us for more information.
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Doing more with less
[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 6, No. 5
3 May - 13 June 2010 ]
At a time when farmers in the drought-ravaged Campaspe district have voted to abandon irrigation and some have made the decision to leave the land altogether, the University of Melbourne has gone back to the farm to find out the best ways to do more with less water. By Gabrielle Murphy.
Post-Kyoto and post-Copenhagen, the debate on climate change continues to rage in the international arena, with commentators differing not about the existence or effect of a changing climate, but what is needed to combat its negative consequences.
In Australia, recent developments have seen the Productivity Commission recommending that the Federal Government abandon the tender process for water buy-back in the Murray Darling Basin and consider, instead, purchasing water entitlements on the open market. Senator Nick Xenaphon has used the report to call for a full federal takeover of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Closer to home, the cost and value of the Victorian Government’s plans to save water in the state’s northern areas through infrastructure upgrades have been the subject of debate.
What is not in dispute is that we all face a future where there will be less water.
Scientists from the University of Melbourne’s Schools of Land and Environment and Engineering, in partnership with UniWater, anticipated the need for long-term data on the relationship between climate, resource use, production and the environment. In September 2007, they finalised a business plan for a Farms, Rivers and Markets (FRM) project to address the specific water challenges faced by dairy farmers.
In June 2008, the FRM initiative received funding by the National Water Commission, the Victorian Water Trust, the University of Melbourne, and the Dookie Farms 2000 Trust.
A central pillar of the proposal was to use the University of Melbourne’s Dookie campus dairy farm as its research laboratory. According to manager, Nick Boyd, the Dookie dairy farm has been a respected, independent source of advice and education for farmers since 1879.
“The Dookie dairy farm is a high production, working farm with a lot of the equipment, environmental assets and farming processes already in place. So the high infrastructure costs required for the FRM were minimised.”
According to David Chapman, Professor of Pasture Science at the University of Melbourne’s Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, “the challenges of water scarcity receive much attention.”
“But the emphasis is on ‘top down’ planning. The Farms Rivers Market project facilitates choice and innovation by working from the bottom up.”
The FRM project therefore draws on local experience and expertise to ensure the greatest possible relevance to producers. Leading farmers in the region are working with researchers including hydrologists, irrigation engineers, forage agronomists, animal nutritionists, soil scientists, simulation modellers, economists, social researchers, milk company supply managers, and dairy farm business management consultants to manage the experiment and interpret the results.
“This initiative builds on one of the traditional strengths of Dookie,” said Professor Chapman, “its close connection to local industries and networks”.
“In fact, it’s this combination of partners, starting with the Dookie dairy farm and drawing from the industry and researchers from several different disciplines which is, perhaps, the most significant innovation in the experimental plan.”
By all accounts the experiment is being well received at the local level. “Not only do we have three new full-time, hardworking research assistants to share the day-to-day farming load,” said Mr Boyd, “but the high-level scientific knowledge of academic experts like David Chapman, whose knowledge of pastures, feeds and cows is second to none in my opinion.”
Redevelopment of the Dookie dairy farm for the FRM project is now nearing completion, with the first data ready to be collected and collated. The experiment has involved the establishment of three “mini-farms”, each milking 48 cows at peak, designed to operate on different scenarios of irrigation water available in hotter and drier climates.
One system will operate with no irrigation water at all, the other two on a variable reduction of irrigation water – approximately 2.5 millilitres, and 5 millilitres per hectare respectively. In each case, the mix of forages grown will need to change to include more annual crops and pastures in order to limit water demand over summer.
The research team has used computer simulation models of plant growth and the dairy farming system to identify the management changes required. The technical challenge is to test the proposition that each of the three experimental farming systems can lead to sustainable dairy farming with good profits and manageable risks.
The overall goal for FRM is to do more with less water both for the farmers and for the health of rivers and catchments. “The key challenge is to coordinate change” said Professor Chapman. “In adapting to more variable water supplies, farmers need to make changes for the better, confident that their investments will pay off, and be supported by ongoing complementary water information, services and markets.”


You are well-aware that cold weather and frost can have a devastating effect on your garden plants. While it is true that it is beautiful to look at, frost can easily turn your landscape gardening efforts into a nightmare, if you don’t take precautions.
Like with many things, prevention is actually the best cure for frost. If you are worried that your plants may not be able to cope with the freezing temperatures, you need to take steps to ensure their survival. If you are not careful in your efforts, you will see plants dying and evergreens turning brown. You must be especially careful in case your garden contains tender plants, as these can use all the help they can get to make it through. What action you take to protect your plants depends mostly on what plants you have and your current garden situation. In general, you need to consider the following:
Provide a layer of protection – for plants located against a wall or any tender specimens growing in the open, you can provide a regular fleece-covered frame. As an alternative, you can add a layer of straw/bracken leaves between two sections of chicken wire. Use that to cover your plants in the evening, when temperatures are particularly low. In order to prevent the soil where tender bulbs and plants are located, you can add a thick layer of compost – manure, leaves and straw work well enough.
Keep the soil around evergreens safe – evergreens usually do well enough throughout winter, but they do need some attention. One thing you can do is to mulch the area around the base of evergreens. The purpose of this is to keep the soil frost-free. That way they will take moisture and not become dehydrated.
Grow tender plants in pots – the main benefit of growing plants in pots is that you can move them once the weather becomes bad. Make space inside your home or in your greenhouse during the worst periods of bad weather. If you cannot move the plants, take cuttings of them and store them somewhere warm till next spring, when they will be ready for growing.
Protect trees – trees can be protected in various ways, but the most common include wrapping their trunks with fleece (or straw stuffed hessian) and protecting the crowns of tree ferns. If you have palms and cordylines, you should tie their leaves into branches and in that way protect their crowns.
Protect low-growers – low-growing plants are particularly vulnerable to frost, because they experience the worst of it as frost tends to linger more in low areas of the garden. What you can do is protect them with a cloche or a sheet of glass and surround the area with grit and gravel for crown protection.
These are all very good tips to protect your plants in the winter. Implement them all and you can expect to see the success of your landscape gardening efforts.


