Kiva.org is a great legitimate program that supports micro-finance.
I have done 2 loans and I can withdraw at a later date if I need the money back.
I would say about 90% of the loans are paid back totally but with micro-finance the risk is spead across multiple projects so your total risk is low.
Give it a go for free at http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/tim1740
Business to business or B2B communication is a kind of transaction between two businesses that is purely based on commerce. This landscape can prove to be a very difficult one to navigate, especially in this growing digital era. With the help of social media it has become easier for any person out there to become an opinion leader that makes the information out there a bit more confusing and conflicting. This ability to make your information or the content stand out can prove to be challenging, more importantly when it comes up to the B2B communication.
Understanding your market is very important in order to maximize the sales. You need to make sure that you have a good identification of your target audience and have a well defined or differentiated message before you start developing the content or the process of communication. To give a boost to your B2B business marketing, it is necessary to take care of the errors or mistakes that people usually make.
1. Treating the social media like other marketing campaigns
It is necessary that you do not follow the same route of one-way communication as this can prove to be one of the biggest mistakes for the marketers. To promote your product in the market especially on the social media it is highly required that you get to be truly engaged with your audience. You’re essentially spamming people if you certainly don’t loop up a bond of communication with them.
2. Being the same
Applying the one-size-fit-all technique can prove to pull down your brand name as many companies implement this rule. If we step back and think if a fashion company is the same as a financial firm, the answer will surely be a NO! Treating different companies in the same manner can prove out to be damaging. Be sure to segment while developing online marketing campaigns. The chances of running a successful business campaign can be lowered if there is not a well defined audience. Content that does not stand out from the rest will not yield the promised results.
3. Limiting the target audience
Social media is all about sharing the useful information with the connections which will prove to be your customers. If you do not build loyalty by using the social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube you’re unknowingly drowning the repute of your business as your brand name will certainly start going out of the limelight. Never forget the potential customers and never assume that whoever reads your posts will have a full understanding of whatever services or products that you have to offer. You can bring in potential customers by giving a clear overview of the solutions that you may provide. By neglecting the audience, you will certainly lose potential customers with the inability to convert them into customers with a lead nurturing program.
4. Old is gold
You may think that old is gold but it is not necessary that every proven marketing channel can synchronize with the requirements of your target audience. Relying on the same old contents and channels you will stop getting higher leads. It is important to re-evaluate each of the marketing channel and putting in some clear metrics around them so you get an idea of which channels to use and which ones to be literally turned off.
There may be emergence of new marketing channels; it is good enough to research where the competitors are as they may be going for the same type of people.
5. Impatience
Everything takes time, especially when you’re trying to make any buildup on the social media. They may be quickly disheartened by the lack of response on the social media if the people start diving from fray with gusto. Building up a social media presence and personality will always take time but you need to be patient as the patience can be worth it. When you’re producing social media content it doesn’t mean that you will be able to offer something right now to the followers that already exist. It is more like you are developing a back catalog of material for future followers to pursue.
Credit: www.biostim.com.au
Contains: Endodermis, Cortex, Stele, Old Arbuscule, Young Arbuscule, Root Hair, Point of Entry (Root Crack), Chlamydospore, Extramatrical Hypha, Vesicle, Intramatrical Hypha
Humans and horses alike suffer from the summertime pests that are flies. From horse flies to horn flies, there’s an entire species of nasty little critters ready to bring discomfort, and even disease, to our equine friends, if not prevented from doing so. With horse flies, eye gnats, and face flies being just a few of the insects out to bite your horse (and maybe even you) this hot season, it’s no surprise that fly prevention options are more vastly available than ever.
Anyone who rides or cares for horses knows the annoyance that flies can bring. Their constant biting keeps tails swishing and hooves stomping all summer long. Beyond this discomfort, flies can be a cause for even more concern. For those like me, whose horses suffer from fly allergies, these little pests spell itchy and bald legs that are hardly fit to step foot in the ring all show season long – not to mention one cranky horse, and a seriously discouraged rider.
As unexpected as it may seem, flies can pose even more major problems for us, and our horses, despite their small size. Beyond the annoyance and itching of those pesky bites, a badly timed one can spell disaster. Countless riders every year are thrown, kicked or otherwise injured as their poor mount objects to unexpectedly being feasted on. What’s more, thanks to their blood-drinking nature, flies are tiny transmitters of disease. We’ve all heard of West Nile Virus, but how about Pigeon Fever, Swamp Fever, or even Equine Anthrax? Flies can pass any number of these to our horses, sometimes their riders, if not kept at bay.
