One of my favorite things. Peas blossoms!
Frost 3 nights ago. 80 today. Yikes. Connecticut weather is nuts. Never thought I would see a last frost date this far into May.
So there is a good reason I have held off on tomato planting. I am only doing a few Roma plants this year anyway, but there is no benefit to planting tomatoes (or peppers) too early.
This weekend will be the right time. I will also getting corn planted and all the pepper transplants in. For now, lots of greens, beans coming up, peas climbing, romaine ready, carrots sprouting.
And one child hoeing!
Peas are among my favorite things to grow. They go in early, they have gorgeous flowers, they are delicious.
And they feed the soil! Peas and beans are nitrogen fixers and will pump your soil full of great stuff that your other plants need.
The thing is, it actually takes friendly rhizobium bacteria to make it happen. Pull some happy pea plants up and you’ll see white nodules on the roots. That’s the magic!
Hitting your peas with some inoculant will help them get a good start. The inoculant is safe bacteria tuned to your peas. Beans too.
When I am getting ready to plant my peas, I create a little inoculant slurry. It’s easy. Buy some pea inoculant, put some in a bowl, add your peas and some water. Let it soak in the thickish slurry. Done.
In some cold seasons, like this one in Connecticut, I will soak in the slurry and then lay the peas on a damp towel to sprout them before planting.
Here’s a shot of the peas in the slurry.
I am not a handy man. I can not fix things or make things. I do not understand cars. Or electrical things. Or tools. Or wood. I lack the vision to see how things should be structured to work or look good.
My neat little garden beds? Simple as can be, right? Well I had help. That’s right. I needed help to figure out how to make big rectangles.
So when I’m telling you that you can make a potato bed with big ol’ removeable slats for potato growing/harvesting, you need to dig on my simpleton bona fides.
Okay here it is.
- Build a big rectangle using 2 x 10 wood plank thingies. Mine is 12 feet long by 2 feet wide.
- Put some soil in that thing.
- Plant your taters.
- Now, take some railing spindles and drive a few on the inside of the bed up against each side. Drive a few more on the outside. These will be where you slide down additional wood planks to make the bed higher as the potatoes grow.
- Hill up your potatoes as normal. When they are big enough (in my picture they are too big… what can I tell you… I waited too long. It will still work.) drop in another 2 x 10 on all four sides. You just doubled the height of your bed.
- Hill up more soil.
- You’re done. Or you can keep on building higher. Whatever floats your boat.
- When it’s harvest time, you can either pull the big slat away or just dig down.
Gorgeous weather here in Connecticut and I was able to get every bed planted. Tomatoes are in. Peppers are in. And I built a little cucumber bed and trellis and got some picklers in.
Things are growing, but a bit slowly. Oddly I’m having some trouble getting spinach going. I’m guessing that there’s something a tad off in my new soil. I haven’t tested it, but it’s all new soil and compost and most of it is not of my own creation. We’ll see.
Here’s what we’re looking like.
Well holy cow! I didn’t put a single blog entry up last gardening season. It’s like I disappeared from April on.
Many people sent messages asking if all was well.
Yes all was well and is well. It was nice to hear from so many of you wondering if I was okay!
Why wasn’t I writing? I’m not sure. It wasn’t the best gardening year for me, but it wasn’t a total disaster. I had wonderful luck with beans and the garlic was the best ever.
Still, there was no question that my soil is very, very, very tired. You could practically feel it wheezing. To compensate heading into next year, I have made the most compost ever. For me anyway. I need to get that soil nutrified. (yes that is a word that I made up.)
My plans for next year are (for me) ambitious. I’d like to add some space for at least another row. I’d like to dig out a better and more permanent fence that will angle into the ground with chickenwire. The voles… must… be… kept out! I can’t stand my garden without carrots and potatoes.
For the extra row, I’d like to do more with my kids and devote some extra crops for our food bank. Seems like a good thing to do and a nice thing for my kids to participate in.
Otherwise… things are great!
I do have another blog going if you are interested. I’ve been working with a bunch of my lifelong friends on a comedy improv group we call The Sticks… since we’re way out in the sticks.
