If you find
Non-desired species are not profitable and some eat into profit
OR
Pests allowed to complete their lifecycle produce greater numbers of offspring than the existing generation
OR
The offspring of desirable species are profitable
OR
Desirable species which are allowed to complete their lifecycle will produce offspring and this is where much of the profit in farming comes from — seeds, lambs, calves and so on
Then,
Two key aspects of Lifecycle management on farms are:
- managing the lifecycles of desirable organisms to keep them alive and reproducing well, and
- disrupting or breaking pest lifecycles to reduce the number in this and any following year. This has become the emphasis over the past few decades on many farms — farms have become places to kill weeds, pests etc. Remember when farms were about Growing not killing?
Lifecycle refers to the cycle each organism (living thing) goes through in its life. Many lifecycles are simple and consist of these basic stages and no more:
- Birth or hatching for an animal and germination for a plant
- Establishment and growth which may just involve more of the same until it starts to develop flowers or other sexual organs or may include substantial changes such as a caterpillar developing, going into a cocoon and developing further so that it can emerge into the
- Reproductive phase when it produces eggs, live young, seeds, spores etc depending on the type of organism
- Aging or senescence which is the phase of wearing out, falling apart and returning to the litter layer to become food for the organisms which come next
- and then back to the beginning again.
Other organisms have a more complicated lifecycle where the reproductive and growth stages may go on for years, decades or even centuries. This applies to larger animals which usually breed (or can breed) every year, perennial plants and some others.
Managing the lifecycles of desirable species
Farming’s key aim is growing produce for the family to live on and to sell.
For those organisms that are wanted, the idea is usually to allow them to complete their lifecycles because that allows harvesting one or more stages of the lifecycle.
By managing the lifecycles of wanted species to keep them alive and reproducing well, we keep our farms the way we want them.
The offspring of Desirable species are usually profitable.
Desirable species that are allowed to complete their lifecycle will generally produce similar or greater numbers of offspring than the existing generation and this is where much of the profit in farming comes from — seeds, lambs, calves and so on.
Managing the lifecycles of undesirable species
By managing so that we break our pests’ lifecycles, we reduce the number we have the following year.
By interrupting the lifecycle of a species you do not want, you make it hard for it to live, reproduce etc. To do this you need to know the species’ Predisposing conditions or Necessary conditions and remove at least one of them at the right time.
Sometimes you have to take from one and give to the other. This needs to be to your advantage.
The offspring of non-desired species are unprofitable. Pests allowed to complete their lifecycle will generally produce greater numbers of offspring than the existing generation.
By eliminating one stage of the pest species, you eliminate the chance for the species to survive. If all stages are permitted, you need to tackle another aspect, such as its Habitat or change the species you want to grow and that the pest harms.