Best Soaker Hose Ireland
Soaker hoses are fundamentally different from their other garden hose brothers. While regular garden hoses consist of waterproof, tearproof plastic, soaker hoses on the other hand are made from a porous material that allows water to seep through the length of the hose and into the garden floor.
This porous material allows water to seep out at an even, slow rate, and soak into the ground around the base of your plants where it is needed most.
4 Things to Look for In a Soaker Hose.
When it comes to soaker hoses, there are a few key things to consider before making your purchase. Here are four important factors that should be considered when choosing the best soaker hose for your needs:
First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure that the soaker hose you choose is long enough for your garden or yard needs. If you have a small back garden, opt for a shorter soaker hose; and vice versa – so it can reach all of your plants.
Most Irish back-gardens are quite small. So a regular 15m soaker hose would most likely be perfect for most of your gardening needs. However, should that not suffice, there are also 25m soaker hoses that can more than meet your gardening requirements. See HERE.
Soaker hoses are typically made of ultra-porous rubber and polyethene. There are plastic soaker hoses which are commonly referred to as drip lines, and they work just as well as the ultra-porous hoses. The inner material of a good soaker hose should protect against algae formation, and the outer material should be protected against UV radiation even in intense sunlight.
As a direct result, we have gone through Amazon to find some of the best recommendations based on price, delivery and average customer review. Check out the GrUntek below to find out more.
GRÜNTEK 15m Porous Soaker Hose with connector 1/2″, 12mm Inner diameter, Drip Rate: 5L-10L per min.
3. Water Saving & Pressure Benefits
Soaker hoses are perfect, low-cost solutions for small gardens – in that they can save up to 70% water quantity when compared to other irrigation methods. Their easy installation makes them a no-fuss irrigation system that is perfect for first-time gardeners.
The pressure at which soaker hoses deliver water is an important factor as well. Look for soaker hoses that come complete with connectors to join to another soaker hose. That way, you can correctly adjust the flow rate depending on what type of plants you’re watering and how long they need to be watered.
And finally, while it’s important to consider all of the above factors, the price you pay for a soaker hose usually determines its quality. However, you also don’t have to break the bank when buying a quality soaker hose. Look for soaker hoses that are built with quality materials, so you don’t have to replace them regularly and can save money in the long run.
Hozelock 15m Porous Soaker Hose
Other FAQS – Soaker Hose Ireland
What are the Disadvantages of Soaker Hoses?
- They are not suitable for uneven or sloped beds and require proper placement to ensure that the soil is evenly moist.
- Overwatering can sometimes be a problem, since it is difficult to see the amount of water being used.
- They work best only in lengths of up to 200 feet (60m) because the flow of water decreases significantly beyond that length.
What is the best alternative to a soaker hose?
According to the University of California Master Gardeners, a drip tape is a great alternative.
A drip tape is a more lightweight product that works for row crops and raised beds. Easy and inexpensive, it is exceptionally useful for small gardens when soaking is not a possibility. Check them out Here.
How Long Should You run a Soaker Hose in a Garden?
Start running your soaker hose about 30 minutes twice a week.
After a watering day, check your soil to see if the moisture has penetrated several inches, then adjust accordingly. When you find the magic number for your conditions, use a timer to water the same number of minutes every time.
Should you bury soaker hoses?
According to Earth Easy, cover your irrigation lines (drip or soaker hoses) with 2-3 inches of mulch to protect from sunlight. DO NOT BURY soaker hoses with soil unless they are designed for this purpose or you may clog the pores.
Is Soaker Hosing better than Hand Watering?
Unless you are an incredibly patient gardener, soaker hoses are much more effective than hand watering.
Many gardeners rarely have the time to stand in one spot and apply water slowly by hand over an extended period of time.
Is it Okay to Leave soaker hoses out during Winter?
Hoses can be stored outside as long as you make sure to drain all of the water from the hose. Hoses can be drained easily by running them over a tall place where gravity forces water to exit the hose.
Conclusion – Best Soaker Hose Ireland
A good soaker hose can help you keep your garden looking beautiful and make maintaining it so much easier. Plus, having one will save you so much time when it comes to watering plants!
So, don’t forget to take these four factors into consideration when selecting a soaker hose. Happy gardening!
To read more Spring & Summer recommendations from us – click HERE.


LLC "Vilion" has been one of the largest producers and suppliers of malting barley in the Russian Federation for over 20 years.
Our company owns seed farms in the Tambov region. The total area of agricultural land is 22 thousand hectares. Storage and processing of products is carried out directly in their own farms on modern equipment and at their own grain-receiving enterprise - LLC Nikiforovskoe HPP (Tambov region) - with a total capacity of 50,000 tons of one-time storage with the possibility of expansion.
Favorable climatic conditions of the region, the availability of its own sown areas, the use of modern technologies for cultivation, storage and processing of grain on modern equipment, strict quality control at every stage by highly qualified specialists of the agricultural department - all this ensures consistently high yields of malting barley and other agricultural products of excellent quality.
Our motto is: Produce and supply what you need, not sell what you have!
- 22000 RUB/t. - from 25 t.
- 27000 RUB/t. - from 20 t.


Pennisetum americanum 110 days
Pearl millet is an excellent variety for the homesteader. The grain is easier to hull than other millet types. The grain is useful as animal feed and for human consumption. Millet cooks quickly and is very easy to digest. It is a gluten-free grain and fairly high in protein (up to 11%). It is also a good source of fiber. Pearl millet is a good crop to grow for animal grazing. The fast growing plants can be made available for grazing before they become tall, but pearl millet will not regrow like Japanese barnyard millet. Millet is tolerant of poor soils and survives well in drought conditions. Plant in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. I plant around the last week of May in Northern Indiana. It can also be planted later in early summer for use as a late summer or fall forage crop. Plant 1/2″ deep and 6″ apart in rows or beds. Pearl millet grows quite tall and can reach 9 or more feet. May need protection from birds in the fall when seed begins to ripen. Harvest when the seed hardens and begins to turn yellowish. I cut and hang the seed heads in my drying shed for a couple of weeks before hand threshing. Millet needs to be de-hulled. I have included info at the bottom of this page on de-hulling options.
Seed Saving: There are a number of small grain species referred to as millet. These different types (Pearl, Japanese, Proso, finger millet) will not cross pollinate.
To remove the hulls I have found that my hand crank rice de-huller works great. I have also found another method for de-hulling millet using a small pulse coffee/spice grinder. There are links to the video and information about the rice huller on my “Traditional Tools and Technology ” page. Click the link below.


Alternative Growing Solutions Pty Ltd is an Australian owned company. We work with farmers and growers in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture. We develop and supply products that improve soil structure, friability and sustainability.
Your greatest asset is your soil.
Alternative Growing Solutions supplies a range of biological stimulants under the product banner Soilcharge®, which naturally improve the health of your soil. Soilcharge® products are available in liquid and granular form, and can
- dramatically increase crop yield and quality
- significantly reduce the use of fungicides
- significantly reduce the use of chemical conditioners
- reduce water usage
- reduce production costs
- improve soil condition and sustainability in the long term.
Our formulas are designed to boost carbon and paramagnetic energy levels in the soil, and to stimulate and re-establish microbial populations and activity. Our products are completely organic and do not contain any synthetic fertilisers.
Alternative Growing Solutions products have been manufactured in Australia since 1996.
We supply soil conditioning products to both the retail and commercial sectors.
Alternative Growing Solutions products produce excellent results in
- Vegetable farming - broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, oninons, tomatoes and pre-packed salads
- Fruit growing - citrus, berries, apples, pears, stone fruit
- Vineyards - boutique and commercial
- Broadacre crops - pasture improvement
- Trees and flowers - roses, flower bulbs, ornamental trees and shrubs, home gardens
- Turf - golf courses, sporting fields, race tracks
- Soil regeneration - reduces hydrocarbon toxicity in soil, phytoremediation.
Customer Success Stories
Alternative Growing Solutions customers are enjoying impressive results. Read about the benefits enjoyed by a range of commercial growers who use our products.


