Hello Hive

Further work and planning continues on our plans for commercial farming
More planning continues even as we are yet to experience our first rain here, I believe that proper planning will prevent poor performance of the crops that we will be planting in our farms.
It will be one of my greatest Joy if I can fulfill this one goal of growing as much food crops in this year that can feed a good number of people. I realized that farming can be really expensive even more than I thought. After marking out all the necessary plans and amount of money that will be needed for land clearing, planting and Harvesting I realized that we have to find out means to beat down every cost to the nearest minimum.

Cleared portions of the land

The labourers didn't go a good job here as you can see some tiny shurbs everywhere. I am hopeful that the tractor will be able to work well here regardless of this.

Currently inflation is biting deep into the country's economy and much as things are really expensive, we cannot scrap out farming because it is the only way to grow the food needed for the country's food need.

Chemicals for farming are expensive
For instance a chemical we have once used to clear weed before farming that was been sold for a dollar a year back is now sold for about $3-4

Diesel for tractor 🚜 work is equally expensive and ploughing of an acre will be taking about $25/40k naira.
All of these prices can frustrate one to abandon his farming plans and project for the year. Hence I had to look into all the ways necessary to beat down the cost of farming 🧺🧺🧺 🥝🥑🥝 food so that by the end of this year we would have grown crops enough to feed a good number of people.

Today I realized that making collaboration with friends, neighbors and farmers of like mind will go along way to beat down our cost of food production so that the situation will not become financially overbearing.

My farm coworkers

One of those collaborations came as a visit to a poultry farmer.
Using organic fertilizer like poultry droppings will completely eradicate the need to buy fertilizers. Fertilizers will be needed for optimum productivity in our farm even though the land has been left to fallow for a good time.
From my inspection of the land it has only an average amount of fertile loamy soil
Like we all know that the best soil for Agriculture is a loamy-clay soil
Here I have more of Sandy-loamy soil which can grow some specific crops alone.
Soya beans, peanuts and beans will thrive well in this kind of soil even though I am yet to finalize on which specific crops will be mixed here.

Preparations to get some poultry droppings for fertilizer.

Poultry droppings will be a good alternative source to inorganic fertilizer and will completely eradicate the cost of buying fertilizer. I am working on how to get a reasonable amount of poultry droppings from my pounltry farmer here to substitute for inorganic fertilizer.

Journey to the farm.

In the neater future and as I make progress in farming, rearing of animals will be included in my task such that I could have food from the farm for the animals and equally get manure and animal dropping to use in the farm for growing crops.

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