Monday, April 27, 2020

Benedict T. Palen, Jr - Benefits Of Kitchen Garden And It Can Benefit The Environment

Kitchen Garden is now a significant aspect of urban areas. There are quite a few explanations for this. There are several benefits of kitchen garden, some of which are mentioned below:
Benedict T. Palen, Jr

  • Fresh and Healthy Vegetables:
Today, to grow vegetables, several farmers use chemicals. That is why we face a lot of health issues. Our health is greatly affected by the deadly material. You can grow completely organic, new and nourishing vegetables for your entire family with kitchen garden.
  • Aesthetic Value
The aesthetic value of keeping a kitchen garden would increase. Whenever you stare at the garden, it will please your mind. The Kitchen Garden would certainly raise your mood even better. It is going to bring some optimistic vibes.
  • Clean Air:
Air pollution is one of city life’s biggest problems. As the cities have very fewer trees, fresh and clean air quality is worsening. Kitchen Garden will certainly develop your home and backyard air quality. Your health will also progress over time by inhaling this clean and fresh air.
  •  Kitchen Gardening as a Habit and Hobby:
A lot of people have a lot of habits and interests. Maintaining the Kitchen Garden is one of the most excellent activities you can have. Even if it starts out as a pastime, it will rapidly become a habit. By entering the Kitchen Garden, you will never leave a day.
  • Plants are superior for Aura or Etheric Body:
Since ages, people have been growing plants in their backyards. Even though there are numerous plants and trees, we only grow certain plant types. This is because they have the aura. Peepal, Neem, and Tulsi are the top of the trees and plants that will offer you with the best aura.
Advantages of Kitchen Garden in the Backyard:
  • It is not costly for the kitchen garden.
  • You will get your family a convenient and regular supply of healthy vegetables.
  • The Kitchen Garden production is rich in dietary content.
  • One of Kitchen Garden’s strengths is that the vegetables include vitamins and minerals of all types.
  • These do not include any toxic materials such as vegetables you are going to get on the market.
  • This assists to counter the food issue that now reigns in the country.
  • The plants which grow in a kitchen garden are far tastier than the ones which you get in the market. Thus, without paying a single penny, we get tastier fruits and vegetables. Also, it is a perfect way to keep the body working as it necessitates efforts to start planting, making the soil or raised beds and then plowing also at times which is excellent for the body.
  • Fruit and vegetable peels and unnecessary vegetables can be recycled to make manure and compost which is really good and useful for the growth of the other vegetables which will be planted.
Benedict T. Palen, Jr., has more than three decades of experience functioning in agricultural speculations, management, and operations. At present, Benedict T. Palen, Jr., serves as manager and co-owner for Great Plains Farms, LLC, running all from the purchase and evaluation of farmland to providing recommendations on irrigation development and operator training.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Opening Up The Us Economy In The Midst Of The Covid-19 Crisis By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.


There are increasing calls in some states to “open” the economy, and to let things “go back to normal.”This is misguided on at least two levels, and taking this step creates great risk of even more widespread outbreaks of the virus.

Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

First,  there is not a sufficient testing protocol in place, nor a clear understanding of how to rein in this virus.   There is a rush to find solutions, and understandably so, but the fact of the matter is that ignoring well established testing methods for new vaccines, for any health issue, is essentially without precedent.  Doing so here would set an alarming precedent, especially given the life threatening nature of this virus, and its potential to wreak havoc on people around the world.  This is about saving human lives, and that must take priority over anything else, otherwise, the discussion will evolve into a deeply disturbing direction about the value of life.

Second, those who protest, and who figuratively wrap themselves in the US flag while doing so, would do well to read the Constitution, and to think about our system of laws.  To claim, as these protesters do, that stay at home orders infringe on their liberties, is a deeply flawed argument. Regulations and laws are in place to protect citizens.   One of many analogies that exposes the off base nature of the protesters’s arguments is the traffic regulation for red lights; you run a red light, you have broken the law.  That law is in place to protect others from the consequences of running a red light.  It is the same with a stay at home order. It is in place to protect others from one who may spread exposure to this lethal virus.   Neither law or regulation is an infringement on civil liberties. They are in place to maintain a framework for an orderly society where citizens have measures of protections against the wrongful acts of others.