So with summer rolling around again, and the bugs gathering in their masses, it’s time to sit down, read up, and then get those flies under control.
Police the Paddock
To begin to reduce the number of flies that use your horse as a buffet while he’s in the paddock, a great place to start is the paddock itself. One of the most effective ways to control the population of flies in any area is to pick up the muck. Regular poop picking not only helps prevent overgrazing and worm infestation, but also avoids attracting even more flies to your horse’s environment. In a perfect world, the paddock would be cleaned out every day. Realistically, even having everyone at the barn come down one day per month and to spend the afternoon clearing whatever they can, helps.
It is also important to make sure your horse has somewhere to go to escape the flies – your paddock shelter isn’t just for rain. In the hotter months, your horse can go inside to find shade, and some level of reprieve from the flies, which means making sure some form of shelter is available (and preferably clean), is important.
To go one step further, leaving your horses a pest repelling paddock lick such as the Rabon fly block, can also help to lower your fly population. The active ingredient in these lick blocks claims to stop the fly life cycle for up to four different species, while the other ingredients are good for your horses overall health. With no daily action required beyond making sure your horses have access, a fly prevention lick is definitely worth looking into.
Gear Up
Creating a physical barrier between your horse and the flies, is one of the easiest ways to keep the biting insects off. Almost every equestrian store sells a range of fly gear, including blankets, hoods, leg wraps, masks and fringes. Each of these can stop flies from getting to the skin, which eliminates your horse as their next meal, though this kind of equipment is not always totally straightforward and without challenges of its own.
Fly blankets are usually made of an extremely tight woven, thin mesh. They often extend all the way up the horse’s neck and even include a specially tailored piece to cover the belly. The idea is that this overall coverage means the flies simply can’t get to the majority of your horse’s body. In most cases this works, though there are a few equines who are the exception, or take exception, to this strategy.
When buying a fly blanket, so many are available that the choice can seem overwhelming, and in a way, it is. In the heat of the summer, it is important to consider your horse’s comfort – which is why you bought the blanket in the fist place, right? But choose the wrong blanket and you end up with a horse who’s fly-bite free but spends all day hot, sweaty and baking in the sun – not so great. Most of the better-made blankets are designed to allow maximum airflow, are UV resistant, and made specifically to reflect the heat and keep your horse cool while protected.
That said, if you’re trying your horse out with a fly blanket for the first time, buying a high tech, and likely expensive blanket, might also not be the best plan of action. Remember that turn out sheet that got torn to shreds last winter? These fly blankets are made of mesh, and are destined to fail when even 1200 denier polyester couldn’t succeed. Whether you have a young horse, or just a horse that loves to play and scratch on the fence, most fly blankets don’t hold up well. For that reason, it’s a good idea not to spend a fortune until you know how long you can expect the item to last, though you still need a product that is functional and will keep your horse cool when he’s turned out in the sun.
After you finally find that blanket that’s just right for your horse, then cross your fingers and throw it on him, the physical barriers available for fly protection don’t end there. Anybody who’s been around horses has seen the tiny little flies that seem to love to crawl around their eyes, particularly in spring or the hours before the sun is at its peak. These are eye gnats, a particularly nasty set of insects who love to feed on blood and pus. Though they don’t actively bite, their spiked mouthpieces open up your horses skin to a number of diseases, as well as being painful and prone to leaving tiny scars.
One of the best ways to keep your horse free of eye gnats, is to cover their eyes. This can be accomplished by either a fly mask, or fly fringe. Fly fringes come in all shapes and sizes and can be fitted onto a halter or bridle, or even come attached to elastic and ready to be worn alone for the paddock. The fringe runs across a web browband, while numerous strings hang down and brush across the horse’s face and the area around the eyes, shooing the flies away. Though this works to some extent, we all know those little bugs are persistent, and will come back whenever they can, which could lead to a lot of head shaking for your horse.
