Ready to harvest? Here’s how to expand your farm business to increase crop yields

Generally, the main goals of farms include increasing income and survival, as the agricultural sector is heavily affected by climate change, lack of technology adoption, and diseases or pests. Modern agriculture must improve to face the surging population forecasted to reach more than ten billion by 2100. Although it seems far away, the truth is that the current agricultural state can’t even provide food for present communities. 

Hence, farm businesses must first learn to prevail and achieve stable conditions before trying to increase their income. In agriculture, surviving means using all the land and natural resources at total capacity while reducing the environmental impact of food production. Given changing temperatures and the effects of global altercations, this is more than difficult to achieve. 

However, to increase crop yield, farms must expand their business approach. Here’s how. 

Farm diversification

Farm diversification differs from expansion because it focuses on taking advantage of unused resources or unfilled local demand, while expansion implies increasing crop yield, which isn’t always efficient. Diversifying your farm involves finding the areas with income potential. Hence, adapting to new challenges can be achieved by generating money from tourism opportunities or approaching additional branches. Of course, this might entail new constructions around the farm, so you might need to create a business plan and look for financing options. You can start by seeking ready mix concrete suppliers for the north east of England or whatever region suits you well.

But upon reaching that stage, you might wonder what diversification ideas could generate more income, so here are some suggestions: 

• Growing and selling unique flowers for special occasions;
• Organising events and workshops for the local community;
• Offering unused land for camping;
• Starting a petting zoo with your current animals;
• Taking advantage of seasonal holidays for particular activities;
• Investing in livestock to sell milk, cheese or eggs;

Modern operations

As a farm, you must modernise at one point or another because the demand for fresh products increases, and you might not be able to withstand it through traditional methods. Luckily, you can access funds for buying modern equipment, like vehicles and their attachments. When you work with superior tractors, combines, and forage harvesters, you’ll be able to save resources and maximise your input. 

Modernising also involves a change in management style and approaching precision farming, which focuses on leveraging on-site data for better decision-making strategies. Using control systems, sensors, and drones, you can optimise water input and the use of fertilisers, while also monitoring crop development and detecting pests and diseases. Soil analysis is also essential, so getting devices that measure pH imbalances, nutrient deficiencies and other potential threats is critical in improving yields. 

Sustainable farming

Sustainable agriculture is the ideal of the world economy because it protects nature while meeting demands. Being a sustainable farming business means efficiently using resources to irrigate and provide nutrients to the crops through soil regeneration and ecological recycling methods. Moreover, toxic products must be avoided, despite their efficiency in mitigating pests, as there are always better options for fertilisers and protection solutions. 

In other words, what you must approach as a farmer includes the following:

• Prevent soil erosion by safeguarding it;
• Improve water management;
• Decrease air and water pollution;
• Develop a resilience plan for extreme weather conditions;
• Enhance biodiversity;

When it comes to crops, it’s best to rotate them and surround them with cover crops and perennials since they replenish soil nutrients. Livestock can also be integrated efficiently to increase soil carbon and reduce water footprint. 

Pest management

Pests and diseases can easily infiltrate healthy gardens and damage crops if you’re not checking them daily, which is why they’re so dangerous and difficult to get rid of. Common pests include aphids, weevils, caterpillars and mites. When it comes to diseases, plants can be affected by apple scabs, bacterial canker, and brown rot. 

Managing each type of pest and disease requires different approaches. For instance, aphids can be eliminated with water or insecticidal soap, while flea beetles can be handled with sticky traps. Diseases are best controlled when prevented, which implies you must provide optimal growth conditions for the plants and ensure enough spacing and the right temperature during every season. Other efficient practices include weed management and crop rotation, so planting different species in the same space yearly to combat soil erosion. 

Alternative farming

While traditional farming is still frequently used due to a lack of resources and modern farming can be pretty expensive, you could seek alternative agriculture solutions to yield better results and be up-to-date with the latest standards. Some of the most efficient ways in which farmers found success include the following:

• Permaculture involves planting perennial crops together in order to mimic authentic ecosystems. For instance, fruit trees, nut trees and shrubs are planted together to increase their productivity and safety;
• Biodynamic farming means raising livestock that helps the soil replenish through composting, the use of animal manure and rotating complementary crops. Hence, farmers can manage a rich biodiversity of plants, animals and insects for their own benefit;
• Urban agriculture involves planting crops right in the heart of the city to expand food availability for citizens and provide more greenery among the concrete. Backyard farms, community gardens and urban greenhouses are popular techniques;
• Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without the soil, only in mineral solution, while aquaponics uses the wastewater from raising aquatic animals to grow crops, therefore developing a circular system;
• Agroforestry combines farming and forestry, where crops are planted along trees to protect them from extreme weather and offer soil humidity. This method is frequented in dry regions to mitigate desertification;

Final considerations

Maximising crop yields is how a farming business grows because it automatically brings more income and handles demand. However, achieving this goal is faced with several challenges, such as worsening climate change, soil erosion and biodiversity loss. Therefore, farmers must make considerable efforts to supply the lack of water or lost crops through modern strategies that don’t harm the environment. Some of the ways through which they can increase crop yields include diversifying the farm, managing pests and diseases more efficiently, and approaching alternative agriculture practices.