Monday, June 25, 2012

Strawberry Farm Start-up Guide



Starting a commercial strawberry farm takes interest, experience and capital. If you are planning to cultivate strawberries for profit, you must undertake intense preparation to get off to a good start.

Prepare yourself for this task by having your questions about strawberry farming answered reading our basic guide.

Strawberry Farm Startup Needs
Starting a commercial strawberry farm is not for everyone. It requires a special interest in strawberry farming and selling, years of experience in strawberry growing, and a lot of capital. You’d need some $1,000 to raise an acre of strawberries. You’d need to purchase or lease at least a few acres of land and get the equipment to cultivate a crop. You’d need a tractor, spreader, bedder, pickup truck, irrigation system, mowers, and sprayers. These equipments cost a lot if you buy them, that’s why some farmers opt to rent instead. More importantly, you have to have the experience in growing strawberries, perhaps by learning it from childhood if your family already owns an orchard or by working for one strawberry farm for a long time. Experience and knowledge are needed to grow a sensitive crop as a strawberry.

Strawberry Cultivation Basics
Strawberry planting and harvesting often can take up to a year. You’d need to go through several stages of planning, planting, cultivating and harvesting. To start a farm, you’d need to prepare your soil for strawberry growing. Check on the kind of soil you have by performing a soil test. Strawberries prefer loam soil, particularly sandy loam soil. Knowing your soil type and composition will help you decide how to prepare it for cultivation. You might need to broadcast lime in order to adjust its pH to the preferred pH strength of 6 by strawberries. Then you need to apply fertilizer and fumigate the soil to control weed growth. You’ll need to spray fungicides and insecticides later when the strawberries have grown. A major task in strawberry farming is the installation of irrigation and sprinkler system for the water needs of the plant. All these processes could take almost a year. But there are also varieties that ripen in shorter times. The Chandler variety is the most commonly preferred variety because of its adaptability to the climate.

Because of the complexity needed in growing a crop like strawberry, intense preparation is necessary. In order to successfully start a farm, someone planning to do so should come up with a business plan to contain all the necessary aspects of the business. The business plan should include information on what kind of strawberry farming system will be used, the orchard layout, the farming timetable, marketing strategy and the financial analysis for the farm.

The financial aspect should include the variable costs for seeds, fertilizer, pesticide, labor, and overhead; and the fixed costs such as money spent for acquiring land, and paying depreciation, taxes and insurance.

Top 10 cellulite-busting foods

 

01) Ginger

One cause of cellulite is poor circulation, so eating foods such as ginger that boost blood flow can help to improve its appearance. As well as being good for circulation, ginger is also good for detoxification and strengthening the lymphatic system, which can help with the circulation of lymph fluid and toxins that can accumulate in fat pockets under the skin, contributing to the bumpy appearance of cellulite.

02) Asparagus

Asparagus is another food with circulation-boosting properties. On top of this, asparagus is a great stress reliever due to its abundance of folic acid, which can help to stabilise a stressful mood. As prolonged levels of stress can increase fat storage on the body, adding foods such as asparagus to your diet can help to reduce the appearance of cellulite.

03) Avocados

While anyone fat, thin, young or old can suffer from cellulite, ageing does tend to increase the visibility of cellulite due to the loss of elasticity and thinning of skin. Therefore, try eating foods rich in Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) which can help to strengthen skin and keep it supple and elastic. Avocados are a particularly rich source of EFAs, as well as being high in many essential nutrients.

04) Oily fish

Another top food for keeping the skin in good condition is oily fish, which is high in skin-strengthening omega-3 fatty acids. As an added bonus, the fatty acids present in oily fish are also good for reducing inflammation and boosting the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems, making them a good choice for keeping cellulite at bay.

05) Dark, leafy greens

Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale are rich in an antioxidant called lutein, which research has shown is good for helping the skin to retain its moisture and elasticity and increase its lipid levels - all good news for those suffering from cellulite. On top of this, leafy greens are nutrient-rich and are good for the circulation and detoxification.

06) Cranberry juice

A sluggish lymphatic system is one of the primary causes of cellulite, so those wishing to reduce its appearance should try boosting their intake of cranberry juice, which is noted for its abilities to cleanse the lymph system. This powerful juice helps to emulsify stubborn fat deposits in the lymphatic system so that they are more easily flushed out the system.

07) Bananas

Bananas are a rich source of potassium, which is helpful for reducing cellulite in many ways. Firstly, potassium helps to reduce water retention which can be a leading cause of cellulite. Furthermore, potassium can help to support the lymphatic system and ensure it works efficiently at circulating fluid and cleansing the body of impurities.

08) Whole grains

Whole grains are packed with fibre, which is an essential for keeping your body running smoothly. Fibre helps speed up the process of detoxification and clear out waste products that can build up in your system, often leading to cellulite. Eating whole grains also helps to keep the heart healthy and boost circulation to cellulite-prone areas.

09) Papaya

Eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is one of the best ways to detox the body and reduce the appearance of cellulite, and papaya is a particularly good choice of fruit. Papaya is not only rich in potassium - one of the most important nutrients when it comes to battling cellulite - but it is also high in antioxidant beta-carotene, which can help prevent damage to body tissue.

10) Berries

To help keep skin firm and taut and disguise the appearance of cellulite, try adding some vitamin C to your diet to help boost your skin's collagen levels. Berries are a particularly good source of vitamin C, as well as being extremely high in the antioxidants necessary for fighting toxic waste, which can slow down the lymphatic system and accumulate in cellulite-prone areas. Read more on realbuzz.com...
 

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