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Could Dry-Farming Wheat in San Diego Seed a Local Grain Economy?

Civil Eats

At night, and on weekends, he’s a serious sourdough bread baker—and an aspiring grain farmer. After looking in vain for an affordable local wheat source, Ellis decided to experiment with dry-farming the grain himself on a small piece of land 45 miles north of San Diego, in rural Valley Center. Landrace and heritage varieties of grains.

Grain 138
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The Farmers Leaning On Each Other’s Tools

Civil Eats

For three years, Nathanael Gonzales-Siemens drove up California’s coast for 14 hours every month for a routine task: milling his grain into flour. “I We’ve got 150 acres of grain.” He found this disconcerting, not only for himself but the future of small-scale grain farming in California, once known for its golden hills of grain.

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On The Ground: Your Dog’s Food Probably Comes From a Factory Farm. Meet Some Folks Who Want to Change That

Modern Farmer

. “Dog food” is regulated loosely compared to human fare, allowing even meat deemed unfit for human consumption due to things such as disease and contamination and moldy grains , a recipe for endless pet food recalls. Like the hog tails, hides, organs, and hooves that aren’t always suitable for compost.

Food 112
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On the Ground with the Midwest Farmers Going All-In On Agroforestry

Modern Farmer

They ate grains that couldn’t be sold.” Photos courtesy of Wendy Johnson) The sheep were getting sick from eating too much grain, so Johnson worked to reestablish a natural savanna, a mixed woodland and grassland ecosystem that had once been prevalent on Iowa’s landscape but was destroyed by grazing and row crops. Johnson laughs.

Acre 126
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Farmer Conservation Stories: Why Inflation Reduction Act Funding Must Remain Focused on Climate Change

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Anthony, IN, has substantially reduced the impacts of downpours on his farm by adopting managed rotational grazing and improving his pastures. As he transitions toward a farm that is more resilient, he has adopted a no-till system and a much more well-rounded rotation that includes small grains. A clover crop interseeded into pasture.

Pasture 100
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The Carbon Chronicles – Part 2

UnderstandingAg

I confess to being a recovering engineer, but this is a useful way to conceptualize an invisible process that’s happening in crop fields and in pastures. Another portion of carbon is removed when the grain is harvested. We typically add very little carbon to our fields unless we are adding a lot of manure or compost.

Compost 91
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Molybdenum Matters: How to Enhance Crop Performance

Cropaia

Application of molybdenum-containing fertilizers or organic amendments such as compost can help alleviate deficiencies. Soybeans) Yellowing of leaf margins: The older leaves often show a characteristic yellowing at the margins, progressing towards the center.

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