Agricultural Economics and Farm Managements

Current Seminar/Meeting Announcements:

Feb 2012:  Currenting no seminar or meeting.

Archived Seminar/Meeting Announcements

Agricultural News:

Feb 2012
 
News brief from Soil Conservative Society:

Soil conservation threatened by herbicide-resistant weeds
Herbicides were developed during the 20th century to be used with conventional tillage for weed control. Conservation tillage subsequently evolved, which enabled less soil damage when used with herbicides. Selection pressure, however, has resulted in weed species that have made adaptations for survival in conjunction with tillage. A new Issue Paper from Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, "Herbicide-Resistant Weeds Threaten Soil Conservation Gains: Finding a Balance for Soil and Farm Sustainability," examines the impact of certain weed management practices on soil conservation objectives and addresses ways to mitigate negative effects
 Link to full article: Click Here! 

NAIPSC. The North American Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Short Course includes workshops, presentations, field site visits, and hands-on activities for landowners, managers, policymakers, researchers, and students.
Link to full article: Click Here!  

Farmers urged to consider combining cover crops with no-till methods.
No-till is no longer enough to conserve soil and produce good yields. Experts at the Pennsylvania No-till Day held Jan. 31 in West Middlesex, Pa., say it takes the combination of no-till and cover crops. Jim Hoorman, Ohio State University Extension, was the keynote speaker at the event, and he calls the combination, "eco farming." It ensures there is a continuous living cover on fields and advocates the use of other best management practices.
Link to full article: Click here!

Cover crops case study posted.  The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems has posted another in its series of cover crop case studies. The Gary Sommers Farm case study shares the experience of one Wisconsin farmer who has been growing cover crops on his cash grain farm for twenty years. He presents his philosophy of cover crop use, explains what cover crop management practices have and have not worked on his farm, and describes what benefits he sees from growing cover crops.  
Link to full article: Click Here!

USDA announces CRP general sign-up.  Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program general sign-up, beginning on March 12 and ending on April 6. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them use environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and develop wildlife habitat. In return, USDA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance
Link to full article: Click Here!
    
Florida fertilizer bill dies under pressure from local communities, environmentalists.  A hotly contested bill that would have allowed certified landscaping professionals to ignore local fertilizer ordinances died in a Tallahassee, Fla., committee, despite being passed unanimously by past committees. The measure passed the Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously in December, but a meeting of the Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee saw strong opposition from representatives of local governments who argued that ignoring fertilizer rules would lead to a decline in water quality
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News brief from Soil Conservative Society Link to all articles: http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/swcs/020912.html