According to the National Farmers Federation, there are over 85,000 farm businesses in Australia. Out of these businesses, the sector earned the country $44.8 billion in 2016-17 from exporting several agricultural products. If you are a small farmer looking to venture into this business, there is a lot to gain. However, you must learn how to do farming the right way.
Technology and innovation have changed many things in the agricultural industry. Not only is the farm-spraying equipment more efficient and effective, but modern methods of detecting diseases and treating them have also made crop production increase nearly two and a half times. When starting in this field, you might be wondering what approach to take or what equipment to buy to ensure that you are getting better yields. The following tips will come in handy:
Buy the right plants
Most farmers experience low returns because they purchased the wrong seeds or seedlings. While some of these seeds aren’t capable of producing healthy plants, some often come with diseases. When you are new in agribusiness, one of the hardest things to know is the difference between a healthy plant and one with diseases. Check the seeds properly for insects or rot, and if you are purchasing seedlings, you should ensure that the stems and leaves are in good shape.
Use the correct fertilizer
Take extra care when buying or using fertilizer since it can burn the plant’s roots, making it unable to absorb water. Conduct a soil test to know its acidity level and ensure that you are getting the right fertilizer that won’t mess the nutrient balance of the soil. Getting more of a particular nutrient can affect plants severely. Don’t do guesswork when it comes to balancing soil nutrients since it might cost you.
Keep garden pests out
Some insects can transport bacteria and diseases from other areas to your farm. You should be aware of such problems and come up with a strategy to prevent the infection from happening or combat its spread if it has already happened to some plants. While most insect damage to plants is cosmetic, there are others that can be dangerous to the life of the plant. Use the right chemicals and spraying equipment to enable your plants to be able to fend off diseases.
While the tips above can be useful in helping you to increase your crop yields, they aren’t the only ones you can follow. New methods like spacing plants properly and improving airflow in the soil can also come in handy. If you are in a region that experiences little rainfall all year round, you should consider constructing a borehole.
Unlike what many people think, farming isn’t all about placing a seed in soil and hoping a high yielding plant will grow out of it. The process is more sophisticated and requires a lot of attention to the crops. With the strategies above and help from professionals, you should be in an excellent position to start or improve your farm.
