Browse our Introductory Articles

Does America Need More Organic Farmers?

By: K Gregg Elliott
Organic farming has been one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture for over a decade.  After the USDA implemented national organic standards in 2002, certified organic farmland doubled by 2005. https://www.landcan.org/article/Does-America-Need-More-Organic-Farmers/91/

 

What is a Land Trust?

Land trusts are non-profit organizations directly involved in the permanent protection of land and its resources for the public benefit. A trust may operate on a local, state, regional, or national level. https://www.landcan.org/article/What-is-a-Land-Trust/88/

 

Why are Invasive Species Bad for Mississippi?

By: K Gregg Elliott
Only a very small subset of species introduced to an area where they are not native will become invasive.  But when the invasion begins, it can be costly.https://www.landcan.org/article/Why-are-Invasive-Species-Bad-for-Mississippi/60/

 

For Flood Weary Farmers, a New Way to Stay on the Land

By: William H. Funk
Roy McCallie was born in Stuttgart during the great Mississippi flood of 1927.  His parents were forced to find a safer area when their hometown of Arkansas City was facing inundation, and it’s a good thing they did: the town was completely destroyed and lay submerged beneath the combined waters of the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers from April through August.https://www.landcan.org/article/For-Flood-Weary-Farmers-a-New-Way-to-Stay-on-the-Land/407/

 

The five principles of green building

By: Howland Built Construction
Green buildings are designed, constructed, and operated to enhance the well-being of their occupants and support a healthy community and natural environment. https://www.landcan.org/article/The-five-principles-of-green-building/868/

 

Alfalfa Brings Harvest of Environmental Benefits

By: Rachael Freeman Long; Daniel H. Putnam
In addition to its over $1 billion value to the state of California, alfalfa provides a host of environmental benefits that are frequently overlooked.https://www.landcan.org/article/Alfalfa-Brings-Harvest-of-Environmental-Benefits/1170/

 

Adequate Land Ranks as Top Concern of Young Farmers

By: AFBF
Securing adequate land to grow crops and raise livestock was the top challenge identified in the latest survey of participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmers and Ranchers program.https://www.landcan.org/article/Adequate-Land-Ranks-as-Top-Concern-of-Young-Farmers/888/

 

CALFED and the Bay-Delta Accord: Beginnings of an Integrated Approach to Water Policy and Use

California’s water wars are legendary, the stuff of books and the Hollywood drama, Chinatown, and they’ve been fought largely in agricultural ditches and the courts up until the creation of CALFED in 1994.https://www.landcan.org/article/CALFED-and-the-BayDelta-Accord--Beginnings-of-an-Integrated-Approach-to-Water-Policy-and-Use/428/

 

Farmer Leaders Call Crop Insurance “Most Important Risk Management Tool”

By: Crop Insurance America
Farmer leaders from across the country called crop insurance their “most important risk management tool” and said it is essential to keep agriculture strong and bring young farmers into an aging business.https://www.landcan.org/article/Farmer-Leaders-Call-Crop-Insurance-Most-Important-Risk-Management-Tool/909/

 

40 Points of Light: a New Forest Stand Improvement Technique for the Family Forest

By: Greg Nolan
Finding the Lost Forests of the Past in the Grazed and High Graded Hardwoods of Central Minnesota (and Mitigating Global Warming in the P ...https://www.landcan.org/article/-40-Points-of-Light-a-New-Forest-Stand-Improvement-Technique-for-the-Family-Forest/220/

 

After the Fires: Hydrophobic Soils

By: Randy Brooks
Hydrophobic soils repel water. A thin layer of soil at or below the mineral soil surface can become hydrophobic after intense heating. The hydrophobic layer is the result of a waxy substance that is derived from plant material burned during a hot fire. https://www.landcan.org/article/After-the-Fires-Hydrophobic-Soils/9/

 

Bird Trails and Important Bird Areas

By: K Gregg Elliott
A Bird Trail is more than a trail in the literal sense.  It is a “necklace” of sites, usually linked by a physiographic feature such as a river, that are united by the theme of “great for bird watching!”  Birding Trails are essentially driving routes that help you get from one prime birding spot to the next. https://www.landcan.org/article/Bird-Trails-and-Important-Bird-Areas/98/

 

Young Farmers Foresee an Optimistic Future

By: Kate Campbell
According to Virginia Ag Commissioner Matt Lohr, 70% of farmland will change hands in the next 15 years, which will require that those getting involved in agriculture today look at problems differently, develop new friendships, and create strong links to the community.https://www.landcan.org/article/Young-Farmers-Foresee-an-Optimistic-Future/925/

 

New Farm Drainage Ditch Design Channels Water, Cuts Maintenance Costs

By: Kurt Knebsch, Ohio State University
The new design has a small main channel at the bottom of the ditch (stage one) and raised, grass-covered benches along both sides of the channel (stage two).https://www.landcan.org/article/New-Farm-Drainage-Ditch-Design-Channels-Water-Cuts-Maintenance-Costs/1077/

 

Study Documents Conversion of Grassland to Crops

A new study documents a loss of 1.3 million acres of grassland over a five-year period in the Western Corn Belt — a rate not seen since the 1920s and 1930s.https://www.landcan.org/article/Study-Documents-Conversion-of-Grassland-to-Crops/842/

 

The Quiet Environmentalist - Grazing on Oregon’s Public Lands

By: Andy Rieber
If you look at a map, and run your eye along Oregon’s straight-edge southern border to the point where Nevada and California meet beneath it, and then travel slightly north and east, you will see a chain of small, unremarkable dry lakes indicated. T ...https://www.landcan.org/article/The-Quiet-Environmentalist--Grazing-on-Oregons-Public-Lands-/559/

 

Fracking Tests Ties Between California ‘Oil and Ag’ Interests

By: Norimitsu Onishi
Oil companies are moving into more agricultural areas, however new fracking technologies are challenging a once peaceful co-existence. https://www.landcan.org/article/Fracking-Tests-Ties-Between-California-Oil-and-Ag-Interests/1215/

 

Younger Beginning Farmers Tend To Operate Larger Farms

By: Mary Ahearn
Younger beginning farmers are more likely to operate large farms than are older operators of beginning farms. These farmers tend to earn more on their farm, and less off their farm, but have more debt than older beginning farmers. https://www.landcan.org/article/Younger-Beginning-Farmers-Tend-To-Operate-Larger-Farms/1150/