Farming & Agriculture News

Farming & Agriculture

With the vastly increased productivity of today's farmer comes added responsibility to ensure the environment is protected and the production is sustainable.

Agricultural practices can be very damaging. They contaminate rivers and streams, resulting in fish kills, reduced biodiversity, increased turbidity, eutrophication, algal blooms and more problems that can impact human and animal health. Agriculture is also a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

However, one should not overlook its many positive environmental benefits. Agricultural practices that conserve soil and increase productivity while improving soil quality also increase the amount of carbon-rich organic matter in soils, thereby providing a global depository for CO2 drawn from the atmosphere by growing plants. The same farming practices that promote soil conservation also decrease the amount of CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere. (Source: EPA / Photo: Flickr)

Articles about Farming & Agriculture

Superfund meets super-fresh at farm-topped Whole Foods in Brooklyn

Fri, Apr 05 2013 at 4:31 PM

Sure, the location of Whole Foods' first Brooklyn outpost is anything but appetizing. But thanks to an innovative hydroponic greenhouse on the store's roof, the produce sold will be nothing less than ultra-fresh.
Cow power: Indiana farm uses manure to fuel its dairy trucks

Fri, Apr 05 2013 at 3:42 PM

Fair Oaks Farms now powers 42 tractor-trailers with compressed natural gas from methane, the largest project of its kind to date.
What is the 'Monsanto Protection Act'?

Thu, Apr 04 2013 at 10:24 AM

Anonymously added to a recent budget bill, the controversial rider would protect U.S. biotech companies from litigation if their GMO seeds turn out to be dangerous.
1,000 dead ducks found in Chinese river

Tue, Mar 26 2013 at 5:19 PM

Chinese officials have a new mystery to solve. It's the second incidence of dumped animals in less than a month.
World's largest indoor vertical farm opens in Chicago

Tue, Mar 26 2013 at 7:21 AM

FarmedHere, a new 90,000-square-foot indoor farm, just opened in the suburbs of Chicago and is now the largest facility of its kind in the world.
Is there room in the market for small organic dairy farmers?

Fri, Mar 22 2013 at 4:26 PM

'Betting The Farm' tells the story of a group of intrepid organic farmers struggling to keep their small Maine dairy farms alive. Learn about how MOO Milk is fighting for a place in your refrigerator.
How Farm to School programs are chipping away at childhood obesity

Wed, Mar 20 2013 at 4:18 PM

These healthy food initiatives emphasize local food consumption, school gardens and food education in school curriculums.
Starbucks buys a dual-purpose coffee farm

Wed, Mar 20 2013 at 12:39 PM

The 600-acre coffee farm in Costa Rica will grow beans for the coffee house chain, but it will also be used to research leaf rust.
Where have all the monarch butterflies gone?

Fri, Mar 15 2013 at 1:45 PM

An annual count shows the number of orange-and-black butterflies has crashed in the two decades. But there's something you can do to help.
World's most expensive coffee beans plucked from elephant excrement

Fri, Mar 15 2013 at 11:43 AM

The quest for the most exclusive cup of coffee on the planet leads lavish indulgers to one of the most animalistic of behaviors: scavenging from feces.

MNN - Mother Nature Network

Farming & Agriculture

Articles about Farming & Agriculture

Superfund meets super-fresh at farm-topped Whole Foods in Brooklyn

Cow power: Indiana farm uses manure to fuel its dairy trucks

What is the 'Monsanto Protection Act'?

1,000 dead ducks found in Chinese river

World's largest indoor vertical farm opens in Chicago

Is there room in the market for small organic dairy farmers?

How Farm to School programs are chipping away at childhood obesity

Starbucks buys a dual-purpose coffee farm

Where have all the monarch butterflies gone?

World's most expensive coffee beans plucked from elephant excrement

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