Environmental Conservation

The Consequences of Pollinator Decline

As we said in our last post, most of our country’s most prominent pollinators are in dire condition. Honeybees, who are responsible for 80% of US crop pollination, could be extinct by 2035. Though implementing better pollinator diversity could help alleviate this issue, other major pollinators like bumbles and butterflies are on similar trajectories towards endangerment.   The question some are starting to ask is what happens if all of our pollinators […]

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How CRP Helps Keep Hunting Alive

Fall is known for many things: colorful leaves, bonfires, apple cider, jacket weather, and a lot of pumpkin-spiced items. For hunters, however, fall is best known as the start of hunting season. Between October and November, hunting licenses for pheasants, ducks, deer, and more become available, allowing countless hunters to enjoy this time-honored tradition.  But hunting is

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How Farmers Can Join the Carbon Market

As support for a regulated carbon market continues to grow, many parties are eager to join. A carbon market incentivizes participants to reduce emissions and/or store carbon. These actions provide them with carbon credits which they can then sell to other parties in the market. Though carbon markets do exist in select US areas, pricing structures aren’t well regulated, and participation is restrictive, especially for

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The Carbon Market: Incentivizing CO2 Reduction

As global temperatures have continued to rise in modern times, there has been an increasingly vocal push for a reduction in CO2 emissions. From a business standpoint, however, green initiatives are often equated with added expenses, scaling back of productions, excessive red tape, and ultimately, a decrease in profits.   That’s why many are hoping that the promotion of carbon markets can help change how industries see CO2 reduction.  Carbon

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Is Herbaceous Carbon Sequestration the Key to Lowering the Earth’s CO2 Levels?

The increased presence of CO2 in the air poses a number of threats as temperatures around the world rise. Farmers rely on consistent patterns and cycles to effectively cultivate their crops. Increased CO2 disrupts these cycles, ultimately leading to poor crop health and lower yields. It is also believed to be a cause behind the population declines of major pollinators, which are critical to the farming industry.  By reducing the

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The Relationship Between Carbon Levels and Agriculture

Only about .04% of the air we breathe is made up of carbon dioxide, yet it plays a critical role in our world. Unlike nitrogen and oxygen, carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbs heat. This creates a natural greenhouse effect as the carbon dioxide traps the sun’s rays and helps heat our planet. Without it, our world would be 59 degrees colder and plant

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Protecting Water Supplies Through Agriculture

Water is one of our most precious resources, second only to the air we breathe. While we’ve generally had an abundance of fresh, useable water across the US, that has slowly been changing. Freshwater usage has tripled in the last 50 years, and it only continues to rise. Meanwhile, water shortages are becoming increasingly common in America.   Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico,

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Cargill’s Water Saving Initiative and the Impact of Agriculture on Our Water

Last month, Cargill announced their commitment to reducing water waste and restoring water supplies across the world. In addition to eliminating 11 million pounds of water pollutants and providing access to safe drinking water, they are working to restore 159 billion gallons of water to priority watersheds by 2030.  They are doing this through a multi-faceted approach. To reduce water waste, they are utilizing smart irrigation technology that improves the

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The Problem with Abandoned Farmland

America’s farmlands are shrinking. Between 1997 and 2018, the US lost 98,000 square miles (627,200,000 acres) of farmland. While some of this is due to development and urban expansion, some of it is simply because farmland is abandoned.  Farmland is abandoned for a number of reasons. It may suffer from damaged soil, resulting in low crop yields that simply aren’t’ worth the

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