Dear Readers, I'm traveling in farm country in N.E. Nebraska this week, so, for today, I only have time to post a few links. Has there been an extra large amount of doom and gloom lately, or is it just me?--K.M.
⁃ An almost entirely accidental discovery by researchers could transform food and biofuel production and increase carbon capture on farmland. By tweaking a plant’s genetic profile, the researchers doubled the plant’s growth and increased seed production by more than 400 per cent. | (Science Daily)
⁃ The EPA has proposed a 2.1 percent increase in required renewable fuel that can be derived from corn starch, a win for ethanol producers and corn growers at a time when corn prices are low. | (Bloomberg/Wash-Post)
⁃ The USDA reported that new CRP contracts were issued for 411,000 acres, but demand from landowners was for 1.8 million acres. Now that commodity prices are low, there is higher demand for it, and finally this has led Secretary of Agriculture, Vilsack to support raising the CRP acreage number from its extremely low level of today. | (Chris Clayton, DTN)
⁃ 28% of US bees wiped out this winter, suggesting bigger environmental issues. More than half of beekeepers suffered unsustainable losses, with deadly mite infestations and harmful land management practices piling on pressure. | (The Guardian)
⁃ Herbicides that provide residual weed control for farmers may also be killing the cover crops they plant. | (Missouri Farmer Today)
⁃ A replacement for Wes Jackson, founder of the Salina, Kansas based Land Institute, has been named. | (Land Institute)
⁃ Mounting evidence suggests that it may be the inert ingredients in some formulations of Roundup that are dangerous, besides the main active ingredient, glyphosate. | (The Intercept)
⁃ Ten presidents and prime ministers from around the world will work together to resolve the growing global water crisis amid warnings that the world may face a 40 percent shortfall in water availability by 2030. | (IPS)
⁃ For gardeners: "Powerhouse Vegetables". | (At Home Colorado)
⁃ British photographer Nick Brandt has been making intimate portraits of East African animals for close to two decades. Warning: Sad short video, superbly done. | (BBC)
⁃ Earth Is Tipping Because of Climate Change; Melting ice and shifting rain patterns are causing the north and south poles to drift. | (Scientific American)
⁃ EIA projects 48% increase in world energy consumption by 2040
| (EIA)
⁃ The above scenario makes geoengineering a likely end point. Book: The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World by Oliver Morton | (Amazon)
To view last week's trendspotting post, click here.
⁃ An almost entirely accidental discovery by researchers could transform food and biofuel production and increase carbon capture on farmland. By tweaking a plant’s genetic profile, the researchers doubled the plant’s growth and increased seed production by more than 400 per cent. | (Science Daily)
⁃ The EPA has proposed a 2.1 percent increase in required renewable fuel that can be derived from corn starch, a win for ethanol producers and corn growers at a time when corn prices are low. | (Bloomberg/Wash-Post)
⁃ The USDA reported that new CRP contracts were issued for 411,000 acres, but demand from landowners was for 1.8 million acres. Now that commodity prices are low, there is higher demand for it, and finally this has led Secretary of Agriculture, Vilsack to support raising the CRP acreage number from its extremely low level of today. | (Chris Clayton, DTN)
⁃ 28% of US bees wiped out this winter, suggesting bigger environmental issues. More than half of beekeepers suffered unsustainable losses, with deadly mite infestations and harmful land management practices piling on pressure. | (The Guardian)
⁃ Herbicides that provide residual weed control for farmers may also be killing the cover crops they plant. | (Missouri Farmer Today)
⁃ A replacement for Wes Jackson, founder of the Salina, Kansas based Land Institute, has been named. | (Land Institute)
⁃ Mounting evidence suggests that it may be the inert ingredients in some formulations of Roundup that are dangerous, besides the main active ingredient, glyphosate. | (The Intercept)
⁃ Ten presidents and prime ministers from around the world will work together to resolve the growing global water crisis amid warnings that the world may face a 40 percent shortfall in water availability by 2030. | (IPS)
⁃ For gardeners: "Powerhouse Vegetables". | (At Home Colorado)
⁃ British photographer Nick Brandt has been making intimate portraits of East African animals for close to two decades. Warning: Sad short video, superbly done. | (BBC)
⁃ Earth Is Tipping Because of Climate Change; Melting ice and shifting rain patterns are causing the north and south poles to drift. | (Scientific American)
⁃ EIA projects 48% increase in world energy consumption by 2040
| (EIA)
⁃ The above scenario makes geoengineering a likely end point. Book: The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World by Oliver Morton | (Amazon)
To view last week's trendspotting post, click here.