Search results for 'AZ'

How Brazilian Big Agriculture is Destroying the Brazilian Amazon

By Maria Dampman

Published 7 months ago

The rampant deforestation of the Amazon began in the 1970s when the government of Brazil determined they needed to build over 9,000 miles of roads help integrate the rainforest with the populated bordering areas... Farmers, loggers and cattle ranchers cleared forest to create grazing land as well as to grow highly profitable crops like soy... Widespread contamination of Brazil’s soil and water, the marked decrease of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere and the extinction of countless plants and animals made scientists extremely concerned about the planet’s future... At its worst, Brazilian deforestation claimed over 11,000 square miles a year. With education, advocacy, and widespread support of the Brazilian government, the destruction of the vital forests dropped 84% to 1,700 square miles in 2012...

Direct Driller Magazine Issue 3 is out now...

By Chris Fellows

Published 3 weeks ago

Direct Driller Issue 3 Issue 3 Of Direct Driller magazine. The conservation agriculture magazine created by farmers for farmers... com/register/ All the magazines have been sent out to the farmers on the distribution list... 47 Grazing Cropped Land ... A PDF of the Magazine is also available to download here:...

Categories: Cover Crops

What Farmers Need to Know About Mycorrhizae

By Laura Barrera

Published 1 week ago

If someone asked you, “How do plants take up the water and nutrients they need?” you’d probably tell them through the roots. But did you know that for many crops, those roots aren’t working alone?That’s because most plant species associate with mycorrhizal fungi. What is mycorrhizal fungi? University of Alberta biological scientist JC Cahill says that mycorrhizas are actually the interaction between a fungus and a plant. Although there are many different types of mycorrhizae, the only one crop farmers need to be concerned about is arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as 65% of plant species associate with it. A microscopic view of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus growing on a corn root...

Categories: Cover Crops

A New Era of Farm Employees: Farm Technicians vs. Farm Hands?

By Gregory Heilers

Published 5 months ago

Traditional agricultural skills that made civilization possible are still alive and in use today. At the same time, hundreds of farm technician job listings across the US, and the rise of precision agriculture and software, clearly evidence the need for technologically-savvy farm technicians in the 21st century agricultural industry. It’s no surprise that tech-friendly millennials interested in farming are encouraged by these developments, which may make farming less labor intensive than in generations past. Technology may even be the antidote to a number of ills plaguing modern agriculture, which have led to a drastic decrease in the number of farms across the United States. Satellite technology provides a broader view of agricultureTo assess the current state of affairs across the globe, I solicited the expert advice from one of the preeminent farmers in the United States, Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farm, and John Fargher, co-founder and COO of Australia-based cutting-edge farm management software, AgriWebb...

The Story of AgFuse

By Pat Rogers

Published 4 months ago

In July of 2014, I sat in the audience on the last day of the InfoAg Conference in St Louis. It was my first major farm conference trip outside of somewhat local events that had been put on near my home in the Carolinas. Frankly, my mind was blown with this experience. I had taken in more new information in a three-day period than I had in the previous five years combined. By attending that conference, I was afforded the opportunity to hear some of the smartest minds in agriculture speak on and demonstrate how precision farming was going to change the industry as we knew it...

How Yield Champions Use Cover Crops for Growing Higher Bushels

By Laura Barrera

Published 5 months ago

There are many factors that can influence corn yield. In fact, Fred Below, a plant physiologist at the University of Illinois, identified seven of them, which he dubbed the “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World. ”The seven wonders, ranked in order of most influence on yield, are:WeatherNitrogenHybridPrevious cropPlant populationTillageGrowth regulatorsWhile Below was referring to the cash crop rotation in the fourth wonder, some farmers are taking it one step further by seeding cover crops. The benefit of added crop diversity along with improvements to soil health is paying off, as some of these farmers are achieving the highest yields in the country... He only made one pass on the crop, which included his burndown application of gramoxone, atrazine and simazine, while also topdressing nitrogen...

On the Offensive with Cover Crops

By Pat Rogers

Published 10 months ago

In the past few years, we have made a concerted effort to increase the usage of cover crops and other conservation practices on our farm. I have learned a lot of lessons from this experience but one stands out above the rest. Being a good steward of the environment and aiming to produce high yields don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, I would argue that if intensively managed, conservation practices should significantly enhance yields. The cornerstone of any good crop production system involving conservation techniques is the establishment of cover crops...

20 Years Later: What Roundup Ready Crops Taught Us About Weed Management

By Amanda Allworth

Published 3 months ago

It’s been over two decades since the first Roundup Ready crops were planted in commercial fields. At the time of introduction, the technology was revolutionary for farmers, who found a highly effective and convenient chemistry to control a broad spectrum of weeds. Roundup Ready corn and soybeans quickly became the norm in fields across the United States, and as a result, application of glyphosate increased dramatically. The initial ease and success of Roundup Ready technology may have caused some farmers to become lax with their weed management programs, which was ultimately a factor in the introduction of glyphosate-resistant weeds. The agricultural community certainly made mistakes with the introduction and use of Roundup Ready technology...

Citizens Weekly Newsletter October 12, 2018

By Angie Setzer

Published 1 month ago

This Week in AgricultureA Mixed Bag of Information from the Week that Was: October 12, 2018· A USDA supply and demand update, weather, trade talks and outside market volatility were the most talked about developments across the board this week. · Trade was relatively quiet the first part of the week as a failure to break out above short-term resistance levels and concerns over a potentially bearish USDA report pressured corn and beans. Developments in the outside market structure though created great concern throughout all markets resulting in a risk off attitude and increased selling pressure mid-week. · Ideas that a shift in Fed policy towards a more hawkish tone resulting in increased interest rates, though known for some time now, was pointed to as the reasoning behind the selloff... It’s amazing to see much of Iowa and Minnesota experiencing their wettest harvest period on record over the last 6 weeks...

Categories: Agribusiness

21st Century American Ag: Sourcing Successors and Finding Farmland

By Gregory Heilers

Published 4 months ago

It’s no secret that America’s farmers are aging. In the last 35 years, the average age of American farmers has risen more than eight years to over 58 years-old. While the U. S. farming population continues to mature, another alarming trend develops: in the last decade, farmland values have more than doubled ...