Agriculture Archives - Page 2 of 12 - Food and Farm Discussion Lab

Years of Eavesdropping on Insect Sex Talk is Starting to Pay Off for Grape Growers

April 18, 2018 Guest Authors 0

Vineyards across the U.S. and Italy are being devastated by incurable diseases caused by bacteria hitching a ride on leafhoppers — a diverse group of plant-piercing insects closely related to cicadas. Now, thanks to some innovative research, scientists are using a technique called vibrational mating disruption to interrupt male-leafhopper courtship songs, preventing them from finding mates and slowing population growth.

Milk, it’s whats for … wait, what exactly IS milk anyway?

April 9, 2018 Marc Brazeau 0

The definition of skim milk seems like it should be pretty straightforward. Not so fast. There’s more at stake than meets the eye.

Towards a Greater Use of Food Waste in Livestock Feed

April 9, 2018 Guest Authors 0

‘Food loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of resources including water, land, energy, labour and capital,’ said Professor Montse Jorba Rafart, an expert in agrifood technologies from Leitat, a Spanish technological centre.

Instead, this waste could become a sustainable solution for another resource-heavy agricultural sector – animal feed.

More at Stake in the Battle to Define Meat Than Meets the Eye

March 13, 2018 Marc Brazeau 0

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association is making a pre-emptive strike against potentially misleading marketing for the next wave of plant meat and other meat alternatives, but the definition is changing fast. Trying to define meat by production process doesn’t play well with where the industry would like to see biotech regulation reformed.

What Farmers Can Do About Climate Change: Dynamic Cropping Systems

March 9, 2018 National Farmer's Union 0

Dynamic cropping is an ecologically-based management strategy that optimizes production through the use of flexible crop sequencing. Here are the stories of four farmers who have found success with dynamic cropping systems.

Dwindling Agrobiodiversity: Fewer Crops Are Feeding More People Worldwide

March 7, 2018 Guest Authors 0

Global shifts of urbanization, migration, markets and climate can potentially be compatible with agrobiodiversity, but other powerful forces are undermining it. The imperatives of producing food at lower cost and higher yield clash with efforts to raise high-quality food and protect the environment.

What You Should Know About Antibiotics Use in Livestock Production

March 6, 2018 Alison Van Eenennaam 0

Alison Van Eenennaam, an extension specialist at UC Davis working in beef genomics surveys the data and evidence relating to concerns about the use of medically important antibiotics in livestock production.

The Farms Are Too Damn Small: The Small Farm Glut

March 1, 2018 Marc Brazeau 0

A recent story in the Wall Street Journal on an increased reliance by small farmers in the Midwest on off-farm income highlights that we don’t have a shortage of farmers, we have glut of small farms.

From Identifying Pests to Picking Fruit, AI Is Making Farming Smarter

March 1, 2018 Guest Authors 0

A sophisticated form of artificial intelligence known as deep learning could help make agriculture more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Why Reducing Post-Harvest Losses is a Priority for Africa

February 28, 2018 Guest Authors 0

According to the FAO, 30% of food is lost or wasted along the supply chain every year. This is a whopping 1.3 billion metric tons of food that doesn’t ever reach the consumer. This lost or wasted food could be used to feed 1.6 billion people every year. In Africa, the losses are even higher: between 30% and 50%.

When Genetic Engineering is the Environmentally Friendly Choice

February 26, 2018 Guest Authors 0

Three examples of genetic engineering of crops show that extremely modest engineered changes in plant genetics can result in very important benefits. These three examples involve engineered changes that trigger the natural defenses of the plant without introducing novel defense mechanisms.

President Yoweri Museveni Challenged Uganda’s GMO Bill

February 23, 2018 Guest Authors 0

Uganda’s president wants to integrate protections for Uganda’s genetic heritage and resources into his country’s desperately needed biosafety law.

What We Can Do About Nitrogen Emissions and Air Pollution

February 23, 2018 Guest Authors 0

Nitrogen emissions from agriculture can exacerbate particulate pollution, endangering human health. There has been a lot of progress in addressing that, but much still needs to be done.

Further Fraying Food and Farm Coalitions

February 16, 2018 Marc Brazeau 0

Monsanto sues the citizen’s Arkansas State Plant Board, Bunge partners with the Non-GMO Project, the GMA continues its collapse. They fraying of food and farm coalitions continues apace.

3. There Is Not Enough Manure (or Compost) to Sustain Agriculture

February 7, 2018 Andrew McGuire 0

Agronomist Andrew McGuire explains why there is not enough manure or compost available – and can never be enough – to replenish soil fertility at a systems level. Studies that show improved outcomes on single farms are not measuring improvement at a systems level.

2. Can Manure Sustain Soils?

February 7, 2018 Andrew McGuire 0

Returning manure to the soil that produced it can be a sustainable way of restoring soil organic matter. Too often the organic matter of many farms is pushed through the bottleneck of intensive livestock production to be applied just a few farms. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.