Category Archives: Agriculture

UMass Permaculture Documentary Series

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Laura B.

Watch the video. UMass Amherst transformed a 1/4 grass lawn on campus into a thriving, abundant, permaculture garden during the 2010-2011 academic year. Learn how this student-led project can be easily replicated and spread to other campuses, institutions, or any … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Schools, Video | Leave a comment

Environmental Impact of Animal Waste

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the full story from the American Society of Agronomy. North and South Carolina have seen a steady increase in swine production over the last 15 years. In North Carolina alone, swine production generates approximately a quarter of the state’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Environment, Research | Leave a comment

Farms’ Renewable Energy Production Shows Big Growth: USDA

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Laura B.

Via EERE. The number of solar panels, wind turbines, and methane digesters on America’s farms and ranches has increased significantly over the past decade, according to survey results released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on February 23. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Publications, Renewable Energy | Leave a comment

Careful Sleuthing Reveals a Key Source of Sedimentation

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the full story from the Agricultural Research Service. Much of the Mississippi River’s sediment load doesn’t come from field runoff, according to work by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Instead, the scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Research, Water | Leave a comment

USDA Study Confirms Links Between Longer Ragweed Season and Climate Change

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the full story from the Agricultural Research Service. Studies by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist and cooperators have confirmed what many pollen-sensitive people already suspected: In some parts of North America, ragweed season now lasts longer and … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Climate Change, Research | Leave a comment

Smart Phones Soon Will Access Agro/Environmental Model Services

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the full story from the Agricultural Research Service. Soon there will be U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “apps” for smart phones, now that the Object Modeling System (OMS) is operational. The OMS is a framework for making software applications … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Computing/Consumer electronics | Leave a comment

New Lignin ‘Lite’ Switchgrass Boosts Biofuel Yield by More than One-Third

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the press release. Bioethanol from new lines of native perennial prairie grass could become less costly because of plant engineering by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and fermentation research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In a paper published in … Continue reading →

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World Phosphorous Use Crosses Critical Threshold

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the press release. Recalculating the global use of phosphorous, a fertilizer linchpin of modern agriculture, a team of researchers warns that the world’s stocks may soon be in short supply and that overuse in the industrialized world has become … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Research, Water | Leave a comment

USDA Scientists Match Bioenergy Sites, Feedstocks

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the full story from the Agricultural Research Service. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have figured out a cost-benefit balance between identifying the best sites for building bioenery facilities in the Pacific Northwest and supplying those facilities … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biofuels | Leave a comment

Potty-trained pigs save money, ease pollution, test finds

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Laura B.

Read the full story from Reuters. Taiwan has been experimenting with a simple solution to the perennial problems of pollution, smell and excessive water use on pig farms: train the pigs to use a toilet.

Posted in Agriculture, International, Research | Leave a comment