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Farming can be challenging when farm products are not protected from unforeseen attacks. Consequently, due to the unpredictability of weather conditions, sometimes the damages can be unbearable. Learning ways to protect your farm products from adverse weather conditions ensures your products’ safety. Therefore, this article intends to inform you how to protect your products against harsh weather conditions. Follow the below tips to protect your farm produce from unpredictable weather.
1. Control The Wind Flow
Protect your farm produce from inhabitable weather such as winter by improving aeration in your farm. Creating airflow is a standard method to control wind flow on your farm. This practice is conducted during still nights. Still, nights are associated with clear skies and calm conditions – such conditions favor frost formation on your farm. Simulation of wind over your crops reduces frost buildup.
Alternatively, you may use wind machines to control the wind flow for large-scale farming. Even though these machines are more costly, they have large fans with a diameter of about three to six meters. The wind machine’s large fans propel at a speed of 590 revolutions per minute (rpm) to 600 rpm. Regardless of your option, always ensure there is close to zero cold wind accumulating on your farm.
2. Cover and Protect Vulnerable Farm Products
During the frosty weather season, cover your crops from frost. Use simple items such as plastic paper or light clothes to cover your vulnerable crops. Anytime you protect crops through covering, an additional temperature of about two to five degrees Fahrenheit is given to the crops. You should cover your farm products such as hay through the use of hay tarps which are UV resistant. This way, your hay remains fresh and of high quality.
While using plastic covers to protect your farm products, do not let the cover come in contact with your crops. Ideally, whenever a plastic cover touches a crop, it reduces the moisture content around the plant, and in return, frost starts to build up. Otherwise, a thin cloth is the safest choice since there is sufficient room for aeration. Covering or crops should be done in the late afternoon when there is enough heat to trap. Uncover your crops every morning to avoid excess heat retention by the crop.
3. Seal In Moisture
Dampened soil retains more heat keeping the plant roots warm. Keep your crops well-watered, especially when approaching winter or suspecting frost formation. Beware that plants are more vulnerable to frost damage when dry since of the already weakened cells. Turgid plant cells help the crop retain heat and insulate them against the cold.
While watering the crops, practice caution and do not flood the soil; oversaturated soil rarely retains the heat the crop needs. Also, excess water wets the plant foliage making them more susceptible to frost attack. Commit to water your crops on middays when the temperature is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This way, your plants have the maximum time to absorb water before the night falls.
Besides watering plants, you may also use an antitranspirant to protect against moisture loss in your plants. This chemical provides a secure film layer in your crops, which permits gaseous exchange osmosis, photosynthesis but not moisture loss. Antitranspirant is best during adverse weather conditions for plant resiliency.
4. Check Your Crop Insurance
In farming, weather patterns are sometimes unpredictable. That’s why it is essential to secure your crops and animals against unexpected natural calamities. In addition to other protective measures, having a private insurance plan helps in protecting you from products against natural disasters.
Such private insurance plans cover drought, frost damage, and hail. Also, you can purchase insurance to cover for loss in revenue regardless of low yields or drop in the products’ market prices. Check on the US. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) resources on livestock and crop insurance for more guidance on securing insurance for your farm produce.
5. Plant The Right Crops
Understanding the climatic conditions of your farm should help you pick the right crop for that particular season. For instance, during winter, you must choose the best winter crops with the ability to maintain resilience towards extreme cold weather conditions. Moreover, different crops grow and perform well under different weather and climatic conditions. For example, leafy lettuce and most leafy green vegetables perform better in cool climates. They rarely require sunlight, making them best for winter too.
Conclusion to Protect Your Products
Farming requires a comprehensive protection plan for your products against unforeseeable and unavoidable disasters. You should, therefore, develop a resilient protection plan for your farm produce against any eventuality.
