The dicamba drift crisis continues to deepen, with worrisome coverage of the largely hidden (so far) toll of this herbicide on trees and vines, and wild landscapes. NPR’s Dan Charles has taken an in-depth look at dicamba’s impact on some “Prized Trees” throughout the Midwest and Midsouth, including 200 year old cypress in Tennessee (see the image to the […]
Read More, References, Comment »
As the massive hurricane Florence bears down on the East coast, our thoughts are with anyone (including all the critters) in its path. The immediate concern in the face of such an historic natural disaster is protecting human life from violent winds, storm surge, and widespread flooding. But in the Carolinas, another risk looms. There […]
Read More, References, Comment »
A new study published in Science makes some progress untangling the roots of what’s known as the “irrigation paradox.” Water is precious, and irrigating crops uses a whole lot of it – accounting for 70% of global fesh water extractions. And, in many key agricultural regions, water availability is the key limiting factor to crop yields, and […]
Read More, References, Comment »
A wonderful, long piece in the April 18, 2018 New York Times Magazine explains how changing land and agricultural management can “sip carbon from the air” and put it back in the soil — improving soil health and a farmer’s profit margin, while mitigating climate change. “Can Dirt Save the Earth?” by Moises Velasquez-Manoff starts with […]
Read More, References, Comment »
We have all seen the signs on the gasoline pumps proudly proclaiming “Contains Ethanol.” The U.S. gas supply includes this biofuel derived from corn due a bill passed in 2007, the Renewable Fuel Standard. It mandates that the nation’s gasoline contains a certain portion of corn-based ethanol, courtesy of America’s heartland. At the time, politicians […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The expansion of ethanol and other biofuel production from 2008-2012 has triggered the conversion of an estimated 7 millions of acres of mostly grasslands, and a smaller number of wetland, shrub, and forest acres, to predominantly corn and soybean production. In the course of doing so over just five years, renewable fuels-driven land conversion released […]
Read More, References, Comment »
National Geographic ran a June 15, 2017 story by Sarah Gibbens entitled “Renewable Energy Record Set in the U.S.” It’s opening paragraph reports the good news – “The U.S. set a new renewable energy milestone in March, in data released Wednesday. For the first time, wind and solar accounted for 10 percent of all electricity […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The Pulitzer Prizes for 2017 were announced this week and among the usual nods to The New York Times and The Washington Post was a surprise winner. The Pulitzer for Editorial Writing went to The Storm Lake Times, a small town rural Iowa paper with a circulation of about 3,000. Art Cullen (shown at center of the picture to […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The U.S. Geological Survey recently published a comprehensive overview of pesticides in the nation’s streams and ground water. Water samples were collected at 186 streams in 51 study areas across the country and pesticides in ground water were monitored in over 5,000 wells. The findings confirm earlier studies showing that pesticides have become ubiquitous contaminants […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The environmental benefits of organic farming have been widely acknowledged. In a long-term study of organic, conventional, and integrated apple orchards in Washington State, a team of scientists documented several important environmental benefits. In the organic blocks of trees, nitrogen (N) losses to groundwater and the atmosphere were reduced relative to conventional agriculture. Annual nitrate […]
Read More, References, Comment »
