A Brief Guide to Mushroom Farming

There are many people who are interested in mushroom farming and wish to know more about it. This article has been designed for readers who wish to know about the different techniques with which mushrooms are grown as well as the processes involved. First of all, you should know that burgeon farming cannot be done on a small piece of land, which means that you will require an appropriate setup in which to let your mushrooms grow. Otherwise, unless you are able to set up a controlled environment for your mushrooms, it will be very difficult for you to grow these burgeons without any hassle.

Mushroom farming requires an artificial set up, usually within a green house or a mushroom tunnel. This is because burgeons cannot be farmed in the open environment, which is why it is extremely important that you create a makeshift environment for your mushrooms to grow properly. Proper lighting, water and a carefully controlled ventilation system is important in the place where you are growing burgeons, mainly due to the fact that mushrooms require fresh air at certain times throughout their growing process. Water and lighting will also vary according to the stage of growth that your mushrooms are in.

Once that is done, you need to learn how to plant and farm those mushrooms, because different types of mushrooms have different requirements. Therefore, before you think about starting a mushrooming business, it is important that you learn about the types of burgeons that you can grow and the effort that you would need to put in if you wish to grow them properly.

Before proceeding with mushroom farming, it would be wise for a person to take a training course in order to understand the various types of mushrooms as well as the conditions in which they grow. Similarly, conversing about growing techniques with other farmers will also help you greatly in extracting tips and techniques with which you can improve your farming. You will also require mushroom farming equipment in order to harvest and properly store the mushrooms properly so that they don't turn bad.

Learning these things is extremely important for appropriate mushroom farming or otherwise it would be significantly difficult for people to be able to grow burgeons on their piece of land without any hassle at all. Learning about how to farm mushrooms is not difficult as well, mainly because a lot of resource material is available.

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Maintaining Your Mushroom Machinery

The entire intricate process of growing mushrooms that are not only edible but of superior quality and growing a bulk of such mushrooms requires more than just constant care and attention- it requires the right kind of machinery, mushroom machinery, to nurture the growing mushrooms also.

Mushroom machinery can typically be of various types, and each of these types of machinery is in turn specially oriented to care for the growing mushroom at a certain stage in its growth process. As the art of mushroom growing gained popularity, the skills along with the equipment used to grow the machine were gradually revolutionized to produce the greatest amount of crop yield with the least effort possible. With industrialization taking over every aspect of agriculture, machinery was introduced into the mushroom growing business also, eventually giving rise to the idea of mushroom machinery.

Today, while there are many techniques whereby mushroom farming may be practiced, the shelving system, developed by the Dutch remains one of the most popular ways to cultivate a mushroom farm. Specialized mushroom machinery is used, and these range from head filling machines, to hoppers, to compost machinery -- mushroom machinery truly has them all, while the list of actions that modern day mushroom machinery is able to carry out is truly endless also.

However, while the machines and their functions may all be amazing in themselves, it becomes essential to ascertain that they are maintained in perfect order for them to function properly also. Here, it is the shelving that needs to be maintained most carefully.

The one main disadvantage with the shelving system is that there is grate likelihood of the spread of disease or pests in the shelves. Since water runs down a shelf to water the mushrooms growing at the next level also, it means that once the spread of pests or infection begins, it will be difficult to control it. To prevent such a disaster from occurring, workers must regularly check the shelves to ensure that there is no pest infiltration that needs to be dealt with.

Naturally, aside from care and constant vigilance in attending to the mushroom crop, it is only the right machinery which helps a mushroom farmer to grow a commercially successful crop. It depends on wisely choosing the right equipment to work that farm with and then eventually maintaining all that equipment in prime working order to succeed at mushroom cultivation.

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Cattle for Sale - Benefits of Livestock Agents

Livestock agents are a great asset when you have cattle for sale. They organise the buying and selling of cattle, they also provide guidance on cattle, farming supplies and stock market trends. The combination of your local knowledge and their knowledge of farm management and cattle will assist in making the bigger decisions clearer and give all the important information you require to make the right decisions.

