…of soil and is fed a nutrient mist. The problem, of course, is these plants need light to grow, and providing enough light has always been cost-prohibitive in greenhouses. But…
Agri View: Agriculture Education
…and deals with such subjects as how plants and animals grow and how soil is farmed and conserved. Vocational agriculture trains people for jobs in such areas as production,marketing, and…
Ranches Surviving California Drought
…that measure soil moisture and report back to the office and a smartphone every 15 minutes. This allows the ranch to water these crops precisely and only when needed. “Farms…
Soil As Art
Soils offer not just living properties to our existence, but artistic ones as well. Soil As Art…
Growing Organic, Conventional and GMO on the Same Farm
…and GMO – to boost nitrogen, phosphate and potassium soil levels. The farm has also taken new steps to conserve water and energy, and reduce the overall environmental footprint. “We…
Agri View: Smart Phones
…(application) for everything these days—perhaps because mobile phone use is becoming increasingly global. USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) soil scientist Jeff Herrick and colleagues have jumped on that trend in…
The Western View: Big Data
…a specific subject. In this case, it’s all the information that makes up a farm – acreage, soil conditions, weather, pesticide use, and so on. This data is being collected…
USDA Shares 2015 Results
…response to foodborne illness outbreaks; A new soil nitrogen test that rapidly and inexpensively determines the total amount of nitrogen in the soil that is available to a plant, reducing…
CDFA Accepting Proposals for Fertilizer Research Program
…to the FREP research priorities is the quantification of nitrate movement in deep soil as related to management practices, and the role of soil organic matter and organic fertilizing materials…
Astronomer Dr. Laura Danly on Soil Health
Dr. Laura Danly of California’s Griffith Observatory is helping the U.S. Department of Agriculture promote its “healthy soils” campaign. So why is an astronomer talking about soil, rather than the…
New Software Measures Agriculture’s Carbon Footprint
…tools. Chambers is with the Energy and Environmental Markets Team of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS joined forces with Colorado State University to build the tools. California’s Department…
Almond Industry Effort for Innovation and Sustainability
…Stanislaus, and Fresno counties where a UC Davis study will track soil moisture and water movement, tree response, detailed root development and growth response,” Waycott said. “On air quality, the…
2015 California Leopold Conservation Award Winner Recognized
…biodiversity was taking an unusual approach to managing wild rice fields. After harvest, they began tilling the stubble into the soil and keeping their fields covered in water year-round. The…
USDA Week In Review December 4
…Christmas Tree, agriculture and climate change, and the connection between soil and space. For more information from this week’s USDA Week in Review go to: www.usda.gov www.fs.fed.us www.nrcs.usda.gov www.fas.usda.gov www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov…