Recently, some fellow data geeks and I spent (quite a lot of) time ranking all 50 states on the health and sustainability of their food systems, from soil to spoon. Read more >
Photo: Preston Keres, USDA
We Ranked All 50 States from Farm to Fork. Why We Bothered—and a Taste of Our Takeaways
Marcia DeLonge, senior scientist
June 12, 2018 11:25 AM EDT
Photo courtesy Flickr/Lance Cheung, USDA
Will Congress Give Farmers the Farm Bill They Want?
Karen Perry Stillerman, senior analyst, Food and Environment
April 18, 2018 9:16 AM EDT
Last week, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee made headlines by unveiling a truly terrible farm bill proposal. In stark contrast, a poll released today shows that farmers across the political spectrum are eager for precisely the kind of tools and incentives House Republicans have firmly turned their backs on. Read more >
Extended crop rotations, which often include small grains like oats, pictured here, can provide financial benefits to farmers while also providing broader environmental benefits, like reduced soil erosion and runoff. Nick Ohde/Practical Farmers of Iowa
Crop Diversity: A Nice Thing If You Can Get It (and You Can Get It If You Try)
Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, PhD, UCS Science Network, UCS
April 3, 2018 4:57 PM EDT
Diversity is incredibly important for a productive and resilient agrifood system. Diverse cropping systems can lead to greater productivity, profitability and environmental health. Diversity in the form of extended crop rotations can also reduce weed, insect, and disease pressure, which can help farmers cut the costs of their purchased inputs like herbicides and insecticides. Beyond these financial benefits, diversifying crop rotations also provides broader environmental benefits that can be experienced at both the field scale (e.g., reduced erosion) and landscape scale (e.g., reduced water quality impairment), as noted in the UCS report Rotating Crops, Turning Profits. Read more >
Photo: USDA/ARS
Room for Ruminants in a Sustainable Future? Taking a Step Back to Find More Steps Forward
Marcia DeLonge, senior scientist
March 29, 2018 4:31 PM EDT
Ruminants, especially cattle (particularly beef cattle), have gotten a bad rap for their effects on climate, water, land and health. However, research and practice also point to cases in which ruminants can help improve the sustainability of farms, increasing farm resilience to extreme weather and supporting the livelihoods of some of the land’s best stewards. Read more >
Farmer Jonathan Cobb with cattle. Using diverse cover crops and diverse animal grazing, the Cobbs are building soil health on their farm. Photo: USDA/Ron Nichols
Regenerative Farming Trailblazers: How Reintegrating Livestock and Restoring Soils Can Lead to More Resilient Farms
Marcia DeLonge, senior scientist
March 29, 2018 4:26 PM EDT
Across the United States, more farmers are finding that practices that have worked in the past are no longer cutting it. Persistent low prices for common crops (especially corn) paired with high production costs (for example, expensive equipment and fertilizers) have made it hard to stay afloat. At the same time agriculture has also moved increasingly toward systems dominated by a few annual crops—typically corn and soybeans—often with fields left bare between growing seasons. This trend has degraded core resources like soil and water, endangering the long-term viability of many farms. Read more >