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Sunday, April 19, 2020

The Covid-19 Virus And Its Economic Impact By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

The COVID-19 is the event of a lifetime for just about everyone on this planet.   Here in the United States, there have been massive numbers of people filing for unemployment, and the impacts of this virus are likely to be long lasting, and impacting all segments of society. My focus in this short essay is the economic impact of the COVID-19.

Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

      There is pressure from some to “re-open” the economy.   The reality of doing so is likely to be further outbreaks of the virus, and continued massive disruptions of Americans’ financial fortunes.   To be sure, this is a difficult balancing act for our political leaders because, ultimately, not even the government, whether by printing money, and handing it out, or by social policies, can hope to reverse a disruption of such scale as we may be yet to see.

     Think of the consequences of the virus by considering a micro example.    A local restaurant is closed, and so its employees are out of work. They cannot pay their rents, so their landlords are impacted. They cannot pay their utility bills, or their car payments, so those vendors and their employees and suppliers are impacted. The restaurant is no longer ordering supplies from a food service company, so it has tolay off employees, who then become unable to pay their bills. The analogy from this example, or many others just like it, is a snowball. It keeps rolling down a hill, becoming larger as it moves, until it is almost impossible to stop. A larger snowball takes a long time to melt. So too does an economy that is damaged at all levels take time to recover. 

     The United States has been on a long economic recovery track since the so called Great Recession of 2008-09.    The current circumstances, I fear, are going to have far greater impacts, and last longer, than any of us can imagine.  Unlike the Great Recession, which was fueled by a housing market that crashed, this virus has impacted all levels of the economy.    There are many companies saddled with high levels of debt added by private equity firms in the course of buying out those companies, and now that debt is coming full circle, with an inability to service it, and likely massive defaults in many sectors.

     It has been said that, to some questions, there are no answers.  It could be said of the current situation that there are no clear cut answers.   We are in uncharted waters, and no one knows the depth or breadth of the true impact of this virus.   Our so called leaders would be wise to think before they act, or speak, and to gather as much expert, unbiased, advice as possible.  No one has a monopoly of knowledge about this virus. Its consequences are so massive that it is hard, if not impossible, to understand the full extent of the problem.

     There are echoes of the era of President Franklin Roosevelt, and his efforts to put the country back to work in the aftermath of the great depression of the 1930s.  That said, this virus is an invisible, and poorly understood, enemy, and, while I hate to suggest it, it may well be too big for any government to handle.   It really is true that the entire world is in this together.  It is perhaps the only way to find a solution lest we experience an unprecedented global economic crisis.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Benedict T. Palen, Jr - Health Benefits Of Gardening In The Present Times


Gardening is not just about making your house look superior even though a little curb appeal surely never hurts. Caring for plants can also do wonders for your own happiness, loads of scientific research suggests. The physical exercise can add to a healthy weight and blood pressure levels, and just interacting with flora can advance your mood and mental health.

