Cattle rancher Bobby Helmers cranes to listen as the blades of his six giant wind turbines slice through the air in the same Texas fields that once echoed with the sounds of oil pumps. Like JR and Bobby Ewing, lead … Continue reading
Category Archives: Agriculture
Responding to Climate Change NASA is a world leader in climate studies and Earth science. While its role is not to set climate policy or prescribe particular responses or solutions to climate change, its purview does include providing the robust … Continue reading
Another milestone for the construction equipment industry: the first electric backhoe loader arrives. CASE Construction Equipment unveiled “Project Zeus” – the all-new, all-electric CASE 580 EV backhoe loader, which turns out to be the first in the industry. We already … Continue reading
Should we pass legislation to end factory farming? Contrary to common belief, Senator Cory Booker’s best idea wasn’t dropping out of the 2020 presidential race. That was his second-best idea. His best idea was introducing the Farm System Reform Bill … Continue reading
One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the Roman Empire and other ancient societies around the … Continue reading
A mushroom extract fed to honey bees greatly reduces virus levels, according to a new paper. In field trials, colonies fed mycelium extract showed a 79-fold reduction in deformed wing virus and a 45,000-fold reduction in Lake Sinai virus compared … Continue reading
Sustainability has always been a game of catch up. The current energy production and construction trends mean that sustainability researchers have to come up with clever ways to lower emissions. Researchers at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona have … Continue reading
In humanity’s battle against man-made climate change, the Earth itself provides one of the most important weapons, a natural system that breathes in Earth-warming CO2 and exhales oxygen. Yes, I’m talking about plants, engineered by nature itself over the course … Continue reading
Tired of plastic pollution? There are many alternatives. Why should we and brands care about plastic pollution? Plastics is one of the biggest challenges the world is facing right now. Thanks to David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, consumers are suddenly aware … Continue reading
Perhaps it’s time for doctors to start prescribing more produce than pills. That’s, at least, what researchers argue in a new study that finds “prescriptions” for healthy foods could save more than $100 billion in healthcare costs. Researchers at Tufts … Continue reading
The Food Policy Council of San Antonio‘s 2nd Annual San Antonio Chicken Walk coop tour will be held Saturday, April 13th, with great coops in north central San Antonio. The provide a map and passport to pre-registered visitors by email, … Continue reading
Whale blubber and buggy whips were once fine industries, but progress moved us away. And today we know the days are over of a false choice between environmental protection and economic growth. Since when did the simple concept of leaving … Continue reading
In rural communities struggling with limited job growth and a roughly 40 percent net decline in farm incomes since 2011, wind and solar royalties have dramatically boosted economic development. In 2017 alone, farmers and ranchers received $267 million in wind … Continue reading
Lessons from nature…Cohabitation In ‘crown shyness,’ some tree species respect those nearby and keep their leaves to themselves. I could write about trees until I was green in the gills; and I do. And it’s probable that every time I … Continue reading
Biological pest control is the way of the future using biomimicry to emulate what nature does. Why genetically modify when we can just learn from nature how it’s already being done, and has been doing it for millions of years. … Continue reading
San Antonio Area 2019 Planting Calendar – and below our Companion Planting Guide Join our newsletter for reminders on upcoming sales & seminars Here is your San Antonio Area Planting Calendar in pdf format suitable for printing. We’ve been giving … Continue reading
A small San Antonio family business is trying to combat the dangers of decaying banana peels and the gaseous gore of yesterday’s lunch scraps. Betsy Gruy and daughter Kate Gruy Jaceldo started Compost Queens to keep food waste out of … Continue reading
Fungi can be used to break down waste plastic and create sustainable building materials, according to scientists from Kew Gardens in London. The State of the World’s Fungi 2018 report – the first of its kind – highlights the aspergillus … Continue reading
Despite aspen’s ability to grow from the northernmost reaches of Canada to the highest altitudes in Mexico, the tree is on the run. The southern part of the aspen’s range is drying up, while the northern edges are warming up … Continue reading
We have many ways of measuring methane and CO2 levels. When we measure it we can manage it…if we really want to know and manage it. Polluters can’t hide anymore. Source: Meet the Satellites That Can Pinpoint Methane and Carbon … Continue reading