Forget everything you know about farming — big open spaces, tractors, even soil. After thousands of years of traditional farming methods, there’s a new growing trend in the field of agriculture.
These modern ways get rid of the need for hundreds of acres of forests to be turned into farmlands. It also reduces the risk of having inorganic agricultural fertilizers seeping into nearby habitats, harming the ecosystem.
Before, you can’t farm if you don’t have a sufficient piece of land. But as industrialization boomed, lands were converted into metropolises instead. Many people put down their plows and left for the life in the big city.
Still, farming remained to be a vital industry that provides sustenance to the country.
In the effort of bringing farming closer to young people, new trends have emerged. The rewarding and fulfilling industry of farming can now be done in urban spaces and virtually anywhere.
Vertical Farming
Back in the days, you need vast horizontal fields to make farming possible. With vertical farming, crops and plants are grown on racks stacked on top of each other.
Growing plants in towers allow you to produce more yields in a relatively smaller space.
Moving plants indoors also provides farmers more control over its immediate environment. They’re no longer at the mercy of certain environmental factors like fog, drought, and weather. Also, a controlled environment allows them to grow plants that are usually seasonal, making them available the whole year round.
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Hydroponics
Another way to grow plants indoors is through hydroponics. It eliminates one of the “essential” elements in farming — soil.
No dirt is required to grow the plants. Instead, it makes use of nutrient-rich water. The roots sit on the water where the plants get the needed vitamins and minerals for it to grow.
What’s great is that hydroponics actually reduces the consumption of water while producing more yield.
This technique uses climate control systems to manage the indoor environment, such as lighting, air circulation and water among others.
Hydroponics can be done virtually anywhere, from warehouses to building rooftops, as long as the other essential elements are present to support plant growth.
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Finding Financing for Modern Farming
There are many ways to finance a modern farm if you wish to venture into this field. One of the best providers of farm financing is the USDA.
To provide more farm financing options to American farmers the USDA, through the FSA, has created the Microloan Programs. The fund comes from the annual USDA budget. The programs are focused on the needs of new, small or niche farmers.
There are two types of loans under the Microloan Program. First is the Direct Farm Ownership Microloan and the Direct Farm Operating Loan. Both of these loan types have a maximum loan cap of 50,000 dollars.
With the USDA Microloan, you can start discovering ways to do farming in an urban space. Learning more about this loan and the other farm loan options will help bring your farming plans to reality.
Talk to a USDA-approved lender today and ask about the USDA Mircoloan program.