agriculture cover News | Agriculture XPRT

The future of cover crops

Winter cover crops are an important component of nutrient cycling, soil cover and organic matter content. Although its benefits are well documented, cover crop use in farming systems is relatively low. Research has shown that time and money are the two primary reasons why farmers are hesitant to adopt the technique. Developing innovative and cost-effective crop cover systems could increase the ...

Jul. 12, 2011

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Agricultural Bacteria: Blowing in the Wind

It was all too evident during the Dust Bowl what a disastrous impact wind can have on dry, unprotected topsoil. Now a new study has uncovered a less obvious, but still troubling, effect of wind: Not only can it carry away soil particles, but also the beneficial microbes that help build soil, detoxify contaminants, and recycle nutrients. Using a powerful DNA sequencing technique, called ...

May 8, 2012

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Cover crops reduce erosion, runoff

Cover crops may be more effective at reducing soil erosion and runoff after maize harvest than rough tillage, according to scientists from the Université Catholique de Louvain, in collaboration with the Independent Center for the Promotion of Forage (CIPF). The three-year study, supervised by Charles Bielders and conducted by Eric Laloy, measured erosion and runoff losses from silt loam ...

May 17, 2010

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Cover Crops Add to Farm Sustainability

A potentially record-setting U.S. corn harvest is underway. Many farmers can attribute the use of cover crops as one of multiple best management practices (BMPs) that help them increase yield year after year. Combined with BMPs of The Fertilizer Institute’s 4R Nutrient Stewardship program that promotes the application of nutrients at the right source, right rate, right time and right place, ...

Oct. 8, 2014

By The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)

Center for Agricultural and Shale Law Posts Agricultural Law Weekly Review

The latest installment of the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law’s Agricultural Law Weekly Review is now available. Topics covered include: DOJ sues to prevent Deere’s acquisition of Precision Planting, California bill could require overtime for agricultural workers, HPAI discovered in Alaska, PA extends permit for point source discharges, FSIS requests extension ...

Aug. 31, 2016

By The National Agricultural Law Center (NALC)

The common agricultural policy (CAP) and agriculture in Europe – Frequently asked questions

Farming in Europe – an overview How rural is the EU? Over 77% of the EU's territory is classified as rural (47% is farm land and 30% forest) and is home to around half its population (farming communities and other residents). How many farmers are there in the EU? 12 million (full-time). ...

Jun. 25, 2013

By European Commission

Understanding why rye works as a cover crop

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists may soon find a way to enhance the weed-killing capabilities of a cereal grain that enriches the soil when used as a winter cover crop. Rye is often grown in winter and killed in the spring, so the dead stalks can be flattened over soybean and vegetable fields to block sunlight and prevent spring weeds from getting the light they need to germinate. ...

Oct. 21, 2009

By The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - USDA

Scaling up conservation agriculture in Zambia

The European Union (EU), FAO and the Government of Zambia launched a four-year, €11 million programme to increase crop production and productivity of over 300 000 small-scale farmers by promoting practices based on conservation agriculture. The agricultural production of smallholder farmers in Zambia is most affected by soil degradation, high-input prices, poor produce markets and poor ...

Jun. 17, 2013

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Agriculture: the unlikely earth day hero

Rising temperatures, erratic weather, population growth, and scarce water resources - along with growing civil unrest and skyrocketing food prices - are putting unprecedented stress on people and the planet. For over 40 years, Earth Day has served as a call to action, mobilizing individuals and organizations around the world to address these challenges. This year, Worldwatch Institute's ...

Apr. 17, 2011

By GLOBE SERIES

Focus on Disability: Changing agricultural attitudes

Low-tech projects are overturning prejudices and leaving disabled people free to farm, says Sue Coe. Two recent SciDev.Net stories covered important current food provision issues: farming methods for smallholders and the need for ...

Oct. 8, 2013

By SciDev.Net

First standardised map of global land cover released

The first map of detailed information on worldwide land cover collected using uniform international standards, the Global Land Cover-SHARE database, was released in March by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Experts say it will help to improve research into natural resources and monitor global environmental changes. “It is more precise and accurate ...

May 1, 2014

By SciDev.Net

Agroforestry can fix Pakistan’s depleting tree cover

Using a mix of trees and crop species can help rejuvenate Pakistan's deteriorating forests, a study reported. The study is based on physical and chemical analyses of 400 soil samples, collected during a survey of farms and plantations to compare the four agro-ecological zones of the Punjab province. Results of the findings published in the African Science Journal of Environmental Sciences ...

Dec. 15, 2011

By SciDev.Net

National Survey on Cover Crops Seeks Farmer Participation

Farmers are invited to share their thoughts on cover crops—whether or not they use cover crops themselves—in a national survey, now in its third year of collecting valuable data on the increasingly popular management practice. The results, which will be released this summer, will help growers, researchers, agricultural advisors, ag retailers and policymakers more effectively address ...

Feb. 25, 2015

By Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE)

Promotion of EU agricultural products outside the EU

The European Commission has approved measures to provide information on, and to promote agricultural products in third countries. Member States submitted 20 programmes to the Commission to be examined. The 10 programmes that have been accepted are from France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Romania. The products covered are PGI and PDO, wine, fruit and vegetables, meat, spirits, ...

Nov. 30, 2009

By European Commission, Environment DG

Webinar will address advantages and limitations of LLCs in agriculture

On Wednesday, August 16, at 12 noon (ET), the Agricultural & Food Law Consortium presents a free webinar, “Using LLCs in Agriculture: Beyond Liability Protection.” Since every state statutorily authorized the Limited Liability Company (LLC) as a business structure, the LLC has become a popular entity choice for farm businesses. But while often touted as a silver bullet for ...

Jul. 31, 2017

By The National Agricultural Law Center (NALC)

Experiment demonstrates 110 years of sustainable agriculture

A plot of land on the campus of Auburn University shows that 110 years of sustainable farming practices can produce similar cotton crops to those using other methods. In 1896, Professor J.F. Duggar at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn University) started an experiment to test his theories that sustainable cotton production was possible on Alabama soils if ...

Oct. 1, 2008

By American Society of Agronomy

USDA Grants Support Organic Agriculture Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today awarded five grants to support research, education and Extension programs that will improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers. "The organic industry is a rapidly growing segment of American agriculture and it is important we continue to invest in sound science to support ...

Dec. 10, 2013

By U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Land “Grabbing” Grows as Agricultural Resources Dwindle

Since 2000, more than 36 million hectares—- an area about the size of Japan—- has been purchased or leased by foreign entities, mostly for agricultural use. Today, nearly 15 million hectares more is under negotiation (www.worldwatch.org). “Farmland is lost or degraded on every continent, while ‘land grabbing’—- the purchase or ...

Oct. 5, 2015

By Worldwatch Institute

Agricultural Subsidies Remain a Staple in the Industrial World

In 2012, the most recent year with data, agricultural subsidies totaled an estimated $486 billion in the top 21 food-producing countries in the world. These countries—the members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and seven other countries (Brazil, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Africa, and Ukraine)—are responsible for almost 80 percent ...

Mar. 10, 2014

By Worldwatch Institute

New book challenges statistics for agricultural sciences

A new and first of its kind book provides a practical guide for the use of modern statistical methods within agricultural and natural resources sciences. Analysis of Generalized Linear Mixed Models in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences is being released world-wide at an important time of change in the research community. It demonstrates, through examples, the design and ...

Jan. 29, 2012

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

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