Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Stubble Handling Machinery, Greg Haydon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Farming in Western Australia, and in Australia, has undergone a revolution over the past 15 to 20 years. Two significant changes have been the cessation of ploughing to kill weeds, that is, the change from discs to tines, and the reduction in tillage through the use of agricultural chemicals. These have been important changes that have had conservation benefits. However, to handle stubble to best effect, further changes in machinery, newer machinery and combinations of machines will be needed. In this article, the author discusses current and possible future practces.

Stubble : Friend And Foe, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Several articles in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture discuss some of the important issues of stubble management. The articles are condensed from some of the papers presented at a stubble workshop at Geraldton in 1991.

Whole-Farm Planning : Success At Wilgi Creek, Kevin Shanhun

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Ian and Bev Lynch own Wilgi Creek, a 376 ha mixed farming property at West Mount Barker in the 700 mm rainfall zone. In 1983, they started a whole-farm plan to overcome the problems of declining production caused by waterlogging (their biggest problem), salinity and deterioration of the remnant native vegetation. Today, their property is an example of a successful, wholefarm land conservation plan based on agroforestry, timber production, water harvesting and improved pastures.

Narrow-Winged Seeder Points Reduce Water Erosion And Maintain Crop Yields, Kevin Bligh

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Sowing crops without loosening the topsoil by tillage reduces water erosion. It can increase infiltration of rainfall into loamy soils, thereby reducing runoff and increasing potential crop yields. Crop yields were maintained after I1 seasons of seeding an Avon Valley loam near Beverley with minimum and no-tillage seeding operations. Infiltration increased significantly from 80 per cent of the 1983 growing-season rainfall under the traditional three tillage operations, to 87per cent under a single tillage operation using a combine seed drill. Infiltration increased further to 96 per cent under a no-tillage system using a triple^lisc drill. At Gnowangerup, 80 per cent …

The Development Of An Efficient Lupin Harvesting Front, E D. Blanchard

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Harvest losses represent a significant reduction in lupin production and farm productivity.

Since 1984, the Department's Farm Machinery Research and Liaison Unit at the Dryland Research Institute has studied the lupin harvesting operation to improve its mechanical efficiency. An experimental and a prototype harvesting front were built and tested in the field. Guidlines for efficient lupin harvesting were produced, and commercial modifications developed.

Improved Fertilizing Practices On The Peel-Harvey Catchment, P T. Arkell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Broad-acre farmers in the Peel-Harvey catchment have met a challange and achieved a great deal since the fertilizer extension programme started in 1983.

The main objective of the extension programme has been to ensure that every year three-quarters of the farmers make economically and technically sound fertilizer decisions, thus causing a minimum amount of phosphorus to enter the waterways of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system.

Calibration Of Boom Sprays, J R. Peirce

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Boom sprays have become increasingly common on Western Australian farms, allowing farmers to take advantage of modern herbicided.

Most boom sprays used on farms have 50 cm nozzle spacings and require calibrating regularily to ensure accurate herbicide application.

By following these steps, the boom will deliver accurate amounts of herbicide.

Options For Machinery And Labour, A F. Herbert

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Machinery is one of the highest costs in farming today. It is not unusual for capital investment in machinery to be 20 to 30 percent of the total investment in the farm.

On an annual basis, expenditure directly attributable to machinery can be 40 per cent or more.

This article cannon be a panacea for everyone to reduce machinery costs - each farm is different. But some of the issues might be of help.

Matching Tractors And Implements, I W. Grevis-James

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Tractor and implement matching involves balancing implement load characteristics with tractor output characteristics to obtain the best output from the combination. Too much or too little can be costly.

How To Select A Tractor, W T. Brown

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A look at some of the factors to be considered when choosing a tractor for your farm. There is no one answer

Replacing Farm Machinery, R Crossman

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In talking of machinery replacement it seems implied that the replacement items of plant are bigger and therefore better than their predecessers. It is also implied that plant replacement is becoming more costly.

Before any decision to replace machinery, the reason for replacement should be carefully considered.

There may be alternatives to the bigger and better solution.

Getting The Best From Tractor Tyres, J Quealy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The amount of pull a tractor develops depends largely on tyre efficiency and so with so many tyre size options for the one tractor model it is very easy to make the wrong decision on tyre fitment.

Tyre efficiency varies with tractor weight, soil conditions, inflation pressure and tyre size.

Hers we look at some of these factors and how changing them may affect efficiency.

Growing Sunflowers In South-Western Australia, M L. Poole

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The oil produced from sunflowers falls into the "polyunsaturated" group and usually commands a premium price on world markets.

Some Western Australian farmers seeking to diversify their cropping programmes in the face of marketing difficulties for many agricultural products are trying sunflowers, although commercial production has not yet been achieved.

This article sets out some basic information for farmers wishing to try sunflowers.

Faulty Germination Of Lupin Seeds, B J. Quinlivan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE number of lupin seed samples tested in the seed laboratory over the last few years has shown a marked increase with the increasing popularity of lupins as a cash crop.

A seed with satisfactory germination is one which produces a healthy seedling. The germination of lupin samples tested in the laboratory has varied markedly.

The Setting And Control Of Disc Ploughs, P A. Taylor

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE trailed disc plough is the most commonly used tillage implement in Australian broadacre farming, yet it is considered in some areas to be difficult to set and to operate. These notes provide information resulting from C.S.I.R.O. research to assist operators in the control and operation of trailed disc ploughs.

Irrigating Dry Season Crops In The Ord Valley : How To Prepare Land For Sowing, D F. Beech

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE best way to grow dry season crops of safflower, linseed and rapeseed under irrigation in the Ord Valley is by sowing on to broad flat ridges, separated by small furrows 3 ft. 6 in. apart.

This system of sowing is called the "corrugation" method.

The Effects Of Tillage Implements On Cereal Yields, H M. Fisher

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Careful soil preparation is essential for cereal crops grown without fallow on clover ley land.

Crops give better yields where the land is broken up with a mouldboard or disc plough rather than a scarifier or similar machine.

The implements differ appreciably in their capacity to control weed growth and this is largely responsible for variations in cereal yields. "Takeall" disease is reduced by efficient weed control.

Bulk Handling Of Superphosphate, H G. Cariss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A MAJOR factor in our agricultural production is the outlay for fertilisers, including the cost of their application to the land.

Any means which can be employed to reduce these costs are therefore of extreme importance to the State's agriculture.

The bulk-handling of fertilisers could be one way of reducing these costs to the farmer.