Articles tagged with Conventional Farming
The Purdue-led USDA project, IMPACT2, aims to double the impact of climate-smart agriculture in the Midwest by addressing near-term and long-term issues faced by farmers. The project will offer scenario-based activities, training, and information to diverse stakeholders, with a goal of reaching 2,000 participants via an online portal.
Achieving a high fertility cycle in dairy herds involves implementing reproductive management programs, maintaining optimal body condition scores (BCS), and ensuring timely pregnancies. By calving cows at lower BCS between 2.75 and 3.0, dairy farms can reduce health issues and increase fertility rates.
A new scoring system assesses pig welfare through a range of measurements, including health problems and environmental interactions. The system enables comparison across different types of pig farming and informs decisions about farm sustainability.
A $5 million grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service supports a Climate-Smart Sustainability Certificate program for small-scale farmers. The program aims to improve crop production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon removal.
The study focuses on reducing insects and pathogens that threaten crops, with manure serving as a potential solution. Researchers will investigate the most effective ways to apply manure to improve soil health and plant resistance to insect pests.
Researchers found that non-growing season nitrous oxide emissions in the Midwest can account for up to 60% of annual emissions. Environmental factors such as precipitation and temperature drive these emissions, with more intensive freezing causing increased emissions in the southeastern Midwest.
Researchers found that domesticated rye has smaller recombining regions, making it less resistant to climate change. In contrast, wild rye has a more diverse genetic makeup and can freely recombine its genetic material.
A recent study by Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University provides a method to help farmers and policymakers decide whether organic farming is beneficial for the environment. The researchers analyzed international studies to find a threshold where organic farming's biodiversity gain outweighs its land requirements.
Researchers found that wetter pre-growing seasons reduced soil nitrogen through leaching, but applying more fertilizer can mitigate this effect. The model also showed that cold pre-growing season temperatures limited early growth in ways that affected yield potential, making extra fertilizer less effective.
Researchers found that short-term cover crop use cannot reverse decades of soil microbial dynamics in response to unsustainable practices. Long-term fertilization disrupted nitrogen cycling communities, while cover crops enhanced biodiversity but had both positive and negative effects on soil microbes.
Vertical farming enables crops to be grown in vertically stacked layers, conserving land and allowing for multiple harvests per year. This method can significantly reduce water requirements and chemical crop protection, while increasing yields through optimal growth conditions and technologies.
Research reveals that climate change and drought can cause significant yield losses in soybeans, even with high levels of weed control. To mitigate this, farmers need to adopt integrated weed management strategies, including the use of soil-residual herbicides and late-maturing soybean varieties.
Research shows that cow-calf pairs can be managed in drylots throughout the summer grazing period without significant negative effects on growth performance, lactation, and reproductive rates. Calves raised in drylots had increased performance compared to pasture-raised calves, but still showed signs of stress during weaning.
The study found that nitrogen fertilizer accelerated residue decomposition, producing more carbon dioxide and reducing the incorporation of residues into soil organic matter. This long-term problem can cause microbes to attack stable organic matter, leading to a decline in soil health.
New research enables regionally relevant eating-quality traits to be selected early in breeding programs, saving time and effort. Genetic markers associated with 10 grain-quality traits have been identified, which can now be used by rice breeders in Latin America and potentially worldwide.
Deploying honeybees on solar parks in the UK could raise crop yields and financial returns, with soft fruits and oilseed benefiting the most. The study found that prioritizing these crops within a 1.5km honeybee foraging radius around solar parks could boost values by £80 million annually.
A German study reveals that glyphosate and dozens of other pesticides are spreading through the air for miles into national parks and cities. The analysis was published in a peer-reviewed journal and shows that agricultural toxins like glyphosate are classified as probably carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organisation.
Research suggests that concentrate farming allows for more natural habitats while meeting future food targets, resulting in better biodiversity outcomes compared to wildlife-friendly agriculture. This approach also sequesters more carbon and may benefit marine life.
A new analysis of urban agriculture in the northeastern US found that it provides limited environmental benefits, with a 1.1-2.9% reduction in food-related carbon emissions. Minimizing meat and dairy purchases is recommended for consumers seeking to lower their footprint.