Acquiring the assistance of a livestock agent when you have cattle for sale will help you avoid a fair bit of tiresome paper work as the livestock agent will take care of arranging import and export licences, documentation, freight and insurance, health testing and inspections. You will quickly see how beneficial a livestock agent is to your business and the process of selling your cattle either domestically or internationally will be significantly more efficient.

The agents are trained to gauge the value of your cattle and they will come to your farm to calculate the weight and condition of the animals you want to sell. They can also work on behalf of you by buying and selling on farms and via the auction process and organise transportation of animals to and from the farm leaving you with ample time to take care of making sure your business is in order.

You can rely on trained livestock agents to be diligent, direct, friendly, enduring and confident in their work. Their far reaching experience on many different types of farms and plenty of stock sales means they have an excellent understanding of various circumstances and can offer helpful and straightforward advice. Agents want to keep their clients happy so you can be certain of their commitment and attention. You can phone to arrange a meeting with them and they will come to your farm to discuss your cattle for sale and will assess the animals to come up with selling options. This might include the choice of selling at an auction, selling privately or selling to meat works. They will provide you with an estimated price and then leave it to you to decide whether to accept or try for another option but you can be assured that livestock agents will give you the best possible deal. It makes perfect sense to receive professional help when it comes to selling your cattle because they have the experience, the knowledge, the contacts and their ears tuned for extra information to give you the best possible assistance.

Kelly Livestock is the largest independently owned livestock Company in the Taranaki Region. If you are looking for cattle, dairy cows / herds for sale take a look at cattle for sale online here: http://www.cows4sale.co.nz/

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6 Ways to Recruit Talent in the Agriculture Industry

A major agriculture company recently complained to me that they had over 3000 jobs to fill in the Midwest and they could not find trained talent who were willing to take these jobs.

I know this might sound crazy if you are someone looking for a job or if you are in an industry where you are laying people off rather than having jobs to fill. However the media doesn't report on the jobs that are available they are more likely to report on the loss of jobs in America.

As a consultant and trainer in the agriculture industry (I grew up on a working farm so I have first hand knowledge of the mentality of agriculture people) I told the CEO on the phone that they had a PR problem. Interestingly about two weeks later there was news media coverage on CNN about jobs available in the agriculture industry.

There are a number of reasons why recruiting and retention is a challenge in the agriculture industry such as younger generations like Generation Y (those in their 20's) are shying away from labor jobs and are more attracted to technological fields and that Generation X (those in their 30's) do not want to be away from their families for long periods of time and thirdly that Zoomers (Baby boomers 50 and to about 28) are retiring.

But these reasons do not have to be seen as a negative when looking to recruit and retain specifically for the agriculture industry, rather there is an opportunity to focus and 'sell' the positives to each of the demographics so that we are providing custom lifestyle values that will entice talent to the industry.

Here are 6 ways to recruit in the agriculture industry:

#1- Build your recruitment campaigns around the values of each of the generations. For example driving a tractor today is very different than it used to be. Today's equipment is tricked out with the latest technology- users can access the web, use auto functions and have increased safety. This needs to be communicated to Generation Y's who can accept repetitive work tasks (like driving a tractor) if they are told about the positives. They can access Facebook or they can work mornings and afternoon and evenings free or some days they will be working 14 hours but they can work in a season and make as much money as they might make in a year at another job.

#2- Look at the communities and what they offer younger generations and families. Recently in Entrepreneur magazine (October 2011) there was an article about two Generation X agriculture employees who found that there was nothing for them to do outside of work in their small town, nor were their family activities that appealed to today's tech savvy kids. They set out to create weekly Wii and X Box championship gatherings and they set up a Web Cafe for brainstorming and sharing tech resources. An opportunity for an agriculture company is to find ways to add value and enhance the communities where they employ workers.

#3- Look for industries with similar values when recruiting- with many military workers returning home they are an ideal talent resource. Those who have worked in the military are typically disciplined, willing to work hard and are used to being away from family for periods of time.