A fly mask offers total coverage for your horse’s eyes, and is made from extremely thin, fine woven mesh, which is completely see-through. Some of these masks even cover the eats too, and are usually elasticated with safe velcro closures. Given their nature, these masks keep all manner of insects away from your horses eyes, ears and a good portion of their face. All this makes masks seem like the obvious choice, and in some ways they are, though unfortunately, they too have their own set of potential drawbacks. We’ve all heard the phrase about the bee in the bonnet, how about the fly in the mask? It happens. One little critter gets in there, and your horse is going wild in the field trying to get that thing out, and get the mask off, until they succeed, or you notice and go help. Similarly to the issue with the rugs, these masks are also easily damaged, and if your horse has the Houdini gene, they can be easily rubbed off on a fence or otherwise ditched.
One final product to think about employing into your arsenal of physical pest barriers, are fly leg wraps. Similar to the idea behind the blanket and the mask, these are again made of breathable thin mesh, with safe velcro closures, to keep flies from biting the legs. Many horses like mine who have an insect allergy, or insect induced dermatitis, suffer greatly on their legs, and so, these wraps can be invaluable. Like any boots, they have the potential to slip or rip, though most well made wraps will stay put and help keep the flies off (and the hair on) those usually itchy legs.
Eat Right
Like almost every equine complaint, fly problems too have a range of dedicated supplements that claim to help. Most feed stores sell these supplements, and although the ingredients in each vary, many of them come from the same group that are commonly available throughout. In picking a supplement, a little research goes a long way, as does reading other owner’s reviews, and not just what the company claims a specific product does.
My favourite natural ingredients for fly supplements are garlic, brewers yeast and flax. Brewer’s yeast is rich in Vitamin B1 – Thiamin. When this is fed, this harmless excess Thiamin is excreted through the skin and gives off a fungal or plant odour to insects, making your horse smell like something to be ignored, rather than a blood buffet for the taking. Garlic is naturally full of sulphur, which when excreted can act as a natural repellent to biting insects, as well as helping to ward off internal parasites too. Finally, Linseed or Flax, is a great addition to your horses food to help reduce the allergic reaction behind fly bites, as well as giving them a great coat.
When selecting your supplement, remember that no matter how great the ingredients, your horse has to eat the stuff if it has any hope of working. Try to buy a small quantity, or even get a sample, and check your picky eater doesn’t disapprove, before you commit. Never buy anything experimental, or that isn’t available through a reputable feed store.
Spray Down
Perhaps one of the most popular methods of fly control, is fly spray. Today, there are a range of sprays that vary in price, all claiming to be the answer to your equine fly woes. Some equestrians spend ridiculous amounts of money on their own personal ‘miracle’ brand, which they claim keeps the flies off, while others make their fly spray at home and swear by its results.
Me? I sit firmly on the fence. In the last thirteen years, I’ve failed to find any one fly spray that is a god amongst fly-battling men. Sure, some work better than others, but all of them have limited scope. For these sprays to be effective, most need to be applied every 4-6 hours, and realistically, not many owners can keep up with that punishing regime. Even longer lasting fly sprays often don’t work as well as they should, and although they are no doubt very valuable as a tool in your fly fighting arsenal, they should not be the only one.
A few more recent additions to this category include fly gels and even a fly spot on. The gel is great for those hard to get places, around the eyes, ears and genitals of your horse, where a spray would probably earn you a kick in the shins. Please make sure you use a gel that also contains sunscreen – any kind of oil and the baking sun can be a terrible combination, especially on the soft skin around the eyes and muzzle. The fly spot works just like the flea spot on does for dogs and cats. After breaking open the little tube, you apply a spot in the areas clearly illustrated on the diagram, and the liquid is said to be absorbed into the skin where it will keep your horse fly free for up to two weeks.
Though they are a key component, fly sprays, gels and spot on, in my opinion, are not enough to do they job all by themselves, but makeup an important part of the overall defence.
Winning the War
There’s no guaranteed formula, and for every horse and every owner, the fight against flies is different. All of the options covered above can act as valuable tools in your bug busting toolbox. Whether it’s blankets and spray, or supplements and paddock care, any change you make has the potential to impact the flies that plague your horse’s paddock, no matter how small. For that, he’s sure to thank you.
By Emma Doherty – Luna Sport Horses
There are many requirements for a horse paddock, and while some are flexible or open to interpretation, others are absolute and can be disastrous if not addressed properly. From the amount of space required to the policing of poisonous plants, information is the key to a safe, and fit to purpose, grazing and exercise area for your horses.
