Is organic farming bad? You may have seen many articles discussing the real effects of organic farming. Once before, organic farming was thought as the better way to farm. Some would say that it is even the healthier choice because of the processes used, or lack of processes used thereof. Organic farming is a kind of farming where harmful chemicals aren’t used.
When you read it like that, it is easy to assume that this kind of farming is the best way to go. However, many studies have come out that there’s more to organic farming than that. Organic farming isn’t actually greener or more efficient than your usual farming. In actuality, it is actually worse. When you consider the yield of the crops, you can clearly see that organic farming produces considerably fewer crops compared to usual modern farming methods. You need to look into some facts to understand the whole effect of organic farming. Organic farming – is it really better? Farming today is divided into two camps, traditional and modern, each side claiming that their farming method is superior than the other. Each side produces arguments to help their case but no matter what your preferences are, you need to listen to both sides. You need to read both arguments to make an informed decision. After all, this kind of lifestyle change is huge. Here are some facts. Organic farming uses more water, produces fewer crops, and requires more manpower to make it work. Meanwhile, modern farming uses pesticides, chemicals, and many other modifiers to ensure that the crops grow bigger and faster. The use of food modifiers, or what many would refer to as GMOs, affect the amount of harvest. GMO crops produces more crops per land area. Furthermore, their crops are more resilient to pests and insects which is why many farmers opt for this crop option. The Truth about GMO Crops There are still some debates on whether GMO crops are good or bad for your health. Many people suggest that because it uses gene editing, you are basically changing the structure of the food which can include unforeseen side effects. This camp would argue that GMO crops are actually bad for your health since they contain pesticides and other additional chemicals. The truth is, we have been ‘gene editing’ our crops ever since the start of agriculture. It is almost synonymous with breeding. You basically cross-breed two healthy plants with all the qualities you want and hope that they would produce a version that exhibits those qualities in perfect sync. This kind of breeding is almost the same as dog breeding. The main difference is the duration of the process. Crop breeding can run from a month to several decades depending on the type of plant and the added effect of randomness. The takeaway As I’ve said above, the debate is still ongoing and plenty of research are still needed to finally approve or disprove the benefits of GMOs. One thing is for certain, organic farming, while seemingly the ‘cleanest’ option, is more expensive, less efficient, and will require more work. Traditional farming seems to be the best choice that you have right now.
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Ever since the dawn of civilization, people have been keeping domesticated animals in their farms to be used as their food source. Agriculture has made it possible for the ordinary people to provide a consistent food source for their family. Ever since then, many advances have been made pertaining to growing livestock. Growing chickens is probably the easiest among all types of livestock animals. For one, they grow faster. They also mature faster which means that you only need to take care of them for a short period of time until they’re ready for the culling. You will also get to have one egg per day once they are mature. Cows have milk too but they are especially difficult to grow. This is one the main reasons why most families only have one cow and flocks of chickens. Poultry farming as a business For all the reasons mentioned above, poultry farming is quite a lucrative business. You can either focus on egg or meat production depending on your preference. Many people do a combination of these things since they are already raising flocks of chicken, so why not get twice the function and produce both eggs and meat? The logical thing to do is raise the birds to maturity until they start producing eggs. Then, after they reduce their egg production, sell them as meat. One of the best parts about poultry farming is the investment is not substantial. When compared to other livestock raising business, chicken raising isn’t that expensive. You only need a small backyard and you’re almost there. Get some basic equipment like chicken pens, chicken runs, chicken pellets, and a land fit enough for several chickens, and you’re ready to go. Most homeowners can easily fit one or two chicken pens inside their backyard. The requirement isn’t that hard to reach which makes it a great hobby. Additional requirement If you are planning on building a somewhat bigger poultry farm, think like several acres worth, you need to get a permit for it. You also need to find yourself a consistent supplier to make sure your feeds don’t run out because that would be disastrous for your business. If your poultry farm is just small though, you don’t need a permit at all. It’s just like owning a pet. Just make sure that they don’t hinder other people’s business. You need to think of your neighbors as well because even a small chicken farm can get nasty if unkempt. If you don’t regularly clean their cages, the smell of their produce and manure would permeate through your neighborhood and you don’t want that at all. That is the main reason why you need a permit of operation for bigger poultry farms. If you are