Modern Farmer

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Where I live in North Carolina, growers with large cucumber and squash farms rent honey bees at a cost of $100 or more per hive and require 1-2 hives per acre during each season. Is there an alternative to the expense or time investment in honey bee pollination for a farmer growing pollinator-dependent crops? Elizabeth D.

Crop Yield 137

Crop Yield Yield Crop Pesticide 137

Civil Eats

MAY 6, 2024

land, with cropland expanding by 1 million acres per year, fueling habitat loss for wildlife and mammals. Pesticides can harm or kill mammals and can also reduce prey and attract invasive species that compete with native mammals for resources, explained Gaurav Singh-Varma, a researcher at the University of British Columbia.

Farming 104

Farming Farming Pesticide Agriculture 104

DTN

JULY 24, 2023

Two neighbors, Farmer A and Farmer B: both farm 1,000 acres and use the same crop rotation schedule. Farmer A tills 30% of their fields, uses cover crops on 20%, and applies anhydrous ammonia. Farmer B tills 50% of their fields, uses cover crops on 40%, and uses stable nitrogen sources. Consider this scenario.

Farming 98

Farming Farming Crop Rotation Grain 98

Modern Farmer

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

” Former professional football player turned farmer Jason Brown also tried basalt powder last spring on First Fruits Farm, his 1,000-acre farmstead in Louisburg, North Carolina. But he understands the razor-thin budgets of his fellow farmers, which forces many of them to pick and choose which crops they can afford to grow.

Fertilizer 139

Fertilizer Acre Farming Farming 139

Civil Eats

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

His mom, Christy Walton—widow to Sam’s son John—has a net worth of about $11 billion, which she has used to fund restaurants, large ocean aquaculture projects, and a 40,000-acre ranch that offers a “regenerative experience” to tourists and has acted as a site for research on land and livestock management. It won’t be easy.

Supply Chain 124

Supply Chain Food Agriculture Agriculture 124

Civil Eats

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Black polyethylene “mulch film” gets tucked snugly around crop rows, clear plastic sheeting covers hoop houses, and most farmers use plastic seed trays, irrigation tubes, and fertilizer bags. These synthetic polymer products have often been used to help boost yields up to 60 percent and make water and pesticide use more efficient.

Agriculture 121

Agriculture Agriculture Supply Chain Production 121

The Equation

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Here are some of the key takeaways I gleaned from my review of Chapter 11 of NCA 5 : “Weather whiplash” is already hurting US agriculture Extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and heat waves, along with altered precipitation patterns, have affected agriculture by negatively impacting productivity, and made crop yields much less predictable.

Food 105

Food Farming Farming Supply Chain 105