mixed farming
Crops plus livestock
Mixed farming is an agricultural system that combines crop cultivation with livestock raising on the same farm.
The crops and animals support each other—grain feeds the cattle, manure fertilizes the fields.
This integration distinguishes mixed farming from specialized operations that focus on either crops or livestock alone: The family practiced mixed farming, growing wheat and raising sheep on their hundred acres.
Domesticated bovines kept commercially
- poultryBirds raised for food
- sheepWoolly farm animal
- goatsHorned farm ruminants
- pigsDomesticated farm swine
dairy · pasture · grazing · husbandry · breeding · manure · fodder · milking
Made more varied
- polycultureMulti-species crop system
- smallholdingSmall cultivated land parcel
- homesteadFamily farm and dwelling
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
traditional agriculture · family farm · crofting · yeoman · diversification · self-sufficiency · intercropping · agroforestry
Turning on an axis
- plantingPlacing seeds in earth
- harvestGathering mature crops
- sowingPlanting for cultivation
- tillageSoil preparation for planting
cultivation · legumes · cereals · cover crops · grain · vegetables · orchards · fallow
Decomposing organic matter deliberately
- organicFrom living matter
- regenerativeAble to renew itself
- agroecologyEcological approach to farming
- permacultureSustainable ecosystem design method
biodiversity · conservation · soil fertility · carbon sequestration · closed-loop · waste reduction · environmental stewardship · biodynamic
Capacity to withstand water scarcity
- climate adaptationAdjusting to environmental shifts
- food securityGuaranteed adequate nutrition access
- pest resistanceImmunity to harmful insects
- adaptiveAble to change accordingly
cattle
Domesticated bovines kept commercially
pigs · dairy · pasture · grazing · husbandry · breeding · manure · fodder · milking · barnyard
diversified
Made more varied
- polycultureMulti-species crop system
- smallholdingSmall cultivated land parcel
- homesteadFamily farm and dwelling
subsistence · traditional agriculture · family farm · crofting · yeoman · diversification · self-sufficiency · intercropping · agroforestry · multifunctional
rotation
Turning on an axis
tillage · cultivation · legumes · cereals · cover crops · grain · vegetables · orchards · fallow · intercropping
composting
Decomposing organic matter deliberately
- organicFrom living matter
- regenerativeAble to renew itself
- agroecologyEcological approach to farming
permaculture · biodiversity · conservation · soil fertility · carbon sequestration · closed-loop · waste reduction · environmental stewardship · biodynamic · green manure
drought tolerance
Capacity to withstand water scarcity
- climate adaptationAdjusting to environmental shifts
- food securityGuaranteed adequate nutrition access
- pest resistanceImmunity to harmful insects
mixed farmingmonoculture
Single-crop agricultural system
monocropping · plantation agriculture · factory farming · cotton plantation
mixed farmingranching
Operating a livestock farm
dairy farming · grain farming · vegetable farming · factory farming
mixed, farming, farmer, mixture, mixer, mingle, mixing, farmland, mixes