The earthworm effect: Unraveling soil weathering dynamics

Earthworms, the hardworking invertebrates that grace the upper layers of soil, have long been considered helpful in our home gardens. Earthworms are prolific munchers, grinding up organic material and sediment grains that ...

How do tidal marshes store carbon?

Tidal marshes are wetlands that are covered with incoming tidal water twice a day. These marshes may be as small as narrow fringe along a tidal creek or miles across in estuaries with adjacent flat landscapes. There are nearly ...

How does low-impact development help manage stormwater?

Cities can have many benefits when designed well, including reducing carbon imprints. Another way cities can improve their environmental impact is by using "low-impact development" with regard to water management. It is also ...

Tracking weeds to stop them in their tracks

Not that long ago, weeds spread at a much slower rate. Seeds would spread to nearby soil and move perhaps a few feet each year or would be transplanted by birds who flew with them several miles away. In today's interconnected ...

Determining outcomes of on-farm best practices

Baking a cake from scratch has more variables than baking one from a boxed mix. Though one can debate why—and when—cake mixes were developed, they are popular, and produce a uniform product. (They were really patented ...

Improving soil carbon measurements empowers African farmers

The amount of carbon in farm soils is important to farmers. Soils with high carbon contents tend to provide better yields. They also tend to have more resilience to weather-related crop failure. But measuring the amount of ...

The surprising power of chicken manure

Each year, American farmers raise billions of chickens, more than enough for a "chicken for every pot," as Herbert Hoover's campaign once promised.

Tepary beans—a versatile and sustainable native crop

Agriculture accounts for more than a third of water use in the United States. In drier parts of the country, like the southwestern U.S., that fraction can be much higher. For example, more than 75% of New Mexico's water use ...

Best farming practices for soil health vary by region

Farmers can use a variety of practices to keep their soils healthy. Some of these practices include not tilling the land, planting cover crops between growing seasons and rotating the type of crop grown on each field.

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