NewsIS AI THE FUTURE OF GREEN FARMING?
70% of land in England is used for farming, so if we want a greener, more biodiverse future, we need to think about ways to produce our food that support a thriving ecosystem.
Balancing environmental concerns with the need to grow our food needn’t be as difficult as disincentives like the Common Agricultural Policy have made it, and advancing technology could help us transform the way that we use our land.
One of the negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture is the devastation that chemical herbicides wreak on our ecosystems.
Chemical herbicides (weedkillers) reduce biodiversity in the surrounding ecosystem, leech into waterways and stick around in concentrations harmful to aquatic life and can even negatively affect food production (the very thing they’re designed to aid) by causing weeds to become resistant and reducing the resistance of the crops themselves to pests and diseases – chemical herbicides can even affect the soil function.
If farmers want to avoid using chemical weedkillers, human weed pullers are expensive and slow – a person can weed about one acre of crops a day, and apparently labour shortages are making this a difficult method to adopt. New tech uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify weeds amongst arable crops and zaps them into oblivion.
There are loads of these clever metal beasts coming to market – according to the Guardian, hundreds of companies are developing this tech.
Small weed killing machines have been used in horticulture for a while, but these emerging machines can operate on fields of arable crops.
Carbon Robotics in the US is on the third generation of its Autonomous Weeder, which uses carbon dioxide lasers to despatch the weeds. Closer to home, a farm in Hampshire has been utilising Dick, a weed remover created by the Small Robot Company that uses 8,000 volts of electricity to get rid of weeds that its AI scout Tom has identified.
Not only do these machines alleviate the need to use weedkiller, they also differentiate between problematic and non-problematic weeds (something weedkiller usually can’t do). The Small Robot Company explains that Dick knows to leave weeds that are beneficial for insects but don’t pose a risk to crops, like speedwell and clover – in acknowledgement not only that biodiversity is important to the future of farming, but that weeds like clover provide ecosystem services that benefit food production, like nitrogen fixing.
The machines are expensive – as is all farm equipment – but as more products reach the market the cost is expected to come within the parameters of what farmers already pay for chemical control.
Clearly, other environmental impacts of the machines will need to be considered – such as how they’re powered and the carbon emissions associated with training AI – but ultimately any such evils will need to be assessed in the context of the benefits, both for the environment and for agriculture, of reducing reliance on chemical pesticides.
As more products come to market, improvements will no doubt be made to any aspect of the machinery that has a negative environmental impact, and I’m hopeful that in the near future we’ll start seeing real, green solutions to the problem of producing our food in harmony with the natural world.
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10 THINGS YOU CAN DO IN 10 MINUTES FOR BEES
There are lots of easy steps you can take to help bees in your outdoor space - here are 10 to start with!Read more
NEONICOTINOIDS: WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?
You might have seen petitions, posts and articles recently about neonicotinoids, also known as neonics. If you’re wondering what they are and what the problem is, this is the article for you. Plus some very cute pictures of some bees for you...Read more


We are pleased to announce that our quarterly newsletter, The Nut Kernel, is back in print! The Nut Kernel is mailed to all current members of the PNGA.
This month’s edition included a letter from our new president, Don Jackson, outlining the various challenges and overall vision for the future of the organization, including an open call for article submissions. For each PNGA member, there is a responsibility to pass on the value of what we do to the next generations.
The newsletter also contained a recipe for pumpkin cookies which included, of course, nuts. There were articles on grafting, cloning, new rooting techniques, and one on the spotted lanternfly – a new invasive insect in Southeast PA.
Want to receive the Nut Kernel? Become a member today!


Maximize the life of your artificial grass or Putting Green
It is recommended to perform maintenance at least once per year, ideally in the spring time.
Here at Precision Greens’ we realize that your time is valuable, that’s why we have a team of skilled maintenance technicians standing by, ready to help bring your artificial grass back into the lush aesthetic it had once before.
- Keep your turf in perfect shape
- Get a 100% Free, No Obligations Estimate!
Debris Lift & Removal
This application involves the use of our motorized Power Broom to get deep into the turf fibers and bring to the surface any debris that has settled down into the turf. From this point, employing the use of the power brooms, rakes, shop vacs and leaf blowers, Precision Greens removes all debris from the surface area of your synthetic turf.
Weed & Moss Removal
Precision Greens takes the time to try and remove weeds by the root whenever possible. Using our proven blend of weed and moss removal formula, we target specific areas of unwanted growth that could not be fully removed by hand.
Precision Greens offers detailed power washing services to have your outdoor living space spotless and ready for use.
PureZEO is an organic, negative charge infill which captures ammonia found in urine. Because of its negatively charged properties, it prevents ammonia from turning into a gas, therefore eliminating smell. This product is brushed into the turf fibers and settles down into the thatch as a deodorizer top up or stand alone infill.
Also available is a liquid spray application for pet odor. The special microbial formulation breaks down odor-causing bacteria, absorbs into the area, then eliminates the odor and returns your turf to its original germfree make-up, leaving a fresh, clean smell behind. It is non-toxic, bio-degradable and safe for both pets and children. This product is available in a maintenance application and/or for sale to the customer.
Other Precision Greens Tips
Here are a few tips and tricks that you can use to help you protect your investment and maximize the life of your new Precision Greens’ artificial grass lawn:
If something spills on your artificial grass, don’t panic! Spills can be easily cleaned up with any regular household cleaners or carpet cleaning solutions. Your artificial grass will not stain or discolour.
Pet waste should be picked up regularly and the surrounding area should be rinsed with water to eliminate any residue. This will aid in preventing odour and weed growth.
Avoid smoking on your lawn. Ash deposits can create small melted spots, which may be unnoticeable at first, but will become obvious over time.
Leaves and debris should be removed regularly. Depending on your environment, it may be best to do this with a leaf blower, rake, or shop vac. This will help to prevent the possibility of future weed growth.