Here’s how gardening can benefit you:
  • Gardening burns calories
Gardening is regarded as a moderate-intensity exercise. You can burn about 330 calories doing an hour of light gardening and backyard work — more than walking at a moderate pace for the same amount of time. Men and women who have taken part in a community gardening program also had lower BMIs (body mass indexes) significantly than their otherwise similar neighbors.
  • Spending time outside is superior for your bones.
When you are outdoors and your skin is exposed to the sun, it prompts your body to produce vitamin D. This vitamin is also found in fish and fortified foods such as milk which helps your body absorb calcium, a mineral necessary for bone formation.
  • Growing your own food can help you eat healthy
Apart from the physical exercise you will get tending to a vegetable garden, a productive plot can also promote a better diet by supplying healthy, fresh produce. The Dietary Guidelines suggests eating at least two cups of vegetables and 1½ cups of fruits per day to get essential nutrients and decrease risk of chronic disease. Gardening assists people develop a lasting routine of eating enough fruits and vegetables. This may work not only by offering fresh veggies but also making it more likely for kids to try foods they may not have eaten before.
  • Gardening can alleviate anxiety
Gardening is positively linked with a decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms. Some hospitals even use planting and flower arranging as a kind of rehabilitation for people recovering from strokes, injuries, surgeries, and other conditions. Not only does it offers people control over a state when they may feel helpless, but it also teaches them a new skill that can reinstate confidence. They do not really see a value in themselves as how they define themselves has changed, but being able to care for something is a good place to start.
  • Gardening can make you happier
The act of growing plants can also help boost your mood. As per a recent research it is believed that growing something alive, something real, something green, is a hopeful thing to do.
Gardening is a great pastime to take up; it takes you outside, helps to burn calories, and produces satisfying results.

Benedict T. Palen, Jr., has more than three decades of experience functioning in agricultural speculations, management, and operations. At present, Benedict T.Palen, Jr., serves as manager and co-owner for Great Plains Farms, LLC, running all from the purchase and evaluation of farmland to providing recommendations on irrigation development and operator training.

Monday, April 6, 2020

Benedict T. Palen, Jr - Understanding The Simple Benefits Of Container Gardening

There are simple things more pleasing than watching those little seeds you planted not so long ago, slowly spring from the earth to form nutritious vitamin rich food for you and the people you love. Despondently, in this age and day, not everyone has a big backyard with soil suited for growing vegetables. Some of us do not have any yard at all! But, even the back porch, smallest patio, doorstep or balcony can offer enough room for a stunning and prolific container garden.
Benedict T. Palen, Jr
If you are not persuaded about growing in pots and containers, here are some of the reasons why you should get started right now no matter where you stay:

  • Multipurpose: Container gardens enable you to grow on a patio, balcony, indoors on windowsills, courtyard, or rooms with sufficient light, rooftop or the deck of a boat.
  • Accessibility: Growing plants in containers makes gardening available to nearly anyone including elderly, children and those with limited mobility.
  • More range: You can grow plants that may not be appropriate to grow in your garden soil and grow plants next to each other although they may have diverse soil needs.
  • No weeding: Due to the small surface area, it is doubtful weed seeds will find their way into pots.
  • Flexibility: Reorganize plants to suit the season or your personal taste.
  • No heavy equipment and garden tools: Saves you money with less maintenance.
  • Change your look: Easily differs your color scheme.  As each plant completes fruiting or flowering, it can be replaced with another.
  • Mobility: Plants in pots can be shifted to suit your needs or to a more appropriate sunny or shady location during the day easily.
  • Lesser pesky pests: Insects that move from plant to plant in the garden are less likely to discover plants on a deck, verandah or balcony.  Even if a problem is identified, you can separate affected plants by relocating the pot until the hitch is under control.
  • Fewer disease issues: Most of the time plants that are grown in containers have lesser issues with diseases than plants grown in the soil.
  • Time and labor saving: Less time is spent walking, weeding, and watering when plants are grouped all in one place.
  • Fertilizing is easier:  Keeping your plants well-fed is much easier when they are limited to a small area.  Not as much nutrient tends to be vanished or absorbed by neighboring plants like when they are grown in garden beds directly.
  • Near to the kitchen: Ease of only reaching out or taking a few steps to fresh home grown veggies and herbs. 
  • Street Appeal: Well-designed container plants placed tactically at a home’s entrance can add value and make the home more hospitable.
  • Indoor gardens: Enhance indoor air quality, health and safety with fragrance, color, food and ornamental plants.
Benedict T. Palen, Jr., has over three decades of experience working in agricultural investments, operations, and management. As of now, BenedictT. Palen, Jr., serves as manager and co-owner for Great Plains Farms, LLC, managing all from the purchase and assessment of farmland to offering proposal on irrigation development and operator training.