Search results for 'AZ'

How Brazilian Big Agriculture is Destroying the Brazilian Amazon

By Maria Dampman

Published 6 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...

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

By Amanda Allworth

Published 1 month 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...

How Yield Champions Use Cover Crops for Growing Higher Bushels

By Laura Barrera

Published 4 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 8 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...

21st Century American Ag: Sourcing Successors and Finding Farmland

By Gregory Heilers

Published 2 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 ...

Early Cover Crop Benefits: What Can You Expect in the First Year?

By Laura Barrera

Published 4 months ago

In 1995, Pennsylvania farmer Steve Groff was speaking at an event when he asked the audience the question: Do cover crops pay off?His thinking at the time was that he had been no-tilling since 1982, and maybe if he no-tilled long enough, he wouldn’t need them. Ray Weil, a soil ecologist with the University of Maryland, happened to hear his question and approached Groff about doing a cover crop study on his farm. It turned into a 12-year project, from 1995 to 2007. It was in 1999, four years into it, Groff got the answer to his question. That was the year he had a drought, and the corn that was grown on previously cover-cropped ground out-yielded the corn on non-cover cropped ground by 28 bushels per acre...

Categories: Cover Crops

Farmers Push for Trade, Not Aid

By Kayla Hedrick

Published 2 months ago

While the Chinese retaliatory tariffs and the resulting implications have been discussed among agriculture circles for months, perhaps the news that has caused the most conversation among farmers and the general public is the $12 billion aid package announced by President Trump in late July. What’s often missing in the conversation is that the $12 billion will not all come in the form of direct payments to farmers, nor go to one specific commodity... soy over South America, where Brazil and Argentina have had to play catch-up in developing their critical paths to market... soybean farmers’ biggest global competitor: Brazil. While Brazil has its downfalls – the aforementioned transportation issues – its prowess as a global soybean supplier cannot be ignored...

Categories: Ag Issues in Washington, Agribusiness, Soybeans

Starting from Scratch - How Beginning Farmers can Break Ground

By Gregory Heilers

Published 2 weeks ago

Despite the fact that there is near-guaranteed job security, thanks to booming population growth, many beginning farmers face seemingly insurmountable obstacles to bringing a product to market. In this article, we’re going to cover how young farmers can start from the ground up, even if they don’t come from a family of farmers. Informing this subject is Jason Silverman, the Massachusetts Field Agent of Land For Good, and Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farm. Jason’s experience as a first generation farmer, and as an agent connecting farmers with resources, balances well with Joel’s, who took over the family farm, and has since mentored scores of intern cohorts. Starting Out with No Agricultural BackgroundOne of the dangers of starting out without either extensive experience or a strong support network is the potential for failure...

Categories: Agribusiness

The Story of AgFuse

By Pat Rogers

Published 2 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...

4 Steps to Building Soil Organic Matter in the South

By Laura Barrera

Published 2 months ago

As we learn more about what goes on in the world beneath our feet, increased attention has been placed on soil organic matter. And for good reason. While it only makes up a small percentage of most soils, the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) says it’s the “very foundation for healthy and productive soils” — and the more organic matter there is, the better the results. Consider the following findings from SARE and the NRCS:A study of soils in Michigan demonstrated potential crop-yield increases of about 12% for every 1% organic matter. When organic matter increased from 0...