I've been raising chickens for a while now, but I'd like to improve their environment and health, especially since I started leaning toward organic farming practices. One idea I've read a lot about is the use of cover crops - plants grown primarily to benefit the soil. So, I'm curious if they can serve a dual purpose - improving soil health while also delivering more nutrition for my free-range chickens.

The reason I'm interested in this is actually two reasons! First, healthy soil is the foundation of any successful farm, organic or otherwise. It can improve water retention, reduce erosion, and increase biodiversity. Second, I do care a lot about the welfare of my chickens, so I want them to have a more diverse diet that mimics their natural foraging behavior as closely as possible. This should be good for their health - but it can also improve the quality of their eggs. Win-win, I suppose.

So, I'm looking for recommendations on cover crops that are useful for soil regeneration and are safe and nutritious for chickens to forage. I've found some options through https://expertchicken.com, but I'm not sure I can actually find and order (and even afford) the top ones.

Anyway, these would ideally be plants that enrich the soil with nutrients, suppress weeds, and are also appealing and healthy for chickens to eat. I've read about certain legumes, grasses, and brassicas being good for soil health, but I'm not sure which of these are best for chickens or if there are other options I haven't considered.

I'm especially interested in plants that can survive with minimal maintenance to keep all of this as sustainable and low-intervention as possible. They also need to be non-toxic and suitable for poultry consumption. Could anyone share their recommendations, please?

Goodmorning! I’ve been practicing and learning about organic farming since 2015 and ended my professional career in 2020 as a manager for a multi million dollar corporation called Green Peaks Innovations. Since then I have been working, learning and building soil on my families small farm (old apple orchard) in northern Michigan. Last year was officially my first year as an in soil farmer and my harvest volume was ridiculously high for the amount of space I used. So I finally feel I understand the soil and inputs side of things, however I’m basically void of any knowledge on the logistics and business side of things. I feel like watching and helping a professional would be best at this point. I would hugely appreciate any ideas or suggestions on where to go next. Thank you guys!

We are a Soil Association Organic smallholding in Wales, UK selling Organic barefoot strawberry runners.

We are looking for advice on where we could sell our plants as, especially in the UK we have limited certified Organic wholesalers yet finding the right place to market and sell our product has been a struggle for us.

All guidance very much welcome! Many thanks

We currently have set up an Etsy page but welcome all and any other ideas!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DarnBachFarm

Hi,

I am a competent drone pilot for photography however id like to look at other industries and one which catches my attention is multispectral imaging. This allows images for farmers and land owners to see how their crops are growing and make fast time adjustments to increase yield and look for diseases/ problems before they become visible to the human eye.

1: Does anybody already adopt this way of working

2: From actual farmers, is tech like this just another gimmick or actually pretty useful?

Thanks!

I am looking for farming job around Chattanooga. Please give me some recommendations.

Which brands of fertilizer do you recommend buying and using? CF Industries, Mosaic, Nutrien, SQM, generics? Is there a difference between buying and using any of these or are generics fine?

Does anyone have business plan or template I could use to outline how to start my organic garden ?

I’m trying to find some organic farming instagram and/or YouTube accounts that focus on teaching and education. Anyone have any reputable, good accounts to recommend for someone wanting to learn about organic farming? I’ve never gardened before but I’d like to start easing my way in by watching some videos. You can throw in book recommendations if you feel so inclined as well. Thanks.

An effective method for organic farming companies to engage environmentally conscious consumers is to establish a company presence on the EcoHubMap online platform.

EcoHubMap serves as an extensive online directory dedicated to promoting eco-friendly businesses, such as yours. By becoming a part of this platform, you gain the opportunity to connect with a broader audience of individuals who share a commitment to organic products and sustainable solutions.

To get started, follow these steps:

🔆 Visit https://www.ecohubmap.com/add/business

🔆 Sign up or log in to your account.

🔆 Create a profile for your farming company.

🔆 In the description, indicate what your company does

🔆 Provide contact details and the location of your office

A well-filled profile enhances your company's visibility in search engine results on the platform. The more clicks your company's page receives on EcoHubMap, the greater the number of interested users visiting your company's website.

Go to the site right now https://www.ecohubmap.com to create another source of customers for your business

#EcoHubMap #GreenTech #SustainableFuture #OrganicFarming #Agriculture

I want to convert a portion of my property to food production to sustain my family. It's densely weeded virgin ground in zone 9b of California. Heavy clay soil. Please note that other than money for seeds and some supplies, I am basically broke.

Can someone please help me come up with a plan so I can plant this season?

1. To start off, let me tell you what I've been thinking. I want to mark out the location, and then break the ground with a pitch fork but not till it. (I want to do a no-till method.)
2. After repeatedly breaking the ground over the course of a week or so, I want to cover the entire area with cardboard, 3 inches of soil, and 4 inches of compost.
3. I then want to cover the entire area with a weed barrier, in which I want to cut holes for transplants.

Is this a good idea?

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Hey! I was wondering about seed saving in accordance with ccof guidelines.

Let’s say year 1 I buy some pepper variety seeds that have been bred for heat (conventionally grown) can I grow those seeds on a small scale organically and save the seeds from that harvest to use next year for market garden production? Or would ccof throw a fit?

Anyone know of any organic farms / farmers near the Warsaw area?

Sorry if off-topic, but was having a hard time finding organic vegetables and meat around Warsaw, Poland (I live a few miles south of the city).

I wanted to connect with some local farms to buy organic produce from them, and possibly even help somehow perhaps (I have a few years experience in no-till organic gardening).

I googled online but there's little info, I feel like it's maybe more or a word of mouth thing.

Coming from a city in the US where it's a lot easier to find organic options, in Poland you can find some non-perishable goods and some very limited options that are organic, also very expensive.

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I’ve worked at organic farms for 3 years now out west in Colorado and Oregon. Wondering if there are any notable farms in the Midwest/Northeast that offer housing for the season? Thanks!

Wondering if anyone has any recommendations on a quality seed vendor for a new farmer, or if this is another thing my local coop could help me with? Thank you!

I'm wondering what some good supplement options are for pregnant & lactating cows and sheep that don’t contain soy, vegetable oil or synthetic nutrients. Is there a simple DIY supplement that I can make? I'm also interested in options to give them a boost when they're on hay/silage and not fresh pasture.

Hi,

I’m trying to start a small business in Florida and was searching what can be a profitable business.

Im not sure if organic farming is a good idea and was looking for an advice from someone with current or past experience.

Thank you

Sorry for the dumb question

I've recently learned that poultry and other meat products in the US are treated with chemicals to kill bacteria. Does anyone know if organic chicken is treated with chlorine as well? I googled but I'm only finding what it says about how the chicken lived, not how it was processed.

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Hello All, with the push for better eating practices and a resurgence of small, family farming, my partner and I are exploring the creation of an app to make local, organic CSAs more readily available to consumers. I've worked on farms for years and have felt that our CSAs have been crucial for the overall prosperity of the farm as a business.

Now...Is this something you could benefit from? If so, what key functions of an app would inspire you to use it or make fielding CSA interest and organizing orders easier? Do you believe this would be helpful in drawing awareness to your business? Our goal is to bolster local farmers whilst also making their administrative life a bit easier through in-app direct payments (if preferred) and a business profile that is easy to create and easier to manage. The last thing we want is to add another thing to tend to.

Thanks for reading and hope to hear from some of you

Hey guys. I’ve recently started growing wheatgrass indoors from seed from juicing purposes. What are the steps I need to take to maintain the grass and then let it grow so I can harvest it.