#4- An obvious yet underused recruitment tool is referral incentives. Your existing talent pool is the perfect place to solicit for more workers that are exactly like them. Encourage your employees to use social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Linked In to reach out to their circles of influence to engage and invite their peers to join the agriculture industry.

#5- Use media more vigorously- You Tube is the 2nd highest search engine on the Internet- research shows that we are all drawn to video as a communication tool more than any other medium. Create modern, edgy and values focused video to tell your agriculture company story and to engage and invite talent to apply for jobs in your company. Video tape your happy workers of all ages and have them tell their story as to why they love the agriculture industry. Every one of your websites should have engaging video on your home page and on your recruitment pages.

#6- Once you have recruited you need to make sure you retain them. Most generation Y's will only stick around with any employer for a maximum of three years. Rather than see this as disloyal- see it as an opportunity to keep them for as long as you can. Positive on boarding strategies are crucial to increase retention as are recognition, rewards and good leadership. If companies are not focused on retention strategies then they will find themselves constantly recruiting because of high turnover.

It is an exciting time for the agriculture industry in 2011 and beyond- it's a great problem to have so many jobs available that other industries would love to have!

In order to recruit and retain for the agriculture industry we need to integrate what has worked in the past with new strategies that include technology, modifying hours and the way we work and matching what workers want with what your company can provide.

Cheryl is the President of Synthesis at Work Inc. and an internationally renowned keynote speaker. She provides practical tools and creative strategies for CEO's and their leaders to increase leadership skill that helps to recruit and retain top talent. Cheryl has worked in the agriculture industry for a number of years and grew up on a working farm in Saskatchewan Canada. http://www.cherylcran.com/

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Livestock for Sale - Beef Farming Industry In NZ

Lying in the Pacific Ocean approximately 1,000 kilometres from Australia is located the most productive beef farming industry in the world... New Zealand. With a long history of providing world class dairy and agricultural products, the beef farming industry in NZ was the first to have no protection from imports from any part of the world. This was a result of the removal of all subsidisation of agricultural and dairy farming operations in New Zealand. Although the initial reaction was one of concern, with fear that the country's ability to compete in the world stage world be detrimentally affected, the application of external pressures from an open marketplace has worked to strengthen the beef farming industry in NZ.

The need to keep the quality of the agricultural and dairy product at its highest, as well as reduce the overall operating expenses, major investments were made into productive capacities which has resulted in a dairy industry that is simply second to none. This is why the New Zealand economy has been so resilient over the past twenty years, weathering well three global economic downturns.

New Zealand's economy is heavily dependent on overseas trade, from which a high proportion comes from dairy farming and agricultural. The performance of the dairy farming industry in NZ is directly representative of the health and performance of the New Zealand economy in general.

There have been numerous advances in dairy farming production methods, aiming to increase the productivity of specific tracts of land with new and improved inputs. One of the major factors relating to the productivity of the farm is the livestock held, with the preferred breeds producing more milk, gaining weight faster and responding better to the fertiliser, soil and nutritional inputs that are now a mainstay of the farming environment. The type livestock available for purchase, therefore, has a dramatic effect upon the productive capacities of the individual farms and farming industry. As a result, specialist businesses have that deal in livestock sales have been thriving, with the demand from farmers for quality livestock for sale increasing dramatically.

These businesses work as brokers in the beef farming industry in NZ, working closely with farmers to access the breed of livestock that is required for the farming operation, depending on their size, geography of the land and aims of production. In this sense, these businesses that focus on livestock for sale become a business partner, who provide valuable advice and access to quality livestock... what the dairy business is built upon.

Kelly Livestock is the largest independently owned livestock Company in the Taranaki Region. If you are looking for cattle, dairy cows / herds for sale take a look at livestock for sale online at http://www.cows4sale.co.nz/

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Dairy Farm Investment - Buying Into a Stable Industry

Dairy farm investment is a great option for investors as it is very popular and financially beneficial. It is usually arranged to make sure that best practice dairy farm management can be carried out by various equity managers on any given investment farm. The dairy industry makes up around a quarter of the export industry. Dissimilar to sheep which are mostly grown for their lamb and wool, cows are a much more lucrative option for the farming industry. They produce milk which is mostly used to manufacture things such as butter and cheese and a whole range of other food ingredients and nutritional products.