considering running a chicken farm, you need a good chicken coop design to ensure good shelter for your chickens. There are many different chicken coop designs to choose from and each provide different benefits and advantages. You need to be able to select which coop designs would work best for your poultry. This article aims to help you decide which design is best suited for your poultry farm. Here are some of the questions you need to answer before you select a chicken coop design: How many chickens do you plan to raise? This is one of the most important question you should ask yourself when preparing for poultry farming. You need to have ample space for your chickens to ensure they can move around freely, or at least be comfortable inside their cages. Happy chickens will provide more eggs and will generally give you less problems down the lien. If you are not planning on raising more than five chickens, you need to look into using chicken tractors. Chicken tractors are movable chicken coop without flooring. They are mobile and easy to clean. In fact, you aren’t even required to clean them since they don’t have any flooring. Any chicken excrement will be deposited in the soil and will ultimately become a fertilizer. Your location Your location will determine a lot of things on your chicken coop design selection. First off, you need to have an idea of the weather patterns in your area. You should select the proper chicken coop design best suited on the weather on your area. The size of your land is also a big factor since it will determine the style of your chicken pen. If you have a limited amount of area, perhaps a chicken tractor is more preferable. If you live in a rural area, you can build a chicken pen as big as you’d like. Budget limitations How much are you willing to spend for your chicken coop? Obviously, smaller pens will cost a lot less than bigger ones. Another big factor that contributes to the total cost of the pen is the material used. Aluminum chicken coop designs are obviously sturdier and will last longer, but are considerably more expensive. You can build your own chicken coop from recycled materials if you are on a tight budget. You can check out many backyard chicken coop designs on the internet right now. If you have the right experience, you can easily build your own. However, you will need to invest much time if you build it on your own. The easier choice would be to just buy a pre-made chicken coop and select a design that suits your needs. There are many companies that offer many chicken coop designs online. Raising backyard chickens for meat production isn’t actually the first reason why people start raising chickens. For most people, egg production is the main reason why they decide to raise chickens. Other people just want to raise pets and raising chickens seem easy enough. I had a lot of friends that started out raising chickens solely for egg production. Overtime, their hens had produced too many chickens because of hidden nest of eggs and they had to sell meat. These things do happen and probably happens more often than you think. Many poultry farms start out as small business and sometimes even just as hobbies then ends up becoming a big business. What kinds of people thrive in poultry farming? I am not going to lie, poultry farming isn’t for everyone. If I’m being perfectly honest, it’s a very niche type of job which only a small fraction of the population will willingly take on. If you live in a big city, chances are you won’t find poultry farming that lucrative. It can be considered a dirty job since it is related to agriculture and farming. Another thing to consider in poultry farming is the manual labor. Not everyone is willing to do manual labor work because we’ve become to accustomed with cubicle work. If given the option, most people would select office jobs versus working in a poultry farm. If you think you are the kind of person who will enjoy working in a farm or big agricultural plant, by all means, start poultry farming. Seeing your poultry grow and provide food for you or somebody else is satisfying and would show value for your work. What raising backyard chickens would mean for you? Raising your own chickens doesn’t necessarily mean that you will do business of this kind for years to come. You can raise chickens because you just feel like it. You don’t really need any valid reasons for it. You can find all sort of reasons why people choose to do poultry farming. You can find certain chicken breeds that suit egg production if that is what you’re looking for. You can also find certain breeds that prioritize meat production. Whatever your priority is, taking care of your backyard chickens is a work that requires much effort and planning. You need to do careful planning if you want to create an efficient poultry farm. A good plan would make get you an efficient egg or meat producing poultry farm. Getting the right equipment If you want to further increase your chances of success, you need to get the right equipment for your poultry farm. From chicken pen to chicken perch, you need the right equipment if you want to create the perfect poultry farm. When you chickens are healthy and happy, they will grow healthier and produce more eggs. Even their waste can be used as fertilizer which means that you literally can sell of their produce. |
AuthorI'm Jimmy and I'm a seasoned farming specialist - an ardent person about farming and agriculture. I've been in this company for about ten years now and I want to share my passion to my readers. I've authored numerous books and articles about poultry farming. I am confident in my practical experience about this business. I came from absolutely nothing and produced this image applying hard work. Categories |