After all the preparation of July 4th I expected life to settle into a sleepy summer, not happening. Gratefully, the phone began to ring and kept the catering end of my life full steam ahead, combine that with the garden and then hubby was off for two weeks and wanted to go to the beach, I could not find 10 full minutes to sit and catch up.
Summer in the Northeast is a combination of everything but snow. We have had a heat wave with unforgiving heat and sun, torrential rains that included hail and one week of perfection. The garden, of course, sees it all and that plot too is seeing the gamut. Remember my saying back in June the best part is the planning? Truer words were never said. I am so glad I took picture every 7 to 10 days; I can look back to early July before the brown leaves of blight took hold. Blight is a fungus that once it takes hold of a plot of land is tough to get rid of. Blight caused the Great Potato Famine of Ireland and while we have some solutions now, this fungus will be with us till the end of times. I fight it tooth and nail but the potatoes succumbed after the first and only harvest for the 4th. The tomatoes are struggling to keep producing but 2 plants have bitten the dust. We have grasshoppers who like to take a bite out of the perfectly ripe fruit and beetles who just love leaves. The acorn and butternut squashes never set fruit. BUT! The corn is coming in, the cantaloupes look full, and cucumbers have made me into a one woman relish factory and the tomatoes….. I swoon.
During the brief time I had yellow and green beans I made a favorite salad whose recipe is below.
My Yellow & Green Bean Salad
Yield 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main course salad.
This is sort of a green bean Panzanella….
• 3 cups mixed-colored string beans, trimmed and cut into 2” lengths and blanched
• 2 1/2 cups cut ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup pitted oil cured olives
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• Sourdough Ficelle cut into ¼ “ rounds and dried in oven.
Toss all and let sit.
Grill some romaine, place on top.
Add grilled Chicken, Shrimp or Salmon.
Add grilled Haloumi Cheese or cubed Feta


I doubt I could ever raise rabbits due to allergies (I am allergic to rabbit fur), but chickens have always interested me.
We chose Florida Whites because they’re about 2/3 the size of California Whites or New Zealands but weigh 85% as much, which gives more meat per pound of live body mass. Since they’re smaller, they reach mature weight faster (meaning it takes less feed to grow them to butchering size: better feed-to-food ratio). They also need smaller hutches, so they do not require as much space to grow.
Rabbits thrive in indoor places, like a garage: your concrete jungle is not a war-stopper. Put a sheet of heavy (at least 6 mil) Visqueen® or similar material down inside a 2x4 frame and up the back wall to a few inches above the bottom of the highest cage floor to catch the waste. If you stack the hutches (to conserve floor space), use corrugated fiberglass* sheets to deflect the upper waste from the bottom cages back toward the Visqueen®.
* Use fiberglass (or some sort of plastic) because metal will corrode and fail eventually.
Their waste (true for all rabbits) is the best natural fertilizer available. You can use it straight from the poo bin because it isn’t at all “hot”. However, you can improve it by putting red wriggler earthworms in the waste beds. They love the stuff (especially if you add coffee grounds from the local Starbucks®). Earthworms are Nature’s gardeners, and you will have an unlimited supply of healthy ones using this method.
We will also have Black Soldier Fly larvae that turbocharge the composting system. They eat anything that’s organic and dead. A twelve inch trout is gone (except the bones) in 24 hours, a medium baking potato doesn’t last that long. They eat citrus (which earthworms can’t touch). Their waste is primo food for the earthworms, who need their food ground up small, and they prefer it barely moist, just what the larvae excrete. They also reduce the compost volume to 10% of its original size. I shouldn’t forget to add that they feed the fish, as do the worms, but they do so automatically: they’re “self-harvesting”. They are 43% protein and 26% fat. I can’t buy fish feed with anywhere close to this high a protein content. And they’re free!
The tilapia grow the fastest of any common edible-fish species. They’re not terribly picky about water quality, but must have water above 50°F to survive, and over 75° to thrive. They must have a somewhat secluded place to spawn, with water at 80° or slightly higher. Tilapia are mouth brooders, so the females do not eat until their babies are hatched and a couple of weeks old, so we keep them in a separate tank for that. They produce up to 3,000 eggs at a time. While the males are twice the size as their mates, they are both good for eating. However, it takes as much food to feed a girl as for a boy, so, as soon as we can identify who's who, we’ll take the females and feed them to the worms for the most part.
When things are in full production, we should get enough fish to eat ten or twelve meals a week out of the tank.
Our greenhouse (not yet complete) will include the rabbits and worms (along with Black Soldier Fly larvae) for composting the waste above three feet of water where the tilapia grow. Above the rabbits we’ll have three levels of grow beds for “hydroponic” vegetables (and some fruits, like strawberries). Naturally occurring bacteria convert the fish waste into nitrites and then into nitrates that the plants love and simultaneously clean the water for the fish. (The grow beds are the fish tank filters.)
The larvae and the worms, while they’re eating all the garbage, produce tremendous amounts of heat, so we will not have to supplement it much, even in cold Colorado winters, but we will have to get rid of it in the summer to keep things from cooking. We like oven-baked fish, but don’t like them boiled in their own tanks.
We’re installing solar panels to run the lights, pumps, heaters, and fans, so the power will cost us nothing. (I’m making the solar panels now, and it’s nearly as much fun as watching the plants and fish grow.)
In essence, our ecoponics system has the following inputs:
- rabbit feed
- limited commercial fish feed
- coffee grounds
- kitchen and garden (including lawn clippings) waste
- rabbit (it tastes like chicken, really , and you can use any chicken recipe with almost no alterations)
- tons of vegetables
- quite a bit of small fruit
- stevia (artificial sweetener)
This system will provide about 80% of our non-grain, non-dairy food each year from a10x12 foot greenhouse. And it’s a lot of fun to manage.
We have a smaller, experimental aquaponics system that’s been working fairly well for nearly a year. We’ve harvested fish and tomatoes, sweet peppers, a few carrots, and one beet; basil is coming out of our ears, and the stevia has kept our herbal teas, hot chocolate, and Pero® sweet with no calories at all, and no chlorinated hydrocarbons (like Splenda®). Our second-to-youngest grandson, after tasting a bit of a stevia leaf, demanded his mother give him a bay leaf one day in her kitchen. He was not amused.
Because they’re mouth brooders, tilapia make an excellent Science Fair® project, as does the aquaponics system: first place ribbon guaranteed in either case. We have a small demo system I’ve shown in preparedness fairs: it was the biggest attraction there.
When we were setting up the experiment, we had missionaries living in our basement apartment. One of them said, while we were adjusting and balancing the system, and while he was in the Temple, that he wondered if Father had to balance His system here on earth to get everything up and running like our aquaponics system. (It’s the addition of the rabbits, worms, and larva that moves it from “aquaponics” [already a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics] to “ecoponics”.)
The investment is sizable. We expect to have spent well over $6,000 (and uncounted hours) by the time it’s finished. But we will eat when Safeway® can’t fill its shelves, and when Kroger® employees are on strike. Our food is all natural, and except for rabbit feed, it’s all money-free from that point on.
If you have any other questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
Edited by LeSellers, 23 January 2012 - 01:31 PM.


