When it comes to running an agricultural business, preserving the quality of water in your area is essential. Poor water conditions not only damage the environment but also have adverse effects on your crops and animals.
These tips for improving your farm’s water quality will help you improve your business practices and reduce your carbon footprint.
Test Water Frequently
If you want to enhance your water quality, you’ll need to establish a baseline first. You won’t be able to make any improvements if you don’t know what you’re working with. Test your farm’s water frequently to get accurate measurements. Doing so will help you see where there’s room for improvement and allow you to use your resources more efficiently.
Plant Cover Crops
Much of an agricultural site’s water pollution comes from soil erosion. If you want to improve your farm’s water quality, you’ll need to fight this natural occurrence. An easy way to combat erosion is to plant cover crops. These plants protect the soil and reduce runoff. They also create more diversity and nourish the environment, giving you a healthy foundation to do your work.
Control Animal Waste
Uncontrolled animal waste causes massive problems for farms everywhere. Excrement can easily get into groundwater and pollute your entire supply. Completely eliminating animal waste is impossible, but you can take measures to handle it safely. Rotate grazing grounds to keep debris from collecting in one spot. You might also consider storing manure in concrete containers to prevent leakage until a waste disposal company can remove it from your site.
Improve Irrigation Systems
Irrigation systems are essential components of successful farms. If you’re finding it hard to maintain quality crops, making improvements to your irrigation system might be the place to start.
Make sure your irrigation system has all of its necessary components. For example, a common application of foot valves is to prevent contaminated water from reentering the supply. Your poor water quality could be due to faulty irrigation elements, so make sure yours are working properly.
Healthy farms are successful farms, and they require clean sources of water. Use these tips to make changes in your current operations, which could have a greater effect on the world as a whole.