Size
When considering a paddock to turn out your horse in, one of the most important factors to consider is the size. While the official British Horse Society recommendation is 1-1.5 acres per individual horse, this is a great starting guideline, but doesn’t apply in every situation. This estimate is based on a paddock where good management is employed – regular poop scooping, resting if particularly wet and prone to getting ripped up by hooves, and regular maintenance. Though this is the ideal paddock care standard, it’s not always possible for every owner to achieve, and so the space with which we need to provide our horses to be turned out in, doesn’t always fit into this neatly packaged formula.
The amount of space needed to turn out any given number of horses depends as much on the care of the paddock itself, and it’s specific usage, as it does on the number of animals it has to support. A pasture that is well maintained, rested and rotated, as well as meticulously cleared of muck, has the potential to support more horses than a larger pasture that receives less care might. Similarly, if the paddock is only used for a few hours turn out per day, it can provide grazing and exercise for many more horses than a pasture that is used round the clock.
In addition to thinking about the space and condition of the paddock, it’s also important to take into account the individual horses who will use it. If several horses are to be turned out together, more space might be required to reduce the risk of bullying and fighting within the herd. Alternatively, a lamintic or obesity prone horse might do better on restricted grazing with less access to high quality grass.
Fencing
With the space decided, the next important decision to make in selecting a suitable horse paddock, is the fencing. While it may differ for each individual group of horses, as a general rule, 3ft6 – 4ft6 is the guideline height for horse paddock fences. Pony fences can be built slightly lower, and fences on paddocks that will house stallions should be built higher and given extra reinforcements.
The type of fencing used should be robust and sturdy but also safe. Some horses like to be Houdini, others will roll or play close to fences, and all these situations can lead to a higher chance of an injured or stuck horse, if appropriate fencing is not used.
Any kind of wire is generally discouraged, barbed wire being the worst, given its potential to seriously injure your horse, and tear your rugs to shreds. Chicken, plain or other kinds of wire are also a bad idea, as they are easily caught in horse’s shoes, or can wrap around legs. Compared to other fencing, wire has a much lower visibility to the horse, which can also lead to accidents when the horse doesn’t see the fence line in time. Single strand electric wire is also not recommended for this reason.
Wooden post and rail fencing is often hailed as the best choice for a horse paddock, though other materials in a post and rail arrangement, flexi-rails (rubber or PVC-coated webbing) or plastic stays with multiple rows of electric tape, also work well.
Whatever fence you decide to use should be well installed, with posts set deep enough that they will hold if a horse decides to lean on them. Safety should always be your biggest concern when selecting a fence for your paddock. A good fence choice will help with avoiding injuries by lowering the chance the horses will get caught or run into a fence, as well reducing as the risk of harm that would be caused should a horse escape through it.
Shelter
Providing a shelter from the elements, be it wind and rain or sun and flies, is critical in any paddock. Shelters should be sturdy enough to withstand the most extreme weather in your area, without falling down or coming apart and potentially injuring your horses.
The size of the shelter is also important, a shelter too small may not allow enough space for every horse to seek protection, and can facilitate fights and bullying. Shelter size should be decided depending on how many horses and ponies may have to use it at any given time. If a maximum of five horses will use the paddock, then the shelter should be large enough for all five to be inside, if they wish. The depth of a straight shelter is usually 12ft, with a width of 12ft for the first horse, followed by an additional 5ft for each horse that will also use it. Covered shelters should be at least 9ft in height. This can be used as a guideline, and adapted for individual needs such as more space to avoid fights.
Grass
The grazing available makes up a vital component of any horse paddock. The type of grass used is important, and there are a number of pre-mixed seeds available to buy that cater specifically to good equine grazing requirements. Generally, meadow fescue, Timothy, creeping red fescue and smooth stalked meadow grass are mixed together in varying quantities in these seed packages. Although some mixes may contain Ryegrass, it is actually a less favourable alternative given its quick growth rate and ability to overpower the finer grasses that horses actually prefer. Always make sure you seed with grasses specifically for horses, not cattle or other livestock.
Good quality grass should be combined with a regular maintenance program. This should include a comprehensive worming schedule for all horses in your paddock, plus regular removal of manure to keep the pasture clean and free of worms, flies and other pests. It is advised that most pasture is renewed every ten to fifteen years.
A number of plants, including but not limited to ragwort, foxglove, hemlock, buttercups, are harmful to horses, and should be regularly checked for, and removed appropriately if found. It is advisable to look up plants common in your area, as well as making sure you are familiar with the most common and dangerous toxic plants, so you can be sure your paddock is clear and your horses are not at risk. Every horse paddock should have access to a constant supply of clean, fresh water, be this in the form of a bath that is meticulously maintained and filled, or an automatic drinker.
