As an irrigated cropping systems agronomist I work on ways to sustain agriculture. In doing this, I have come to realize that there are certain requirements that agriculture must meet to produce food and to keep producing food (yes, fiber…
“Straight up” beats “cocktails” for cover crop ecosystem services Cover crop mixtures, known as “cocktails” by some, are being promoted as having benefits over cover crops planted as monocultures. As I described in Part I, I reviewed recent research results…
“Straight up” beats “cocktails” for cover crop productivity Planting cover crop mixtures is very popular right now. The practice has a feel-good aspect about it and, buoyed by the ecological theory, it fits with the current “mimic nature” strategy of…
My TED talk on sustainable ag, food security and GMOs is now available for viewing. Please watch it and let me know what you think! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ2TF8-PGQ4
It said on the screen, "Bioregenerating Soil-Based Space Agriculture." The title of the talk was "Beyond Intensification." The speaker, a prominent researcher and prolific author, is someone who I thought would present clear thinking on how, in addition to intensification…
When I was a college student, almost every ag-related class I took mentioned the benefits of the “rotation effect” (better yields, fewer pests, etc.). However, aside from insect pests, how the “rotation effect” actually worked was always taught in only…
In my recent post Don’t mimic nature on the farm, improve it, I argued that we should cast aside the ideas of “balance of nature” and “nature knows best” in designing farming systems. There is no reason to “follow nature’s lead”…
Behind many efforts to make agriculture more sustainable is the idea that our farming systems need to be more like nature. According to agroecologist Miguel Alteri, “By designing farming systems that mimic nature, optimal use can be made of sunlight,…
The director of the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chad Kruger, posed the question, "For farm and food system sustainability, is it possible to shift our existing system in the right direction with small, positive changes or…
Read More Stepping, rather than jumping, towards sustainability
