Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.

This colorful manual includes research-based information on all aspects of production of landscape plants in commercial nurseries. Written primarily for wholesale nursery growers and propagators; a wide range of those involved in the nursery industry will find this a valuable reference. Twenty chapters in five broad sections cover topics from nursery site selection to crop production, water management to business and labor management, along with pest, weed, and disease management. This easy-to-use manual contains the photos, tables and clearly written text that make UC ANR's publications the go-to references industry professionals rely upon. Chapters include: Nursery Site Selection and Development Plant Growing Structures Mechanization and Automation Soils and Container Media Nutrition and Fertilization Irrigation Management Practices Controlling Runoff and Recycling Water, Nutrients, and Waste Plant Propagation Controlling Plant Growth Diagnosing Plant Problems Integrated Pest Management Plant Diseases Insects, Mites, and Other Invertebrate Pests Integrated Weed Management Vertebrate Pest Management Invasive Pests Business Management Marketing Considerations Increasing Labor Productivity

Contrary to popular belief, a good living can be made on an organic farm. What’s required is farming smarter, not harder. In The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook, Richard Wiswall shares advice on how to make your vegetable production more efficient, better manage your employees and finances, and turn a profit. From his twenty-seven years of experience at Cate Farm in Vermont, Wiswall knows firsthand the joys of starting and operating an organic farm—as well as the challenges of making a living from one. Farming offers fundamental satisfaction from producing food, working outdoors, being one’s own boss, and working intimately with nature. But, unfortunately, many farmers avoid learning about the business end of farming; because of this, they often work harder than they need to, or quit farming altogether because of frustrating—and often avoidable—losses. In this comprehensive business kit, Wiswall covers: Step-by-step procedures to make your crop production more efficient Advice on managing employees, farm operations, and office systems Novel marketing strategies What to do with your profits: business spending, investing, and planning for retirement A companion toolkit, available for download upon purchase of the book, offers valuable business tools, including easy-to-use spreadsheets for projecting cash flow, a payroll calculator, comprehensive crop budgets for forty different crops, and tax planners.

Provides information on all stages of almond production, from planting and developing new orchards to managing bearing orchards and harvesting and handling the crop. Written by more than 50 UC experts, the manual's information is practical and suited to field application. More than 80 color photos.

The handbook describes primary cover crop species, including grasses, legumes, mustards and other cool-season and warm-season options. Photos, seeding details, winter vigor descriptions, nitrogen fixation and scavenging, weed suppression and nematode resistance are included for each species. In addition to assisting with crop selection, this handbook addresses the effects of cover cropping on water management, pest management and farm economics. For California growers, the handbook also discusses differences in cover crop use for the Central Valley, Desert and Coastal regions. Chapters include: Botany and Species Selection Agricultural Soil Ecology Water Management and Impacts on Water Quality Soil Nitrogen Fertility Management Weeds Soilborne Pathogens

Written in easy-to-read non-technical language, this manual is the perfect field application guide. Inside you’ll find the professionalism, expertise and science-based answers you’ve come to expect from the University of California—with contributions from more than 40 Cooperative Extension professionals, UC faculty, USDA scientists, and highly skilled prune industry experts.

Chapters include:
An industry overview
A detailed description of prune biology
Information on understanding soils, varieties, irrigation and fertilization
Pest management techniques
A lesson on harvest and postharvest management

The breadth of expertise and knowledge contained in the 320 pages of this manual, along with the more than 300 photos and 56 color illustrations make this one of the most comprehensive prune production manuals in the world.

Principles and farm-tested practices for no-till market gardening--for healthier, more productive soil! From the host of the popular The No-Till Market Garden Podcast—heard around the world with nearly one million downloads! Discovering how to meet the soil’s needs is the key task for every market gardener. In this comprehensive guide, Farmer Jesse Frost shares all he has learned through experience and experimentation with no-till practices on his home farm in Kentucky and from interviews and visits with highly successful market gardeners in his role as host of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast. The Living Soil Handbook is centered around the three basic principles of no-till market gardening: Disturb the soil as little as possible Keep it covered as much as possible Keep it planted as much as possible. Farmer Jesse then guides readers in applying those principles to their own garden environment, with their own materials, to meet their own goals. Beginning with an exploration of the importance of photosynthesis to living soil, Jesse provides in-depth information on: Turning over beds Using compost and mulch Path management Incorporating biology, maintaining fertility Cover cropping Diversifying plantings through intercropping Production methods for seven major crops Throughout, the book emphasizes practical information on all the best tools and practices for growers who want to build their livelihood around maximizing the health of their soil. Farmer Jesse reminds growers that “as possible” is the mantra for protecting the living soil: disturb the soil as little as you possibly can in your context. He does not believe that growers should anguish over what does and does not qualify as “no-till.” If you are using a tool to promote soil life and biology, that’s the goal. Jesse’s goal with The Living Soil Handbook is to provide a comprehensive set of options, materials, and field-tested practices to inspire growers to design a soil-nurturing no-till system in their unique garden or farm ecosystem. "[A] practical, informative debut. . . .Gardeners interested in sustainable agriculture will find this a great place to start."—Publishers Weekly "Frost offers a comprehensive, science-based, sympathetic, wholly practical guide to soil building, that most critical factor in vegetable gardening for market growers and home gardeners alike. A gift to any vegetable plot that will keep on giving."—Booklist (starred review)

This guide features cutting-edge methods for using cover crops to enhance vineyard performance. Based on extensive research, this guide details technical and theoretical information on how cover crops affect vineyards and promote ecological stability. With how-to instructions for activities such as field application, this practical reference is a must-have for vineyard owners, managers, consultants, and pest control advisers.