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 ...

Soil science: Healing our planet's ills from the ground up

Under our feet and ubiquitous, lowly soil can be easily overlooked when it comes to addressing climate change and population growth. But in the January-February issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal, a team ...

The Phosphorus Index: Changes afoot

Phosphorus (P) is both an essential nutrient in agricultural fields and a contributor to poor water quality in surface waters. To encourage improved P management in fields, the P Index was proposed as a risk assessment tool ...

Earthworms can survive and recover after 3-week drought stress

Earthworms are a welcomed sight in many gardens and yards since they can improve soil structure and mixing. But they are hard to find in the drier soils of eastern Colorado where water and organic matter is limited. Adding ...

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.

Printing soil science

Imagine printing a 3-D object as easily as a typed document. Lose a button? Print one. Need a new coffee cup? Print one. While the reality of printing any object on demand may lie in the future, the technology necessary to ...

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