Before industrialization happened, farming was one of the biggest ventures of mankind and it is to this day, still one of the most important sectors in the world. From the beginning to of time, a lot of advancement has happened that changed the methods and strategies in farming. There are now many ways on how to make yields better and maximize the land value through precision agriculture.
However, there are still basic factors that affect farming that remains significant to this day. One of these is the growth of weeds along with plants. Weeds are technically also classified as plants but they are not the plants that we want. Seemingly so, we can pertain to them as plants that are in the wrong place at the wrong time. If they are not properly managed, they can cause a lot of loss in terms of the plant yield and they compromise the aesthetic value of the farm.
With this, there are ways on how farmers control farm weeds before they can do a lot of damage.
1. Buying a push weed eater.
If you own a meadow, you must be worried about the weeds. A good way is having a push weed eater. You simply push behind and weeds are easily removed. Of course, it’s not easy to choose a good push weed eater, You can refer to Peter reviews.
2. Plan the layout of plants to maximize the space.
When farmers do this, it gives no space for the weeds to grow out of. There is also a matter of making the types of plants you plant on the land as diverse as possible. As it is, naturally, diversity will prevent weeds from growing out since the spaces are already taken and the diversity is already achieved by the plant choices alone.
3. Prevent weeds from growing by mulching.
Plants need sunlight to grow and develop. Since weeds are plants, this element is crucial for them, too. Mulching is a method that basically covered part of the land that is not planted on with organic material like straw, dried leaves and such to prevent leaves from pushing through the surface by keeping them in the dark.
4. Using nature’s foragers as weed eaters.
Normally, farmers would like to avoid having animals in areas where they plant crops but in this case, they prove to be helpful in controlling weeds in the farm. Geese are examples of animals that can help regulating the weeds’ growth in the farm. Weeder geese have an inclination to eating weeds other than the leaves of plants. So, they are not only able to get food that they need, they also help farmers control unwanted weeds.
5. Planting crops on the land while waiting for it to replenish nutrients.
This is basically having a secondary plant choice to be planted while the main crop is not to be planted yet. This also prevents the land from being barren. As was reiterated again, the concept is not to leave the ground bare to prevent the growth of unwanted plants. Practically, too, instead of weeds, they find it better to plant something that they can actually use to maximize the land use.
There are many other techniques that farmers use to control weeds in the farm. They can be natural and some include the use of chemicals. In the long run, the basic principle is to be strategic in placing the plants and the layout of the farm and monitor it closely to avoid future economical loss and hassle.
Farmers have been known to exist ever since man learned to till the land and grow crops for food. Over time, as civilization grew, classifications of farmers came in handy since different aspects have been considered. Social class, geographical context and different interpretations are considered when it comes to classifying farmers.
One type of farmers is called yeoman. Aside from the fact they are not extremely known today, the term is not used in the present context and not something that just rolls off the tongue.
What is a yeoman farmer?
In social and geographical context, there are different definitions of a yeoman farmer. In America, they have been known to be farm owners. They own a substantial enough land and work on it with the help of family members. This makes them a model of what was known to be virtuous and self-sufficient way of American living known before. Yeoman farmers own the land they work on and did not rely on manpower outside the family. This kind of exemplifies a certain tight knit way of sustaining oneself in the Revolutionary era in America.
In the English context, not much is different in the definition. However, one distinction using the term yeomen in England was that it was used for classifying social class. Basically, they are free men who have ownership of meager land, which incidentally allows them voting rights in the parliamentary elections. As time went by, the definition of a yeoman in England has become limited to a more agricultural context making it more similar to the American definition. Yeomen are landowners. Still, however, there are different degrees to which a yeoman farmer is classified according to the size of the land they own.
In the modern context, it can be deduced that yeomen still exist based on the qualifications from the definitions set in both context. The main characteristics are:
• Yeoman farmers own the land they farm.
This is crucial because in our highly industrialized society, there still are people who till the land thus making up for the world supply of grains and food. However, farming commercial lands and being contracted as a labourer is different from having to work on your own land and living off it.
• They do not hire outside laborers.
In this context, yeoman farmers are people who work on the land owned by their families and probably passed on through generations. There is a kind of exclusivity here. They may be private farmers and some who remain close to the agricultural sector rather than be part of other commercial industries.
By the very definition from the traditional one, yeoman farmers are private farmers. They can either own vast expanse of land that remains within the family and not rented out or a piece of land where they get their sustenance from. Private growers may even be considered yeoman farmers because they fit both characteristics.
Either way, in a time where commercialization seems the way to go, even when definitions change, the values as emulated by yeoman farmers still reflect the value of hard work and honest living.