Sun Tribe’s Post

Did you know... Maintenance (mowing) costs can be dramatically reduced if not eliminated by proper vegetation establishment! The establishment of low-growing grasses (or certain pollinator species, aka forbs) is the goal. The establishment of low-growing grasses/forbs requires science-based installation practices. Pictured below is a distribution scale solar farm KerTec, LLC recently mowed. KerTec, LLC is developing a methodology to regulate vegetation growth to mitigate maintenance costs in mowing. #ecology #practionership #solar #seeding

Check out the latest field report from Biomass Connect where ornithologist Ed Drewitt compares bird communities in willow and Miscanthus crop fields during the Summer. 🐦🌱 Discover how different crop types impact biodiversity and what this means for sustainable agriculture. Dive into the details and see how these findings could shape future farming practices. 👉 https://loom.ly/PeV5nzc #Biodiversity #SustainableAgriculture #BirdWatching #ConservationScience.

An element few even know exists is already driving massive infrastructure upgrades, food shortages, and even global conflicts. What is it? It’s phosphorus. This element has the power to completely upend the food supply and wreak havoc on our waterways, yet few have even heard of it. As the global population continues to balloon, its use and management may be one of the single most important challenges to ever face humanity. That may sound dramatic but I invite you to learn more and see the power phosphorus possesses. Too little and our crops won’t grow well. Too much and our waterways die with blue green algae blooms. Hydroponic gardening uses 1/10th the nutrients of traditional farming and leads to no runoff directly from farm fields and concentrated animal farming operations. Targeted phosphorus management will be paramount to achieving our future growth and environmental goals. #environmentalScience #hydroponics #phosphorus Paul Brentlinger Jamie Winebrenner Anne Rogerson Jim Trogdon CropKing Inc Fork Farms Emilee Bartram

Solar Grazing workshop with White Oak Pastures and the Center for Agricultural Resilience (CFAR) ♻ ☀ *watch the video* I had the great opportunity thanks to ESA to attend a 3-day workshop to learn about #solargrazing and dive deeper into #regenerativeagriculture. Learning from Will Harriss from his book, his podcasts with Joe Rogan, and now in person is truly an honor to be exposed to individuals who live true to their #values It was a profound experience to see operational large-scale utility solar (120MW + 80MW +20MW) facilities firsthand and to learn about the deep correlation between soil health and the vegetation management practices we decided to implement in our projects. There is a way to bring back organic matter into the soil, remove herbicide utilization, increase our soil's value, and add more value to the projects and the surrounding communities. #Duallanduse like sheep grazing is good for the soil and more effective in long-term vegetation management as the soil increases its ability to hold in water and sequester #carbon. Let's not forget that it is also a more humane way of raising livestock in these pastures and increasing our #USgrown meat supply. This is a scalable practice with a defined set of constraints that can be implemented in projects that meet that framework. I will continue to share my journey as I learn how Solar Generators can be good stewards of the land. Ask me anything! #SDG #ESASolar #solargrazing #agrivoltaics #landstewardship #saveoursoil #utilitysolar #communitysolar #photovoltaics #landmanagement #livestock #regenerativeagriculture cc: Justin Vandenbroeck Sabrina Diniz Emily Kobylarczyk (thanks for enabling this and being great sidekicks in this journey)

CLIMATE CHANGE FACETS: GROUND WATER DEPLETION & SINKING LAND FIELDS The overusage of under ground water (aquifers) for various puposes is just one more human abuse/ overstreaching towards a Nature's balance evolved over thousands of years with total disregard to its sustainabilty. The careless usage of underground water has many objectives like large scale crop and animal farming, aquaculture, urban city duwellings (e.g., the mammutt México City that is running out of water) etc This long established seek for immediate gains without sensate consideration about the future is the result of what we are experiencing today with the multi-faceted life threatening #weather and #climatechange It seems that all is coming back to hunt us at the same time...and it is because various equilibrium limits have been compoundedly broken Certainly all can not be fixed, if at all, i.e., they are mostly irreversible as our society, with an ever growing population (demand for the same "benefits") built its existence on them, a sand castle being blown by the wind not much unlikely the ancient Kingdoms of Ur, Babylon, Egypt and others We are not better than them. The cycles of boom and burst are immutable Truth is painful and generates narrow-minded antagonism. It is evident that the Homo sapiens is not truly sapient at all Afterall, the main thing that we learn from history is that we do not actually learn anything from history The bill is now coming for us to pay. We'd better get used to them and fix whatever we still can