Sixty percent of the present world’s food supply comes from American Indians’ traditional agriculture, primarily consisting of corn, beans, squash, berries, melons, quinoa, amaranth and more. The Indigenous Permaculture Garden Project at Four Winds started in February of 2015 and weaves innovative science and traditional ecological knowledge from diverse First Nations peoples of Turtle Island to encourage healthier lifeways for our Seven Generations to come. Our indigenous garden is promoting healthier lifeways and helping reverse decades of US government policies that erased healthy indigenous traditional diets and connections to the land. Our garden regularly provides fresh vegetables for community food bank, garden volunteers, and youth and elders programs. The Permaculture Gardening Project also nurtures healthier sustainable life ways through our hands on workshops and informational and visual presentations about Indigenous Permaculture.
Our deep respect for the land has taught us many valuable lessons and principles of how to care for ancient seeds, plants and medicines. Our workshop sessions highlight the following: community service learning skills; connecting with the natural world utilizing all five senses; encouraging People, Earth and Land stewardship; instilling youth leadership values and lessons; utilizing science, math and various art forms of expression; encouraging healthier eating with traditional indigenous superfoods; learning full cycle planting, seedling identification, caretaking of plants, harvesting of produce and seed preservation.
Because we are deeply connected to the land, our Indigenous Permaculture Agricultural Project is based on the philosophy and techniques of shared Indigenous ancient agricultural knowledge encompassing a balance of natural laws of mother earth. Contemporary Permaculture means permanent agriculture or culture, caring for Earth, People and Community, and sharing overabundance. Indigenous Permaculture weaves traditional ecological knowledge with innovative science. Our sessions highlight the values of our indigenous cultures. Our indigenous garden is thriving and growing pesticide free and GMO-free produce. Such indigenous super foods may prevent early symptoms of obesity, cancer, diabetes, and liver and heart diseases. We are encouraging healthy sustainable life ways through our hands on workshops, informational and visual presentations to connect with the natural world.


IISD and FAO have developed a model convention on responsible contract farming to help farmers and responsible buyers cope with the shortcomings of contract agriculture. (3) Cash (or credit, once the farmer has qualified as an established and reliable contract farmer), the nature and quantity of fertilizers and agrochemicals needed for the area planted by the farmer for green beans. 2. This contract sets out the conditions under which farmers will grow green beans and the company will encourage, buy, process and market them. (2) If both parties are satisfied with the outcome of the agreement, it may be extended by an additional season, but there is no obligation for either party to renew the contract. 2. If the farmer does not follow the procedures described in this agreement, he is notified orally and in writing. After three written warnings, the company has the right to terminate the contract. (1) All disputes arising from this agreement are resolved, as far as possible, through discussions between the company, the farmers` group and the farmer. (1) to use the portion of its operation, measured and approved by the company, for the cultivation of green beans for the duration of this agreement. 1. This agreement applies during a growing period from the date of the signing to the end of the economic harvest of green beans.
I have read and understood the content of this agreement and I sign it voluntarily. 3. If the company does not meet its obligations under item 2 above, the farmer has the right to demand compensation for the value of the services lost or for the value of the crop lost in the rates agreed between the company and the group of farmers. Contract Farming must allow farmers to safely sell their crops and agricultural enterprises, with a regular supply of agricultural production required by the market. In essence, Contract Farming is an obligation on a landowner or farmer to make available to a known buyer a specified agricultural commodity at a given time, price and quantity. As a general rule, the buyer (the agribusiness company) will control the production process by adding additional provisions, such as. B technical assistance and credit. 4. Payment for green beans and production inputs is set as follows: SAMPLE FARMER TO COMPANY CONTRACT FOR THE CULTIVATION OF GREEN BEANS (4) To advise the farmer on all technical aspects of growing green beans. 4. If the farmer provides green beans that exceed the required quality standards or expected level of production, he is entitled to a bonus equal to a level agreed between the company and the group of farmers.
As a result, Contract Farming enables poor farmers to transform obsolete farming and management practices into market-oriented commercial production, resulting in employment and increased incomes.


SARASOTA, Fla. — 91 years of golf on 300 acres in the city of Sarasota have seen better days.
“It can look like a lake,” said Sue Martin, general manager of the Bobby Jones Golf Course. “We flood we can lose 2-3 days of golf drainage is so poor.”
Ponds will easily overflow in summer rains.
“It goes all the way up over this into the ditch, across the ditch into the other fairway and behind. It literally makes the golf course unplayable,” described Christian Martin, head professional golfer and assistant manager.
It’s not just the drainage; the golf course irrigation system is 40 to 50 years old.
“We can’t even get parts anymore,” said Sue Martin.
The golf course played by the likes of Babe Ruth and Bobby Jones is quickly deteriorating, and so is the clientele putting the city-owned course in the red, said Martin. Attendance is down 19 percent, she said.
“When I first came here 10 years ago, 120,000 to 130,000 rounds were played. Last year, they played 80,000 rounds,” said Martin.
The course could be in danger of closure without help, she said.
“Eventually it would close itself in 3 to 4 years’ due to a lack of revenue. Golfers will not go off a golf course that is not in good condition,” she said.
“I have three generations of family come play golf here. My grandfather in the ’60s, my father in the ’70s and ’80s, and now we’re here. Love to see it keep going,” said golfer Eric Reed.
The city is getting community feedback on how to improve the course and may invest up to $20 million over the next few years.
“The hitting area here needs to be wider, more space,” said Reed. “I’d keep the course the way it is. It’s a beautifully designed course and fun to play, challenging yet easy enough. I love that the public can come. It’s a great place to come play golf.”
The city was to hold a meeting Wednesday and two more Thursday to get feedback from golfers and non-golfers. The architect who is designing the master plan also will be there to answer questions. The group hopes to have a presentation ready for city commissioners in 60 days.
Thursday’s meetings will be at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
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Cooking with Wild Berries & Fruits of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan
This cookbook helps you make the most of the wild harvest that's there for the taking!
- More than 150 recipes, featuring over 40 of the region’s edible berries and fruits
- Recipes for sauces, baked goods, drinks, desserts, and more
- Tips on harvesting, freezing, dehydrating, and canning
- Small-batch jelly and jam recipes to maximize your harvest
- Tasty treats, whether ingredients are picked or purchased
- Handy cross-references to Teresa’s companion field guide: Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan


Mark the Autumn Equinox by joining us live online at the site of Mirror Pavilion, Corn Work on the banks of the River Corrib at Claddagh Quay to watch the sunrise.
In the Northern Hemisphere the Autumn Equinox marks the end of summer and the beginning of Autumn. On the Equinox, day and night are of equal length and in Pagan mythology the Autumn Equinox was considered a sacred day as the harvest was collected and the stocks for winter were hoped to be plentiful.
We invite you to join us as we gather virtually at the Mirror Pavilion to reflect on the changing of the seasons. Mirror Pavilion, Corn Work, located by the River Corrib, recalls histories of grain milling in Galway. The Straw Boys, remade virtually, on the LED wall in the work also change with the seasons as they commemorate attitudes toward agriculture and the landscape.
Join us live from 7.00am Irish Standard Time as we prepare to greet the sunrise at 07.35am.
Watch live on GIAF’s Facebook page or YouTube channel.


