New age farm

Hello Everybody,

I wish to use this thread as my Farm Page. One senior asked me to do Blog, i instead choose Forum Thread for present.
am here to explore opportunities in Agriculture and from my short journey of two years in this field on a small 1.5 acre of my field, i’ve grown from Passive Farmer to Active Farmer. Now, i want to go Pro!

There is a small discussion going on @ getthecommunityopinion thread which i want to direct here on this thread and take the discussion forward as that’s getting very specific to my needs and it’s also just a start, which i believe and hope will only lengthen with time.

I’ll repost from start and then let go. Cheers & Regards, naf :slight_smile:

See my comments inline.

[Padmanabhan Ganesan] - ZNBF is not taking any external input while organic is similar to zbnf except for external input. For eg., you can Panchakavya from outside which is organic and use it
What about Vermicast? At the Subhash Pallekar page, i read stuff about Vericulture that repulsed me, palekarzerobudgetspiritualfa … ganic.aspx
Can you please advise or direct me to the correct relevant stuff! TIA

[Padmanabhan Ganesan] - Each acre can be utilized to rear 1+24 goats.
That’s it? Even in stall fed method i will need so much farm space for only 25? i was of the opinion that in stall fed method, i could do with 5000 to 6000 sqft for 50 goats! This is about 15 % of an acre. That too i had planned a raised shed, 8 ft from ground so that i could use the space for multi purpose. On Ground; two cows, farm equipment & implement space, a small store with lock key. On First; Goat shed and the works. Above that, roofing with Hybrid (Solar & Wind). Kindly explain why i need rest of the 85% space? Is that to farm & produce feed stock for the goats?

[Padmanabhan Ganesan] - What type of nursery? Is it Vegetables, Flowers or anything other than this (be specific). Only short term crops can go with your lease period.
Vegetables of course. No Flowers for now. Fruits, yes possible, will have to study closely. Crops, definitely. There’s also a lot about crops fruits veggies and plantations that i have to read as i plan a multi cropping project. something i glanced was 33:33:33, something of a multi cropping mix model. Looked interesting, will have to re-visit that page.
Why only short term crops if lease is for 5 years? Also i was pondering on high value crops, like dals and lentils and stuff. i believe they have longer harvest times but then give high value in the market??? … My God! there so much to study and understand and so little time.

There’s also this school of thought in agricultural circles about the Yield. One has a fixed space of land. What is the max yield of the land? in terms of every year, every 5 years, in 10 years, in 25, … Mind here we’re keeping to agriculture and no other like real state & stuff. So what’s the yield? To begin to answer, i ask, for how long do i have it? to begin to answer that i again ask, for how long should i have it for the whole thing to be optimal? How do i answer that ??? or am i on the wrong drift? Comments Please!

[Padmanabhan Ganesan] - The difference between compost and vermicompost… Both are natural and organic only. There is no chemicals used in either of them.
The same as above about Vermicast.

some new queries - Machine & Tools
am planning to buy some farm equipment, tractor & implements. Any advice what brand, how many hp, what model, which implements? Of-course all will depend on what crops or plants i will do. In a general case if i do contract farming on a longer perspective and treat the expenses as investments for farm equipment, i have decided to go for a Mahindra 35 hp tractor. For an initial, is this power sufficient? Or 39 HP is better?

No use of the tractor without implements, thus i’ve planned for a thresher as well. also a rotovator as it’s highly recommended, a cultivator, a two piece iron leveller ( useful for border wall creation) & a woodden leveller.
i want to ask about the rotator specifically. is it really that important? have seen it in action around the place but never used in own field. i believe the correct use of it in terms of the wheat crop would be when after the seed is broad casted over the field, the rotovator is used to churns & granulate the soil and mixes the seeds in this nicely porous soil to improve the germination yield. And it levels the field up in the same run as well. is my understanding correct?

also, do i need the disc harrow as well when i already have the cultivator? Which one of the two can i eliminate? Or do i need both along with the rotovator?
The thresher, should it be high mount feed model or bucket model? Electrical / diesel / or tractor operated? Multi crop or crop specific?
i was keen on the reaper too but i’ve been advised to not go for it right now, may be a year later or so. In any case, looking at the vids of reapers, they only cut the crop and lay it on one side. One has to bind it, carry it to the store / thrasher site, feed it in thrasher and collect the grains. Whereas in a combine harvester, the same job becomes much easier to carry out? My question in that case is, are there compatible combine harvesters for 40 hp tractors? if so, are they viable in performance and cost?

Testing tools - To start a planned Agri project, one understands the importance of soil and it’s nutrient / microbial contents. Are there any tools available in the market which can measure the various minerals vitamins and nutrient / microbial contents of the soil? This will help to determine what additives are needed for specific crops and thus they can be optimally applied in the required quantities organically or naturally. This will help greatly in the short & long term viability of the project.

Data - i was also searching for a data matrix of sorts which will help me understand a lot of things. for ex every crops plantation times (all season or specific season), their nutrient requirements at various stages of growth (seeding, planting, flowering, fruiting & harvest), their compatibility with other veggies & crops, any basic or advanced doe’s and dont’s.

This has become too much to answer and i’ve only just started, :stuck_out_tongue:
i hope members can contribute. Monosyllable answers will do, links & direction wherever possible. Thanks in advance.
Cheers & Regards, naf :slight_smile:

See my comments inline.