Farming

Natural materials have had a comeback the past few years, led by the interest in reducing carbon footprints and using healthier products in our daily lives. One of the most overlooked products for the home is the common household rug. In the past few years, shag rugs have made a comeback, and shag wool rugs and shag bamboo rugs are leading the pack in terms of natural, eco-friendly, modern rugs.Shag rugs gained in popularity in the late 1970s and then again in the 1990s. Now they are back once again in the 21st century to compliment the rising contemporary and modern designs that incorporate sustainable materials. Bamboo products have become a fan favorite for those really into obtaining renewable and sustainable furniture. Bamboo has been used in traditional rugs, shag rugs, and even office chair mats. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, as well as one of the strongest. Its fibers can be manufactured in many ways, allowing this resource to be used often. As for bamboo rugs, they offer many benefits beyond their innate strength and durability. Softer than wool, cotton, or synthetic blends; bamboo shag rugs have found interest in modern homes because of its unique softness that out softened the other popular rug materials. Guests and those sensitive to allergies will be releived with bamboo rugs because they naturally have hypoallergenic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties. The health benefits of bamboo shag rugs are tremendous.Shag wool rugs are also a popular choice for modern and contemporary rugs, in both warm and cold weather locations. Wool naturally insulates well, meaning that during the summer wool can remain cooler longer, and in the winter it can stay warmer longer. Wool also has a higher ignition temperature and small flame spread in case of fire. Wool is also resistant to static electricity, making them less-likely to spark or cling to the body. This is especially useful as walking on rugs typically creates a static charge. A shag wool rugs may resist those annoying and partially harmful electric sparks.When choosing a shag wool rug, be sure that the wool has been extracted from humanely treated sheep. Most premium and humanely shaved wool products have been exported from New Zealand. Most sheep farmed in New Zealand live free-range and a part of non-intensive farming systems. Shag wool rugs from Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Company and Surya are often from New Zealand to ensure top quality.

Some of the animals have many purposes in our program. Some are used for our 4-H program. They can also be individually assigned to students to care for, groom, and show at the local county fairs. Horses, sheep, pigs, and cattle are the main stock that our youth learn to care for and show. The 4-H program nationally has been a proven vehicle in helping youth build self-esteem, knowledge, and individual responsibility. This individual responsibility can help teens overcome problems associated with ADD, ADHD, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), anger, depression, lack of discipline, and many other common issues with troubled teens. Sorensons Ranch focuses on helping troubled youth return to a time of tending to their chores and taking care of the work that is involved in running a ranch. Another element that animals provide is unconditional love to their caregivers, and they present non-judgmental companionship, which is especially valuable with troubled youth with reactive attachment issues. Shoveling horse manure, feeding horses, herding cattle, assisting in the birthing process of the animals, fixing fences, watering, grooming, breaking horses, growing crops, hauling hay all these activities prepare the youth at Sorensons Ranch School to learn responsibility and respect. There is never a dull moment and the youth have plenty of things to do! It could be argued that life in a simpler form (ranch life) has a way of soothing the soul. The high mountain valley that provides the backdrop for helping children here at Sorensons Ranch School is a beautiful region with high elevation peaks on each side of the valley. Water arrives by canal down to our farm, which then goes into our sprinkling system. The students help in the preparation of the fields for planting by scouring the freshly tilled portions for rocks, which show up with each new plowing of the fields. The youth remove the rocks by hand or in a wheelbarrow and deposit them in the lower fields. Once the fields are planted the sprinklers are the way our crops are irrigated. The youth then must move the sprinklers on average every twelve hours for crops of oat hay or barley. With alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mixes for horses the sprinklers are moved once daily. Endorphins are produced in the human body by the pituitary gland during strenuous activity. Endorphins give us all a sense of wellbeing. Some have likened endorphins to the bodys natural pain relievers. With this knowledge, we capitalize on the healing/soothing effects in our youths lives by keeping our youth busy in the many activities. There is a simple pleasure to riding a horse through one of our mountain valleys or hauling hay. Often when troubled teens arrive they are reluctant or outright against participating in many of the activities we offer. Some of this stems from basic rebelliousness while often times we find fear to be a factor. Standing by a horse, ready to throw a saddle on it is an intimidating feat for most people. Often as students watch their peers performing these kinds of tasks, it helps them realize that there are many things they can accomplish that were previously considered foolish or impossible. Sorensons Ranch School is an excellent program that helps struggling teens find the answers to the problems that they are facing and helps them learn to find solutions on their own. For more information contact the admissions office at 1-888-830-4802 or visit the Sorensons Ranch website at www.eprogramsearch.com/sorensons-ranch-school.php

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Are you in the feed or fertilizer business? Maybe you run milling or cement applications. Mixing could be a huge part of your business, and when you need equipment, it’s important to choose the best industrial mixer. Here is a look at some of your choices you have today.

Ribbon Mixers

A ribbon type industrial mixer is used when you want an even blending of mixtures. Inside the unit is a shaft with circular type mixing blades in a double helix configuration. As the shaft turns it mixes the material in two different directions at the same time. This makes it very efficient, and mixing does not have to occur at high speeds.

A double ribbon agitator mixer is one of the preferred types in the industry today. In fact, this type of mixer can completely mix materials like poultry and hog feed in about 3 minutes time. Quality ribbon mixers can be ordered with gear or chain drives and scales. Also, if you are mixing liquid fat, special ribbon mixers are available to handle the job.

Paddle Mixers

When you need a highly versatile industrial mixer, you might want to consider a paddle agitator mixer. For example, you may have the need to blend livestock feed with molasses, and a paddle mixer can handle mixtures as high as twenty percent molasses. In this way, your product can be placed in bags immediately after mixing.

A paddle mixer contains a central shaft with blades shaped like paddles. The most effective mixers utilize paddles with “T” shaped heads that conform to the interior. This creates a thorough mixing, and will work well for many types of grain and roughage. However, the best materials for paddle mixing are feed products for:

* Horses* Sheep* Dairy* Cattle

Super Duty

Do you need to handle materials with a high bulk density? Consider something made especially for the job, like a super duty industrial mixer. This is especially important if you are handling concentrates and premix materials, as the density averages around 65 lbs per cubic foot. Super duty mixers can handle material as heavy as 70 lbs per cubic foot, and you can choose stainless steel for maximum corrosion resistance.

Options

No matter what your needs, you can find the right industrial mixer when you go with a trusted source in the business. They can provide you with standard duty, heavy duty, and super duty units. Plus, if your needs are portable, trailer mounted industrial mixers are also available.