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AUSTIN—Tomorrow, Austin City Council is planning on voting on an update to the integrated pest management plan. The update, sponsored by Councilwoman Alison Alter, would ban the use of a certain pesticide, called neonicotinoids, which have been linked to bee deaths.
The global population of bee colonies shrinks by 30-40% each and every year, but bees pollinate much of the food we depend on like apples, broccoli, coffee beans, and even chocolate. Further, bees pollinate one of the main foods that cows eat, alfalfa, which means we could struggle to produce meat and dairy products as well.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in a world without coffee and chocolate,” says Bay Scoggin, TexPIRG State Director. “Bees are an important part of our food supply and ecosystem, and we need to protect them with common sense solutions like this one.”
The update to the pest management plan would also limit the use of glyphosate and chlorpyrifos on city lands, to chemicals linked to harmful health effects in humans.
“We thank Councilwoman Alter for her leadership on this issue,” says Bay Scoggin, TexPIRG State Director. “It’s good to know that with all the buzz surround this issue, someone important is listening.”
Your donation supports TexPIRG's work to stand up for consumers on the issues that matter, especially when powerful interests are blocking progress.


Today the food we eat poses many challenges to us, from how it is grown to how it is distributed to consumers. However, as with most challenges, opportunities are also present. In this case, it may be investment opportunity, one that also allows you to follow your heart. If you are interested in socially responsible investing as a way to give back while putting back funds for your financial future, AgTech may be of interest.
According to Wikipedia, agriculture technology is the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture with the aim of improving yield, efficiency and profitability. AgTech has emerged in the last 10 years to respond to social concerns of a growing global population, the environment, food security and potential decline of farming. This concern seems to be more on the radar of younger investors than for seasoned investors. But its appeal is spreading and gaining momentum. As investors become more aware of growing social concerns, they are realizing that current trends may also be pointing to new opportunities.
There are all kinds of ventures to become involved in beyond actual farm land. Maybe vertical farming or hydroponic, aeroponic and aquaponic farm facilities are gathering interest. Vertical farming is simply growing crops in vertically stacked layers in a controlled-environment and is designed to optimize plant growth in reduced space with soilless techniques. And that leads into other techniques for growing: hydroponics, using nutrient solutions and no soil; aquaponics, using nutrient solutions in water and no soil; and aeroponics, using an air or mist environment and no soil.
The fascination and growing activity in these different horticultures have even prompted their inclusion in the Senate 2018 Farm Bill. The bill covers emerging agricultural production, including these subsets and any other innovations in agricultural production as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. The Farm Bill creates the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production whose mission is to promote urban, indoor and other emerging agriculture practices, including those listed above, community gardens, rooftop farms, greenhouse farms, etc. Opportunities!
This doesn’t mean field farms will be disappearing in the near future but will likely remain the primary method of raising our produce. Therefore, since investment in farmland has had a steady performance over the past several decades, it remains a good option for the investor. Agriculture is a huge business that not only involves the actual growing, but the entire chain of businesses from the beginning of field analysis to the final stages of food production. The entire agribusiness encompasses some of the largest companies in existence, including names like John Deere, Yara, Cargill, Wilbur Ellis, General Mills and Kellogg, just to name a few.
A fee-only Certified Financial Planner™ professional can help you see the big picture, to achieve your financial goals, and to help satisfy some of the greater desires of your heart. It all adds up to your worthwhile planning, investing and living!
Have a great weekend!


GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE
The Revere Golf Club prides itself in offering only the finest in Las Vegas golf course conditions. Our golf course is a living environment that is constantly changing throughout the year. Maintenance activities such as watering and mowing need to be done nearly every day. Most of this work can be accomplished prior to or following your outing. However, due to Las Vegas, Nevada weather conditions of heat in the summer and cool nights in the winter, some of these activities may be taking place during playing hours. Our maintenance staff is trained to be conscious of our players and be as unobtrusive as possible.
Some activities such as aerification and overseeding are essential for premium turf conditions. Aerifications are typically done in the late spring, summer, and early fall. Course closure dates are scheduled for our major aerification dates and once the greens are aerified and top-dressed, they are very playable the following day. Optimum playing conditions are typically restored within three to five days. Our overseeding process typically takes place in the late summer or early fall and will require us to close the golf course for about three weeks. This process is done to assure premium golfing conditions throughout the cooler months. Directly following our overseeding process, the golf course is usually a little wetter than normal to allow for proper growth as well as cart path only. Please call The Revere Golf Club direct at 702.259.4653 to inquire about aerification and overseeding dates.


