agriculture cover News

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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

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)

A more defined connection between compost, soil health, and water quality is vital for inclusion in predictive watershed modeling and consequently, nutrient management plans. ...

Dec. 31, 2018

By BioCycle Magazine

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

Common agricultural policy: the reform is approved by the Council Today (on Dec 16), the Council adopted the common agriculture policy (CAP) reform package following a first reading agreement with the European Parliament. This reform sets out the new rules for the CAP in the next seven-year period, in order to equip the European agricultural sector for the opportunities and challenges of the ...

Dec. 15, 2013

By EU Council of Ministers

Africa and India are gearing up to further enhance cooperation in agricultural science, technology and innovation, and move beyond dialogue to a range of practical options from a virtual biotech platform to ...

Jan. 27, 2014

By SciDev.Net

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)

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