Farmville in real life

Farmville in Real Life – Loans for Farms

Environment, Farming, Soil

Millennials may think of farming as a low priority career, especially considering that it is the country’s second poorest workforce to date. However, bigger and brighter opportunities make the agriculture sector a lucrative reason to apply for a personal loan and make that Farmville or Township addiction a reality.

Reasons Why you Should Consider the Farming Business

Farmville in real lifeYes, there are a few likely reasons why you should plan to apply for a personal loan today and start your own farming story as a profitable business endeavor.

•    Farming can provide farmers with $2,000 earning per hectare each year, according to the National Farmer’s Union.

•    Vegetable import worth $3 million can be locally produced if enough people are willing to venture into vegetable farming

•    The agriculture sector grew by 5.28 percent from January to March this year compared to the same period last year.

All these numbers and more can be reason enough to nurture the green thumb and make a profit out of your produce.

Fresh Farm Ideas You Can Try

Introducing innovative ideas in the farming and agriculture sector can be your ticket to success. Here are a few emerging trends you might want to adapt to your farm business plan:

•    Organic farming – Gone were the days when corn, rice and other crops are cultivated with natural fertilizers. Commercially-grown produce is drowned in chemicals and pesticides that compromise naturally fresh contents of these crops. Although a few organic brands of vegetables and plants are already introduced in the market, more farmers are still encouraged to implement organic farming.

•    Tea growing – Tea gradually steals the limelight from traditional coffee brews as more and more people realize the importance of drinking tea to the body. According to DILG, growing world-class variety of tea can earn a farmer around $10,000 per kilo.

•    Medicinal plant farming – With the rising cost of medicines, growing medicinal herbs will push for a more inexpensive and natural option to deal with minor illnesses. Medicinal herb farming can help pharmaceutical companies access raw materials needed for herbal medicine production and will also boost livelihood for those living in the countryside. According to recent studies, an ordinary farmer generates $700 extra income per year for lagundi farming alone. Consider how much you might potentially earn if you also grow other types of medicinal herbs like sambong leaves, akapulko, banaba and yerba Buena.

•    Jatropha farming – Jatropha is a biodiesel crop known to be drought-resistant. Jatropha seed can be useful up to 40 years with its seeds producing 30-35 percent of oil content. Jatropha has a yield potential of up to 2 tons of oil per hectare every year. Jatropha farming can help reduce greenhouse gas impacts by becoming a primary ingredient in biofuel mix.

•    Mushroom farming – With small capital and sufficient training, you can always start mushroom farming business anytime. Choose which variety of mushrooms you want to grow, but profitable varieties include the white button, shiitake, Portobello and lion’s mane. Mushrooms are lucrative crops when grown with the right environmental conditions. Some types require a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius coupled with a good source of light and ventilation.

How to Start Your Farming Business

If you have decided which crops to grow on your farm, then it is time to plan your business. Here are some of the things to be included in your checklist:

•    Finding the right land – Your crops require the appropriate acidity, moisture and environmental condition. Find a location that will suffice the necessary conditions for your chosen plants. During the process of selecting the land, consider the soil quality, water or irrigation access and facilities or infrastructure that makes your farm more efficient and productive.

•    Getting financed – Not everyone is blessed with inherited lands, so you need to find sources of funds. Applying for personal loans from banks can jumpstart your dream Agri-business. You can inquire from banks and other lending institutions, or you can also check out assistance from concerned government agencies.

•    Preparing a business plan – A business plan is the backbone of your farming venture. It is also the basis for banks to approve your loan applications. Make a market research and study how successful farms were handled for you to come up with an efficient farming strategy.

Finance For Farming

Getting The Most From Your Farmland

Agriculture, Blog, Farming

Farming can be expensive, which means you should always be looking for ways to maximise the use of your land. Borrowing money may be a great way to get started, but you should always focus on the return in your investment. Whether you engage in agriculture as a business or a hobby, you must do things right before the money you borrowed from the banks slips off your hands in seconds.

Finance For FarmingFarming can allow you to grow crops, fruits and vegetables while raising livestock. Depending on your interest, you can earn much from fertile soils that the country is gifted with.

Take your farming operation to the next level by considering these farming tips below:

•    Identify your market – What is your target market? Would you like to grow potatoes or other types of crops? Where are you going to sell the products? Do you need to travel to sell them or you can just deliver to retailers in the local market? Your target market determines the kinds of crops and livestock you will raise on your farm. Conducts research on the most sought-after goods in the locality before buying your farm supplies.

•    Lease the land – Personal loans are perfect for starting start small businesses, but buying the land with the loaned money might not be enough. You can opt to rent an existing farm which requires a lower upfront cost. You can use the rest of the money to buy equipment and other supplies.

•    Grow your needs – Make your farm a source of your passion. If you can’t grow for business, you can grow something to provide for your family’s needs. You may love strawberries, or you are a fan of mangoes. Either way, you can always do away with the traditional farm crops like corn.

•    Try doing things yourself – Embrace DIY especially for things that don’t need expert services. You can’t imagine how much money you can save from paying people to do a job that can be handled by you or any member of your family.

•    Check out some farm hacks – The internet is now filled with a lot of hacks from the ingenuity of people around the world. A culticycle is a four-wheeled vehicle that imitates a bicycle. It is used for seeding and cultivation. The culticycle is built from parts of bike, ATV and tractor. What’s good with it? Well, it does not consume fuel, it has minor soil compaction, and it is cheaper than a tractor.

•    Establish your network – Get connected with other farmers in the area. A network of farming enthusiasts will be your source of support. They can give advice on the best crops and fertilizers to be used in your land. They can provide recommendations and updates on how to improve your farming journey.

Farming is not just a hobby. Maximizing your money can happen through a commitment to the farm and the season. For it to become more profitable, you need to give time for yourself to understand the business and decide on how to make it a lucrative journey.

3 Reasons Why Soil Conservation Is So Important

Agriculture, Farming, Soil, Soil Conservation

Most of us have probably realized it by now; that soil is necessary for the sustainability of humankind. It might sound a little cliché yet what we sow is what we harvest.

What we have done to take care of our environment has manifested in so many ways, just like the disasters we have encountered in the past or the tragedies our ancestors and elderly have gone through. Some of these may not affect us deliberately, while some gave us memories that we can never forget and even pass on to our juniors. There are things we really had to learn the hard way.

While we have started some precautionary and conservation measures, here are a few reasons why soil protection is imperative:

  1. The soil is literally the foundation of plant life. A tree will not be a tree without soil. While there are some plants that can live in water or air, most plants need to be rooted to the ground.

It is the soil that provides nutrition to this plant life. It is through this vegetation that nourishes the humankind and the animal kingdom. Plants are important resource of food and fuel and of wood and other by-products that make our other life functions possible.

  1. The soil additionally supports the animal kingdom. Our agriculture also relies on soil, for its location and for other functions to be derived from its existence. It will be almost impossible to support the animal and human life without land. Biodiversity relies on soil at all times.
  1. The soil is necessary for water supply. This is the magic of nature. The land is also necessary to ensure the quality of water we derive from our earth. Soil and water co-exist. So do we and soil co-exist? Taking good care of our soil equates to taking care of our water supply.

There are always a lot more reasons to conserve soil. However, I believe that the above are simply enough for us to start conserving our land resources as soon as we can.