At Branru Farm , we love raising goats. Keeping goats is one of several ways we participate in sustainable farming practices. We believe farming is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the environment. In some cases, farming can even help save money or make money, such as how we sell products made with goat milk, including Spring Mint body lotion. However, to be the most effective sustainable farming has to be done the right way.
Here's how to save with smart ways farmers use to cut costs and protect the environment.
Water Conservation: Every Drop Counts
Whether you are keeping goats, cows, or any other type of animal, water conservation on your farm is very important. It can not only save you money, but also help you protect the planet. That is particularly true if you participate in both animal and plant-related farming. Here are some techniques you can use for water conservation:
Rotating Crops
Planting Crops With Low Water Requirements in Drier Climates
Collect Rainwater Runoff.
Those and other techniques for water conservation can make your farm less dependent on wells and municipal water supplies. It's also important to reuse water you collect multiple times when you can. For example, you can sometimes save water you use for cleaning or rinsing equipment and reuse it to irrigate crops as a form of farm recycling.
Animal Bedding: From Waste to Resource
Keeping goats and other farm animals or growing crops requires you to stay on your toes and stay informed about changing practices that may make your life on the farm easier. A practice that has been around for years but is recently gaining even more traction is composting used bedding. When you use certain types of bedding and then compost it later, you can create useful fertilizer for your crops. Those types of bedding include straw and wood shavings. There are other products used for bedding. Do your research and decide for yourself what you want to use.
Repurposing Farm Materials: A Second Life for Everything
Here on our little farm we try to reuse as much as we can, whether raising goats and making goat milk soap and body lotion or growing plants on our property. Many small farmers do the same in various ways. It's important to think outside the box when repurposing farm materials. Below are some ideas, but don't limit
yourself to just those when doing your own farm recycling. Use them for inspiration.
Certain old pallets can be used to construct basic shelters or feeders.
Barrels can sometimes be cut in half to construct plastic water or feed troughs.
Twine and baling wire have dozens of farm uses, but a couple include supporting plants and fixing fences.
Feed sacks work well as bags for harvesting berries and other crops around the farm or as trash bags.
You can also reuse feed sacks, burlap, and other materials to create protective coverings for various plants and items around the farm.
The best farmers are innovative and know how to make items on the fly. They also learn how to reuse existing items. Things like cardboard boxes, wooden crates, glass jars, old tires, and other materials lying around can often be repurposed in multiple ways.
Energy Conservation: Powering Sustainable Farms
Conserving energy is another way to save money on a farm, whether you're keeping goats or not. You can use simple methods like constructing wooden shelters for animals or planting trees to create shade, reducing cooling costs. When you do need power for cooling systems or any other purposes, try wind or solar power. Both are affordable and renewable.
Food Waste Reduction: From Table to Farm
Finally, consider reducing food waste on your farm. Besides making our own products like sandalwood soap. We love raising goats because they are so hearty. They'll eat almost anything, including many table and garden scraps. If you start your own goat farm, you might be able to take advantage of that to save time, energy, and money by feeding your goats some table scraps and garden plants once in a while. However, you need to make sure they are still getting all of the balanced nutrition they need and be careful to avoid foods and plants that
are toxic to goats. Contrary to popular belief, there's a lengthy list of those, including but not limited to onion, garlic, oak, azalea, and citrus fruits.
If you combine some or all of the above tips, you'll be well on the way to streamlining your farm, as we try to do here at Branru Farm . You'll cut down on expenses and lower your carbon footprint. In the long run, you might even save yourself a bunch of time and make daily farm life easier.