The Morning Star Company’s Post

Did you know that the majority of all #agricultural land is unsuitable for crop production? 🌾 Marginal lands aren’t able to grow food for people to consume, but they do produce grasses and roughage that #cattle are able to digest thanks to their #ruminant digestive system. 🐂   After being consumed by ruminants, #methane is released into the atmosphere through their burps in a process called enteric fermentation, where microbes break down what they've eaten in the rumen.    After 12 years, methane is broken down into carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Plant matter pulls that #carbon from the air and stores it as carbohydrates in their roots, stems and leaves through photosynthesis and the process, known as the biogenic carbon cycle, repeats itself. 

This #NationalAgricultureDay, keep in mind the role natural gas plays in keeping food affordable. You may not think about everything that goes into the producing a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk, but this analysis shows that what we see on grocery store shelves requires natural gas at almost every step of the way. You can draw a direct line from the availability of low-cost natural gas to the cost of food on grocery store shelves globally. Every part of the agricultural industry- from the fertilizer that gives nutrients to the soil, to the farming equipment used to harvest crops - is fueled by natural gas. Learn more: https://buff.ly/3LtCOIX

#Rice is a staple food for more than 50% of the world’s population, but also one of the largest greenhouse gas producers. In Southeast Asia rice cultivation accounts for as much as 25-33% of the region’s methane emissions. The International Rice Research Institute published an article highlighting alternative rice production practices - one of them direct-seeded rice. 🌾 Direct-seeded rice has multiple benefits compared to traditional rice planting methods: 💧 Improved water use per kilogram of crop by 25% 💨 Reduced greenhouse gases by up to – 45% 💪 Less manual labor intensity “Ensuring that farmers have access to technology, they understand its proper use and they can monitor its benefits, is essential for building resilience,” says Yvonne Pinto, incoming head of IRRI in the article below.

#Rice is a staple food for more than 50% of the world’s population, but also one of the largest greenhouse gas producers. In Southeast Asia rice cultivation accounts for as much as 25-33% of the region’s methane emissions. The International Rice Research Institute published an article highlighting alternative rice production practices - one of them direct-seeded rice. 🌾 Direct-seeded rice has multiple benefits compared to traditional rice planting methods: 💧 Improved water use per kilogram of crop by 25% 💨 Reduced greenhouse gases by up to – 45% 💪 Less manual labor intensity “Ensuring that farmers have access to technology, they understand its proper use and they can monitor its benefits, is essential for building resilience,” says Yvonne Pinto, incoming head of IRRI in the article below.

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS: EXTREME PRECIPITATION & NUTRIENT LOSS, PART 3 — by Jonathan Coppess and Marin Skidmore Nutrient loss from farm fields presents one of the more perplexing natural resource challenges, and losing nitrogen lays bare and makes clear the complexities of the matter. The critical stage of the nitrogen cycle that makes the nutrient available to plants for growth and production, also makes nitrogen incredibly vulnerable to being leached and lost. Dissolved in water, nitrogen in the nitrate form (and dissolved organic nitrogen) can be carried to waterways and away from plant roots by drainage systems where it degrades water quality and contributes to hypoxic or dead zones. When it rains, it pours; farmers can do nothing about the rain and little to control the nitrogen cycle, but they can manage fertilizer applications to avoid excess nitrogen in the fields at critical times. With climate change and increasing global temperatures, some of the consequences at the local level will be the increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events. Heavy rains on farm fields will magnify the challenges for farmers, crops, and public waters unless farmers adopt practices found to reduce those losses. Public policies can and do support farmers in optimizing nitrogen and land use to meet crop needs and benefit the public, but the scale and scope of the challenge calls for more — more support and more creative, innovative policy options. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gX_ixjJN #precipitation #rain #nitrogen #nutrients #farmers #climatechange

🌾🚜 Curious about the Environmental Impact of Soileos on Wheat? With a net potential GHG benefit of 4.34 tCO2e/t, Soileos is redefining agricultural practices for a greener future. Read more in our latest blog: https://hubs.ly/Q02sJQ_Q0 #Wheat #InnovationInAg #EarthDay2024

Pesticides kill bacteria in soil and consequently there is no minerals in soil as there is no bacteria to produce it. Video in link. https://lnkd.in/dgVpwZ6F

Surface applications of nitrogen can result in volatilization, leading to N loss in your crops. #Sustainability #Environment #Agriculture #ESN

In arid and semi-arid agro-ecologies, dew is an unconventional and supplemental source of moisture that can change the plant water balance by lowering leaf temperature, inhibiting transpiration through evaporative cooling, and increasing leaf albedo and emissivity. All of these effects can help to improve agronomic productivity. Furthermore, in arid and semi-arid agro-ecosystems, smallholder farmers may be better able to adapt and adapt by planning and constructing agricultural production methods based on the availability of dew moisture.

Pesticides kill bacteria in soil and consequently there is no minerals in soil as there is no bacteria to produce it. Video in link. https://lnkd.in/dgVpwZ6F