Water
How an upstream ditch limits downstream algae
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Digging the right kind of ditch to drain farm fields can improve water quality hundreds of miles away.
Land
MSU study: fertilizers throw off nitrogen cycle
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They boost crops like corn but have some not so great side effects.
Energy
Grassland birds hold stock in the future of biofuels
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Birds stand to gain valuable grassland habitat if the appetite to balance conservation and biofuel production continues gaining support in scientific circles.
bees
The buzz about bees and biofuels
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The value prairie grasses bring to bees helps make such plants more attractive for biofuels production.
Water
Pesticide levels in rivers may threaten fish, insects
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Levels of pesticides didn’t exceed the benchmark for human health, but farm runoff remains a concern for fish and insects in many streams and rivers.
Land
Ohio farmers point to algae law loophole
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Ohio’s new fertilizer certification law may be a step toward better management of algae threats to drinking water. But critics say its voluntary nature, delayed implementation and failure to address manure are significant flaws.
Land
Michigan farmers adjusting to climate change
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If you’ve found yourself putting on a sweater or light jacket on cool evenings this summer, you’ve probably wondered what’s going on with the weather. The polar vortex that visited us so harshly last winter made a return visit a few weeks ago, dropping temperatures below normal. It turns out that there’s at least one upside to climate change; one that could help our farm economy. At the end of June, the US Department of Agriculture published its crop acreage report. It showed a record number of acres of corn, soybeans and wheat were planted this spring in Michigan.
Land
Planted acres increase in region; warming climate among reasons
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It allows for earlier and longer growing season.
Land
Decades-long research values ecosystem services to farming, environment
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The research recently reported in BioScience magazine also shows the public’s willingness to pay for such services.