Study on the influence of different production factors on PSY and its correlation
Porcine Health Management volume 8, Article number: 9 (2022)
Finding out the key reproductive performance factors, affecting piglets weaned per sow per year (PSY) can improve the production efficiency and profitability of pig farms. The objective was to understand the actual distribution of different production factors and PSY of breeding pig farms, analyze the correlation to find the main production factors affecting PSY, and formulating a Production Efficiency Improvement Plan in practice. Data included 603 breeding pig farms from September 28, 2020 to September 26, 2021. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between PSY and key production factors, and the characteristics of total pig farms versus high performance (HP) pig farms (the production performance was in the top 10%) or top 5% pig farms were compared. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between production factors and find the factors related to PSY. Non-linear support vector regression (NL-SVR) was used to analyze the personalized PSY improvement through a various change of the four key factors.
The median distribution of 15 production factors and PSY in total pig farms were different from those of HP farms. All of data were distributed nonlinearly. Mating rate within 7 days after weaning (MR7DW), farrowing rate (FR), number of piglets born alive per litter (PBAL) and number of weaned piglets per litter (WPL) were moderately correlated with PSY, and the correlation coefficients were 0.5058, 0.4427, 0.3929 and 0.3839, respectively. When the four factors in NL-SVR changed in medium (0.5 piglet or 5%) or high level (1.0 piglet or 10%), PSY can be increased by more than 0.5.
NL-SVR model can be used to analyze the impact of changes in key production factors on PSY. By taking measures to improve MR7DW, FR, PBAL and WPL, it may effectively improve the current PSY and fully develop the reproductive potential of sows.
Piglets weaned per sow per year (PSY) is an important factor to measure the efficiency of pig farms and the reproductive performance of sows. It is closely related to number of weaned piglets per litter, farrowing rate, non-productive days (NPD) and other production factors . By increasing PSY, the purchase cost of gilts and the feeding cost of sows can be shared equally among more weaned piglets, to improve the profits of commercial pig farms . PSY has been used to provide target for the reproductive performance and productivity of breeding herds .
Pig farms management based on productive data analysis can help producers and veterinarians maximize the lifetime reproductive potential of sows and improve economic efficiency [4, 5]. In China, large-scale pig farms are using data management systems to record production data every day . However, most producers only use basic data for current production arrangements. Researchers mainly use linear models such as mixed effect model , general linear model  and multiple linear regression model  for further analysis of production data, which has certain limitations when making accurate calculation or prediction for nonlinear factors. Therefore, this study intends to carry out personalized PSY prediction of each pig farm through non-linear support vector regression model (NL-SVR) and provide scientific reference for production management to formulate targeted production objectives by counting the change distribution of PSY under three improvement levels of different production factors.
The study did not require approval from the Ethics Committee on Animal Use because no animal was handled. This was a cross-sectional study involving samples of 603 pig breeding farms from 144 large-scale breeding companies. They fulfilled the following inclusion criteria, which were (1) having a population of 1000 or more sows, (2) using the internal data management system of the company, (3) complete data records. In addition, all pig farms were two-point breeding farms, and weaned piglets were transferred to special commodity farms for feeding and slaughtering. The replacement gilts in estrus or sows after farrowing were fed in the stalls from checking estrus, breeding to late gestation (generally three days before farrowing).
The farms were from 22 provinces, located in the various regions of the country, namely, the East China (33.0%), North China (17.9%), South China (14.3%), Central China (9.0%), Northwest (9.1%), Northeast (8.3%) and Southwest (8.5%) regions.
All these farms applied automatic feeding system (the feed was transferred from galvanized sheet silo to stainless steel feeders (gilts) or DL6 (a commercial model of feeder, which was suitable for 60 chain-disc feed line, with transparent feed doser and fixed throat band, and the maximum feed storage capacity was 6 L. Manual or electric feed drop can be realized, and the volume in the feed doser can be quantified by adjusting the scale.) feed doser (sows) through auger feed line controlled by feed line controller.) and mechanical ventilation system (climate controller for controlling fans of different size). At different growth stages, pigs were fed with the corresponding formula of standardized feed (according to the reference feeding amount, gilts and sows were fed the corresponding 12 kinds of feeds in the stages of nursery, growth, fattening, pregnancy and lactation) provided by the company's internal feed factory. All farms used artificial insemination to mate gilts and sows, and two or three inseminations were carried out in each estrus cycle.
Data collection and manipulation
The production data were uploaded to the internal data management system by each pig farm. All data belonged to the company. The researchers were authorized by the company's production management department and digital technology department to obtain the production data in this study. This study analyzed 603 large-scale (1000–3000 sows) pig farms from September 2020 to September 2021. Because this study was based on the statistical analysis of pig farms and the amount of data was relatively small, in order to ensure the basic operation of the algorithm model, there was no excessive processing of the original data.
Firstly, the trend relationship between 15 production factors and normalized PSY in 603 pig farms from management reports was analyzed. The calculation method of normalized PSY was as follow:
where Xi means the actual PSY for i farm; Xj means a vector consisting of all variables of the number j farms, yi \(\epsilon\) [0%, 100%].
Secondly, spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation among 16 production factors (including PSY), so as to find the factors related to PSY. According to the data distribution trend, the NL-SVR was selected to analyze the personalized impact of the changes of four production factors with the highest correlation on PSY. Mating rate within 7 days after weaning (MR7DW) and farrowing rate (FR) were set at three levels: high (10%), medium (5%) and low (1%), while number of piglets born alive per litter (PBAL) and number of weaned piglets per litter (WPL) were set at three levels: high (1 piglet), medium (0.5 piglet) and low (0.1 piglet). The distribution of the number of farms corresponding to the change of PSY under different levels of production factors improvement was counted respectively.
Definitions and categories
Research stage was defined as the stage from September 2020 to September 2021. Total number of piglets was defined as the sum of the total number of piglets sows farrowed during research stage. The NPDs referred to other days except the production days, including mating to pregnancy loss, pregnancy loss to return-service, pregnancy loss to present/culling, weaning-mating, weaning to present/culling. Other definitions were shown in Table 1. The production performance which was in the top 10% referred to high performance (HP) pig farms.
All analyses were conducted with python programming language in PyCharm CE. The farm was considered the experimental unit. In order to reduce the noise in raw data, abnormal data points were deleted, such as the PSY of zero, the farrowing rate of zero, the average number of piglets born alive per litter of zero.
Spearman's rank correlation analysis between 16 factors (including PSY) was performed to construct the correlation coefficient matrix. The correlation between variables and PSY, and the collinearity between each variable was analyzed by this analysis.
NL-SVR model in the sklearn algorithm library was used to learn the data of more than 600 pig farms, obtaining the model after fitting and convergence. After a variable in the data was increased by delta, a prediction data set was generated. Followed by the data set prediction with the model, the change of PSY of each pig farm after the variable was increased by delta was obtained. The kernel function is radial basis function (RBF).
A total of 16 production factors in 603 pig farms were analyzed. The relationship between 15 production factors and normalized PSY (%) in all farms was shown in Fig. 1. The median of factor versus PSY from all pig farms (green dot) was visually lower than that of HP farms (red dot), which was distributed in the left (Fig. 1A–D, G, J, M), right (Fig. 1E, F, H, I, K, N, O) or middle (Fig. 1L) of the red dot according to different factors. The specific statistical data were shown in Table 1. The mean, median, minimum and maximum of PSY and positive factors (such as total number of piglets per litter (TPL), PBAL, WPL, FR, MR7DW, production days, and 21-day adjusted weight of piglets in HP farms were higher than that of total pig farms. The mean and median of birth weight of piglets were equal, while the minimum and maximum were still higher. Negatively related factors, such as stillbirth rate (SR), mummified piglets rate, return-service rate, weaning to breeding interval (WBI) and NPDs in HP farms were lower.