The importance and necessity of dairy farming makes it a good financial option because of its guaranteed demand. New Zealand heavily relies on the dairy industry for economic health and because there is enormous international demand for milk based products it is logical that so many investors are looking to this sector as an investment farm prospect. Dairy farms stand for a perfect financial opportunity for New Zealanders and overseas investors and over the past ten years the dairy farming industry has provided outstanding and stable returns and a secure asset.

Capital outlay on farms is usually decided by a cost benefit analysis and this is followed by a strategic shift to areas in technology and farming practices that enhance and ensure cow performance is top notch. Equity managers are a very important part to a business's viability and performance. They give stability to a business's performance as long term management steadiness provides for continuous knowledge and development. Such farms are founded and function in a way that will make certain that they perform at a sustainable intensity and meet all local and national regulations that are presently in place so investors know their assets are not in the wrong place.

The main production areas in New Zealand include: Waikato, Taranaki, Southland, Northland, Horowhenua, Manawatu and Westland. For those investors new to this agricultural industry, the milking season in New Zealand typically operates from 1 June to 31 May each year. New Zealander's herds mostly consist of Fresian and Fresian-cross cattle. The largest milk processing companies in NZ include: Fonterra, Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company, Westland Milk Products and Synlait.

New Zealand is one of the world's most competent and proficient dairy farming economies and has a large reputation for producing comprehensive international research, practices and products. There are over 13,000 farmers and between them they produce 1.25 billion kilograms of milk solids annually from around 3.5 million milking cows. This just goes to show why dairy farm investment is a lucrative option. If you are considering investing in the rural industry, then this sector is the perfect choice as it is forever improving and expanding. Find out more about this financial opportunity today.

Waibury Agricultural Investments owns and operates dairy farms and grazing-support farms situated predominantly in the North Canterbury region of New Zealand. Waibury secures on farm equity operators to increase the long-term productivity of these farms through prudent capital development if required. It maximises production, cash flow and expected payout and its resulting in increased capital value.

Find out more about our dairy farm investment opportunities here.

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What You Need to Know About a Mushroom Farm

Running a mushroom farm is hectic business, and you will require a lot of care if you wish to start off your own mushroom ranch. However, if you are able to successfully grow a crop of mushrooms on your own, you can earn massive profits because the demand of mushrooms is quite high. The best thing that you can do is either export your mushrooms or you can think about selling them to the market. Now, on a mushroom ranch, there are a variety of different types of mushrooms that you can grow, which means that the amount of choice available is very diverse when it comes to opening a farm of mushrooms.

However, what you should know is that farming mushrooms is totally different as compared to farming plants. The soil or the compost that you will require to get a healthy growth of your mushrooms will need to be created very delicately, because if anything goes wrong with your soil creation, there are chances that none of the mushrooms will be able to sprout properly. Now, if you are able to grow bigger and better mushrooms, it is obvious that people would buy from you, and you can easily charge a higher price for your mushrooms.

But, the only way that you will be able to grow bigger mushrooms on a mushroom ranch is to ensure that you take good care of your mushroom plantation and read about how to farm them properly. Once you are able to properly understand the requirements of what needs to be done on a mushroom ranch, only then should you attempt to set it up. First of all, the most distinctive factor when it comes to opening a mushroom farm is that you must grow all the mushrooms in an enclosed, controlled environment.

Good quality mushrooms cannot be grown in the natural environment, as there is a great deal of factors that you should take care of, ranging from the precise time when you could introduce fresh air in to the crops of mushrooms, as well as when you must provide them with sprinkled water. Therefore, it is important that you set up large greenhouses if you wish to start a mushroom ranch. Even though it might be difficult at first, once you understand how a mushroom farming is done, it will be quite easy for you to earn profits from it.

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