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Whose Farm Is More Sustainable? Calculating Farm Sustainability.

DTN

fertilizer application, irrigation, machinery use, pesticide application) and the sources of carbon sequestration (e.g., reduced tillage, cover crops, treed acres). Trackable events include plowing, minimum-till cultivation, crop rotation, crop type, cover crop presence, irrigation events, harvest date, and crop residue presence.

Farming 98
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Can Agriculture Kick Its Plastic Addiction?

Civil Eats

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.

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A pillar of the climate-smart agriculture movement is on shaky ground

Food Environment and Reporting Network

But as the hype for cover crops mounts, so does the scrutiny. New research suggests that cover crops may struggle to make a significant dent in agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers, using satellite data, found that cash crop yields in the corn belt dropped significantly—on average 5.5