Remove Farming Remove Manure Remove Ruralism
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Bringing Youth Back to the Farm in Rural America

Food Tank

Iowa is the number-one pork producer in the United States, but it has relatively few hog farms. Large factory farm facilities have replaced smaller family farms. The state lost nearly 90 percent of its hog farms from 1982 to 2017, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census data.

Ruralism 107
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Rural Drinking Water Has a Nitrate Problem

Modern Farmer

This story was produced through a collaboration between the Daily Yonder, which covers rural America, and Climate Central, a nonadvocacy science and news group. Across the board, farms have been merged into just a few big companies that control most food sectors. The smell from the lagoon made it impossible to enjoy their backyard.

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

Civil Eats

When Jeff Broberg and his wife, Erica, moved to their 170-acre bean and grain farm in Winona, Minnesota in 1986, their well water measured at 8.6 Those tiles, which were first installed in the mid-1800s and have now largely been replaced with plastic pipes, ultimately allowed farmers to grow crops on land that was once too wet to farm.

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Retaining Soil Moisture at Lighthouse Herb’n Farm

ATTRA

Farmers all over the United States are changing the way they farm to boost soil health, use less water, and reduce fertilizer and pesticide use. Lighthouse Herb’n Farm is located at the base of Palomar Mountain in San Diego and is run by Damian Valdez and Jaime Williamson. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

Farming 105
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Wisconsin Towns Are Trying to Limit CAFO Growth. Big Dairy Is Fighting Back

Daily Yonder

A few days after moving in, concerned neighbors informed her that Ledgeview Farms, a large dairy farm behind her home, was planning to expand, which included building a manure pit to store millions of gallons of waste next to the subdivision. In late 2023, the farm responded with a lawsuit against the town.

Manure 101
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Harmful Algal Blooms in Farm Ponds: Risks to Humans, Livestock, and Pets

ATTRA

Farm ponds and slow-moving creeks and streams that are enriched with fertilizer runoff and directly deposited manure are the perfect place to find cyanobacteria thriving. Do not let livestock loiter in ponds because they contaminate it with manure. Blooms are more common when there is a long dry period after a rain event.

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Op-Ed | A Case for Food Diversification

Food Tank

Unfortunately, many farming practices in Africa are based on monoculture, so if a disease or a drought hits a key growing region, the entire system suffers. Incorporating indigenous vegetables into our local farming system can disrupt this pattern. It can also promote healthier soil, reduce pest problems, and boost rural economies.

Food 125