Getting It Right
Not many paddocks are absolutely perfect. By covering these basics and keeping in mind the purpose of your space, including how many horses it has to support, you can ensure your paddock is as close to ideal as possible. The safety and well being of your horses should always be at the forefront of your mind, and though it can be tempting to try and save money or time by using a less ideal pasture, it’s important to remember the likelihood that this will cost you later in the form of an accident, or the poor health of a horse. Any pasture should be safe, secure and well maintained, and should meet these guidelines wherever possible.
By Emma Doherty – Luna Sport Horses
Just about every 10 years their government inflates the money supply to pay debt and becomes worthless. They can’t do that with bitcoin so value stays with the workers who create it 🙂
Argentina is a economic basket case but with Bitcoin as least if their currency gets wiped out farmers will still have value saved and can trade. Farmers can trade directly with customers with very little fees so that means more in the farmers pocket and the customers.
We use Bitpay.com to accept Bitcoin ourselves and you should consider it also.
Read the full article at https://www.coindesk.com/farmers-help-bitcoin-grow-organically-argentina
Could Bitcoin end war?
Rain ruins the marshmallow crop in North Carolina. Hopefully supplies are not effected 🙂
There are many, many chicken breeds to choose from that suit many needs. Over time, chickens have been primarily bred for three things- for egg production, for meat production, and for the best balance of both of these factors. But with the recent upsurge in backyard chicken keeping for more than just food, chickens that are just as good as beautiful pets as they are at making eggs (even more fun with a egg cuber) are becoming a sought after commodity. And, in many settings, good chicken pets need other qualities such as tameness, quietness, calmness, and gentleness. Balancing these qualities can make for an ideal chicken in any backyard. Here’s a rundown of the best breeds that can have all of these qualities.
We hope you enjoy our favorite chicken breeds for the backyard. Remember, chickens are also individuals and will have personalities of their own. But overall, these breeds are sure to please!
Parenting, understatedly, is probably one of the hardest jobs out there- and probably the most important job. For many people, it comes so easily and often unexpected. For others, it seems like becoming a parent might end up being a long-awaited dream that might not happen. Whatever your circumstances, whatever you choose, many of us become parents and end up having to participate in this age-old puzzle called parenting. No one wants to raise a child the wrong way. Most instead dream of raising children who are confident, successful, and bastions to ideal parenting. This is however, hard to pin down. What’s the best way to parent a child? What works best? Is there a sure-fire method of parenting that works? There are studies out there that show how one type of parenting approach seems to work, and we call that Peaceful Parenting.
Peaceful parenting is what it sounds like. It’s a general term for a feel and method of parenting that’s not wrought with screaming, yelling, hitting, imprisonment, and dysfunction. Easier said than done of course, in those moments when everyone’s tired and fed-up, but overall, parenting peacefully has been shown to benefit not only children long-term, but it’s also shown to benefit parents as well. And, for those of us who weren’t parented peacefully as children (and many of us weren’t!) we don’t really know how to parent aside from spanking or using shame. In fact, often times many of us don’t even realize as parents how non-peaceful we really are towards our children.
There are moral obligations for peaceful parenting along with the fact that it simply raises better children. Consider the fact that children come into the world as heavy obligations which are not of their own choosing. They didn’t choose to be obligations. They didn’t choose to be born to specific parents. They are completely dependent on adults for every need, and withholding these needs easily creates insecurities and issues down the road that might seem insignificant at first, but later on can become serious problems later. An example of non-peaceful parenting can come in simple but significant form. Consider the following- a mother and daughter are playing at the park and mother wants to leave before daughter does. Mother asks daughter more than once to leave, daughter declines. So mother then gets up and pretends to leave the park without her daughter. Her daughter will think to herself (without realizing it) that her mother will leave her alone, on her own at the park. She can’t find her own shelter. She can’t find her own food. She’s a target for predators. Where will she sleep? So she runs after her mother to ensure that she’ll make it to the car in time before her mother abandons her at the park. What kind of lesson is mother teaching her daughter here? That if she doesn’t come when mother asks, she’ll be left behind like nothing- is that the kind of lesson you want your children to learn?
Spanking and yelling also have the same effect on children. There are alternatives to aggressive, non-peaceful parenting that work, and that teach your children that you love them and they can trust you.