The correlation coefficient matrix of 16 production factors in 603 farms were shown in Fig. 2. PBAL versus TPL represented the highest correlation (0.8916), followed by PBAL versus WPL (0.8487). The factor with the highest correlation with PSY was MR7DW (0.5058), followed by FR (0.4427), PBAL (0.3929) and WPL (0.3839), respectively. The top three factors related to MR7DW were PBAL (0.5978), WPL (0.5780) and WBI (−0.4922), respectively. The top three factors related to FR were NPD (−0.6346), WPL (0.4052) and PBAL (0.3748), respectively. The another top two factors related to WPL were TPL (0.7115) and SR (−0.5879), respectively.
Figure 2 showed the distribution of pig farms and corresponding PSY when the four factors were raised at different levels. With the increase of the levels, PSY increased in varying degrees, but the low-level improvement could not increase 0.5 PSY. Among them, PBAL had great promotion potential. When one PBAL was promoted, average PSY can improve nearly 2.5.
Sows have the potential to produce about 60–70 weaned piglets per life . If the annual parities were calculated as 2.27, the average PSY should reach more than 26. However, our data showed that WPL was only 9.4 and the HP farm was 10.5 (Table 1), which indicated that there was a lack of more than two piglets per sow per year, so this was an opportunity to improve farm level productivity. Our results also showed that improving MR7DW, FR, PBAL or WPL can effectively improve the overall PSY of the pig farms (Fig. 2). This was similar with the results of Tani’s study .
The average of all sows was calculated in each pig farm within one year (September 2020–September 2021), eliminating the seasonal effect of the observed response . Through scatter plot of data analysis (Fig. 1), we found that the relationship between each variable and PSY was not typical linear but determined the upper boundary of PSY. The higher the dispersion of data, the greater the randomness. Using the general linear models can only get a general trend, but there may be a large deviation from the actual situation. Therefore, instead of linear regression, the NL-SVR model was selected. NL-SVR was a technology widely used in the field of data analysis and prediction. The multivariate nonlinear regression method was used to learn by dividing the vector space, obtaining the differentiated results of PSY changes after each field variable was improved (if linear regression was used, only statistical results can be obtained, and individual results of each field cannot be calculated). The advantage of this approach was on learning the nonlinear relationship between variables and targets and calculated the impact on targets when each variable in the sample changes. When applied to the analysis of the relationship between pig production factors, it can analyze the nonlinear relationship between various factors and PSY, calculate the bottleneck of further improvement of PSY in each field, evaluate the difficulty of improvement, optimize the input–output ratio, and realize the improvement of production efficiency. However, by the great variation in management, facilities, sanitation and feedings, many of which will affect the production performance of piglets and sows, or there were differences in calculation standards, resulted in data fluctuations [8, 11].
Among the 15 production factors, the four factors with the highest correlation coefficients with PSY were MR7DW, FR, PBAL or WPL, respectively. Their correlations from each other were also very high (Table 2). Reducing NPD can improve productivity and profitability of pig farms. Because with the increase of NPD, sow maintenance cost increased, and profitability decreased . The cost of each NPD of sows ranged from $ 1.60 to $ 2.60 . NPD was a comprehensive index, which was significantly affected by management factors, including multiple breedings of sows, MR7DW, parity of culled sows, proportion of return-serviced sows, sow mortality, SR and pig farm scale [12, 14]. Increasing MR7DW can shorten NPD, and increasing the lactation period may increase the proportion of estrus in sows within 4–6 days after weaning, which had higher reproductive performance and longer lifetime . However, sows with prolonged lactation will lose a lot of body reserves, which may reduce the farrowing rate  and the number of piglets born per sow per year , and thus reduce the number of weaned piglets per year . Therefore, it was necessary to optimize feed intake and feeding mode during lactation [16, 17].
Among the four key production factors, the change of PBAL had the greatest impact on the improvement of PSY. Koketsu et al.  found that the average pre-weaning mortality, number of piglets born alive, number of weaned piglets and PSY of herds increased from 2007 to 2016, which may be related to the genetic improvement of pig industry in the past few decades [19, 20]. It was worth noting that the number of weaned piglets didn’t increase continuously with the increased number of piglets born alive. When the number of litters increased from 11–12 to 13–16, the pre-weaning mortality of piglets had almost tripled [21, 22]. Limited by the reproductive capacity of sow itself, larger litter size can lead to reduced piglet birth weight and increased pre-weaning mortality.
In order to reduce the waste of production costs and economic benefits on pig farms, it is important for managers to maximize the lifetime reproductive performance of all sows. Through our research, we found four production factors with the highest correlation with PSY. Targeted improvement of these factors may improve the productivity of sows (Fig. 3). In addition, it also needs to be combined with appropriate nutrition , feeding pattern , development of gilts , better breeding management (breeding time, semen quality and stockman skills of breeders) [26, 27], pig health management (control and prevention of infectious and non-infectious diseases) [28, 29], complete buildings (environmental control system, advanced facilities) [30, 31], farrowing management (assisted farrowing, colostrum intake and piglet care) [32, 33] and trained staff .
Our study revealed the nonlinear distribution of production factors with PSY. Among all the production factors analyzed, we found four key factors associated with PSY, which were MR7DW, FR, PBAL and WPL, respectively. The effects of different factors on PSY of each pig farm were analyzed by NL-SVM model, and the distribution statistics were carried out. If targeted improvements were made to the above four factors, especially PBAL, the PSY of pig farms may be improved effectively.
Availability of data and materials
Due to producer confidentiality, the dataset and farm information are not publicly available.
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This work was supported by "Pioneer" and "Leading Goose" R&D Program of Zhejiang (2022C02031), the Headquarters Research Institute Project of the Company (T945-151920) and Research Startup Foundation of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University (2022LFR008).
Ethics approval and consent to participate
All data in this study came from the internal data management system, and the author had access rights. The study only involved statistical analysis of the data, without field investigation of pig farms.
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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Guan, R., Zhou, X., Cai, H. et al. Study on the influence of different production factors on PSY and its correlation. Porc Health Manag 8, 9 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-022-00253-2


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The various types of green roofs
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IntensiveIn contrast with an extensive green roof, there are almost unlimited possibilities with respect to the plants that can be used in an intensive system. In view of the wide range of plants that can be employed, the resultant high level of maintenance required, and the fact that the space is regularly used, an extensive green roof is frequently indistinguishable from a garden or other accessible green space.
Standard green roof construction techniques
In the long tradition of green roof systems, a layered build-up of the vegetation surface has been most effective and this is now the standard procedure. Every layer needs to fulfil a specific function and must be appropriately adjusted to suit the requirements of the location and the vegetation employed.
The planting of a green roof
To ensure the success and long life of a green roof, it is important to select the right plants. As a green roof is an artificially planted area, the specific climatic conditions and other local factors, such as the urban microclimate, ratio of light and shade, wind exposure, pollutant exposure, exposure to heat and cold, roof orientation etc., must be taken into account together with the relevant parameters of the type of green roof to be constructed.
The plant groups that can be recommended for planting on green roofs are mosses, succulents, bulbs and tubers, grasses, herbs, herbaceous and woody plants. A few of the more popular and recommended plant combinations are listed below:


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