Farms and ranches can be managed in ways that add significant benefits for both the farmer and biodiversity. This recent research represents a global meta-analysis of crop and landscape heterogeneity on agricultural lands. This study reaffirms that a diversity of crops and landscape level habitats provides significant benefits for biodiversity, which in turn can deliver important ecosystem services that support farmers in crop production. Learn more for this #SundayNightLongRead↘️ https://lnkd.in/eYzFBfNC #Nature #Wildlife #Biodiversity #Farming #Ag #Agriculture

Did you know... Maintenance (mowing) costs can be dramatically reduced if not eliminated by proper vegetation establishment! Establishment of low-growing grasses (or certain pollinator species aka forbs) is the goal. Establishment of low-growing grasses/forbs requires science-based installation practices. Pictured below is a distribution scale solar farm KerTec, LLC recently mowed. KerTec, LLC is developing methodology to regulate vegetation growth to mitigate maintenance costs in mowing. #ecology #practionership #solar #seeding

Respect Bioregions. Grasslands are one of the most endangered landscapes on the planet. Nebraska started creating the largest "human planted forest" in the USA in 1902. While it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, planting #trees in the Sandhills pushes out Native species, disrupts the microbiome of the soil, used significant amounts of #water and disrupted the entire #ecosystem. This is similar to our quest for more agricultural monocrops today. The advances in #irrigation makes the once "only good as #rangeland" into possible #corn and #soybean fields. We need a #systemsthinking approach to our #landscapes. I am grateful to live at the edge of the Sandhills. My neighbor runs a #cow #calf operation and is extremely careful with her grass. We need more #farmers and #ranchers working within the natural ecosystem by: 🦋Conserving Native Species: Protect the plants and animals in the region to maintain ecological balance. 🦋Restore Degraded Ecosystems: Bring back native plants and animals will follow. This is particularly true of "specialists" like #monarch butterflies whose caterpillars only eat #milkweed. No milkweed. No #monarchs. 🦋Education: Promote an understanding of Natural Habitats and the importance of preserving them for the future. Get kids outside to learn plants, animals, #birds, and #insects. I cringe when a new #pivot goes up in our area. The Sandhills are a treasure and sit a top of the Ogallala Aquifer, the #grassland requires no irrigation. It is meant to be here unlike trees, corn and soybeans. Respect your Bioregions. #milkweedmaverick #monarchflyway #biodiversity #biodiversityloss #sdg15 #nbs #naturebasedsolutions #forest #grazing #ranching #systemsthinking

"Discover the Power of Riparian Buffer Agroforestry! 🌿💧 Riparian buffer systems offer a myriad of benefits for both the environment and agricultural practices. By planting diverse vegetation along riverbanks and water bodies, we can mitigate soil erosion, reduce nutrient runoff, and enhance water quality. Not only does this promote healthier ecosystems, but it also improves soil fertility, minimizes flood risks, and provides habitat for wildlife. Ready to make a positive impact on your land and community? Let's embark on a riparian buffer agroforestry project together! 🌍✨ #RiparianBuffer #Agroforestry #SustainableFarming #EnvironmentalConservation #GreenInitiative"

I am pleased to observe from my total combined Desirable Species Biomass figures for my late Autumn counts that only two locations still need to reach the respectable mark of 100 individuals per hour. This suggests we could have better opportunities this spring bird breeding season, given that the numbers are up alongside a higher range of species increasingly being represented on my client sites. The various farming and differing business ventures associated with these figures also only matter a little in this context. Moreover, where the "three-legged stool" #conservation methods are being adopted, higher values of Avian Natural Capital are routinely delivered. The key element to sustaining any farmland and woodland bird recoveries is to see these Bundled Biomass figures reached consistently throughout the season. #farming #ruralcommunities #landmanagement #wildlife #birds #monitoringandevaluation #species #business 96.92 - Mixed Farm with Agroforestry and Regenerative Agriculture interests. 277.87 - Predominantly Arable Estate with a strong conservation ethic. 109.45 - Parkland with Agroforestry interests. 86.46 - Mixed Estate with large areas of Woodland and shooting interests. 124.57 - Pasture-based enterprise adopting Regenerative Agriculture practices. 115.50 - Predominantly Arable Estate with a strong conservation ethic. 120.00 - Parkland with Agroforesty interests and shooting interests. 139.20 - Predominantly Arable Estate with a shooting interest. 106.18 - Solar Farm with a strong conservation ethic. 124.67 - Specialist Forestry enterprise with a shooting interest. Oh, and most of the above sites are business ventures which have diversified their options but still regularly put food on our plates.