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Across Farm Country, Fertilizer Pollution Impacts Not Just Health, but Water Costs, Too

Civil Eats

These nitrogen-based compounds, common in agricultural runoff, are linked to multiple cancers and health issues for those exposed. and the reason comes down to one major source: Agricultural runoff. This “leaky system” refers to what is not absorbed by the crops on the field, most dangerously, in this case, fertilizer. “It’s

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Illinois Dust Storm Disaster Is a Warning for Agriculture

The Equation

This disaster should serve as a sobering reminder that policymakers and the agriculture industry need to do more to adapt to our changing climate. Although most people don’t notice it, erosion and soil degradation caused by industrial agriculture are already a problem in farming regions across the country. A new Dust Bowl?

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Regenerative Agriculture: A Strategic Approach for Farming

Cropaia

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach to farming that seeks to restore and revitalize the land while improving crop yields and overall farm profitability. Regenerative agriculture is not just a buzzword; it represents a fundamental shift in the way we view and practice farming.

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Can Agriculture Kick Its Plastic Addiction?

Civil Eats

Plastics are tightly woven into the fabric of modern agriculture. 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. But it carries the highest risks.” In 2021, the United Nations (U.N.)

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Living Mulch Cover Cropping for Gardens and Small Farms: Managing an “organic matter” system

ATTRA

By Lee Rinehart, NCAT Agriculture Specialist I’m sure farmers have been using living mulches for ages. He would let the cover crop grow and overwinter and then plow down the following spring for green manure. Instead, I can terminate my winter cover and lightly plow it in this spring, put out my transplants, and undersow white clover.

Crop 79
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Farmers Can Adapt to Alternating Droughts and Floods—Here’s How

The Equation

And the agriculture industry, which uses an outsize amount of California’s water and has literally changed the state’s landscape, needs to change and adapt, fast. Agriculture is the largest user of water in the western states. What can farmers do to avoid weather “whiplash”?

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Can Taller Cover Crops Help Clean the Water in Farm Country?

Civil Eats

He was paid to plant it by the Olmsted County Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Program , a local effort that seeks to reduce overall fertilizer use by building soil—therefore cutting down on the nutrients that enter waterways—while helping farmers save money. Since 2016, the U.S.

Crop 140