What's so good about best practices?
Best practices in Agriculture are the techniques and ways of farming that benefit both the farmer and the environment. There are many best practices used in the farms we visited, as well as on the school farm itself.
Drip Irrigation - a system of irrigation that only lets water drip directly to the roots of plants. This saves water, as it goes straight to the roots and doesn't evaporate into the atmosphere. The amount of water can also be fine tuned to use the exact amount needed.
Hedge Rows - rows of plants that border a field. The purpose of these rows is to attract pollinators and keep the local environment's biodiversity in insects and plants. Hedge rows planted on the banks of sloughs can prevent erosion and provide space for fish and insects to thrive.
Mulch - any material that is used to insulate or enrich a plant's surrounding soil. It is spread on top of the soil around plants. In the experiment we did with mulch temperatures, we determined that rice hulls were the most effective at insulating the soil in the agriculture biome. The rice hulls were also the most sustainable of the mulches we tested.
Crop Rotation - The rotation of crops depending on the season and needs of the soil. Crop rotation can be used to enrich soil with nitrogen by planting legumes that put nitrogen from the atmosphere back into the soil. After the legumes grow, they can be replaced with crops that rely on nitrogen to grow.
Cover Cropping - Planting crops over other crops to provide shade. These crops can also attract pollinators and provide homes for insects, keeping the biodiversity high.
Drip Irrigation - a system of irrigation that only lets water drip directly to the roots of plants. This saves water, as it goes straight to the roots and doesn't evaporate into the atmosphere. The amount of water can also be fine tuned to use the exact amount needed.
Hedge Rows - rows of plants that border a field. The purpose of these rows is to attract pollinators and keep the local environment's biodiversity in insects and plants. Hedge rows planted on the banks of sloughs can prevent erosion and provide space for fish and insects to thrive.
Mulch - any material that is used to insulate or enrich a plant's surrounding soil. It is spread on top of the soil around plants. In the experiment we did with mulch temperatures, we determined that rice hulls were the most effective at insulating the soil in the agriculture biome. The rice hulls were also the most sustainable of the mulches we tested.
Crop Rotation - The rotation of crops depending on the season and needs of the soil. Crop rotation can be used to enrich soil with nitrogen by planting legumes that put nitrogen from the atmosphere back into the soil. After the legumes grow, they can be replaced with crops that rely on nitrogen to grow.
Cover Cropping - Planting crops over other crops to provide shade. These crops can also attract pollinators and provide homes for insects, keeping the biodiversity high.