And I sure do tweet a lot on my personal account. If you’d like, you can get pretty regular updates from me here.
My goal this gardening season is to get some small hoops up over at least one of my garden beds. I’ve been reading about how to grow greens through the winter and it’s really about two warm and comfy layers – a warm row cover and a greenhouse. It’s simple enough to create a small hoop house covered in greenhouse plastic. Even I should be able to construct that!
And it’s equally easy to use row covers. You can see a couple of my garden sections covered with a light row cover in this picture. These row covers add some protection against the cold. It’s not a lot of protection (these are very light row covers) but it’s enough to protect against the cold nights for my lettuce and broccoli.
Using these light row covers at this time of year is a good idea – mostly because they keep out pests and blowing weed seeds. If you’re not using row covers, give it a shot. There’s nothing to it. They allow in water and sunlight and keep out the bad stuff!
We’ll see how it goes this winter when I build the layer system. But for now, the light row covers are helping my plants get a jump start.
Many of the people that I respect and follow in the gardening world make it clear that you should dig out your lawn completely and just plant vegetables. I wish that I could go there. I wish that I was not hypocritical. But… alas.. I am shallow. And I like a nice green lawn.
Why? Why do I like this symbol of the suburban chemical warrior? Why do I aspire to a lawn like Augusta?
I don’t know. I just do. I like to walk in my lawn and feel the thick grass. I like to see the sprinkled (and NECESSARY NITROGEN-FIXING) clover. I like to watch my dippy dog roll in the dew. I like to wallow in the gorgeous green.
But, after many years of not knowing better, these days I most certainly do not like using the vile, evil, soul-stealing rotation of Scotts fertilizers.
Before I knew any better, I believed in the petrochemical miracle of seasonal fertilizing. How could you not think that weed killing, bug killing, summer stabilizing, fall fertilizing was a good idea?
Well, those fertilizers require tons and tons and tons and tons of gasoline to happen. Creating that magic mixture of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. And the weird pseudo ecology that they create in your lawn… well, it turns out that it’s not so good. Back in the day, I wanted to believe that I was doing the right thing – especially when suppressing (gasp) weeds and (holy shit!) ticks and fleas.
But, and this is important, it’s not doing the right thing. There are better, easier ways to get a good healthy, green lawn. Paul Tukey and the SafeLawns.org have been showing the way for a long time now. I follow a few of the simple things that they suggest:
- Compost in the Fall. A good spread of compost works wonders.
- Aeration every other year or so. My soil is pretty compact. Aeration helps a lot and is great thing to do when overseeding.
- Cut it high. Most people cut their lawns way, way too low. Let the grass come up. It stays healthier and can smother out the growing weeds.
I do feed the lawn as it is waking up. For this I use corn gluten meal. It is a crazy source of nitrogen and is very safe – no crazy pesticides or petrochemicals. If you watch carefully, you can tell the right time to apply it. Here in Connecticut, when the crocus come up and when the forsythia start to bloom, I spread it. It has a component that will inhibit new seedlings from establishing sufficient roots and will therefore prevent many common weeds from getting started. Just be careful not to spread it near your garden starts until they are established.
So. I’m not a total lawn crazy person! But I do like it green.


The radar eye of the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation satellite (Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defense) realised by Leonardo’s companies, captured the Liwa Oasis, located in one of the most inhospitable areas on the planet.
The small farms of Liwa, thanks to sustainable agriculture based on drip irrigation and greenhouses, represent protection from the progress of the Rub’ Al Khali sand dunes and a real wall against desertification.
“Through the use of space-based technologies, precision farming can improve the yield and quality of crops. This is important for both economic and climate reasons, enabling more efficient and sustainable farming practices while at the same time reducing their environmental impact,” said Luigi Pasquali, space activities coordinator for Leonardo, adding:“By working together, the agriculture and aerospace industries are allowing farmers to produce more while accurately targeting their use of resources, optimising output while respecting the biodiversity of the environment.
For instance, integrated data analysis can help to calculate the right time to irrigate crops, when to sow and harvest and when it really is necessary to use pesticides.
In addition, this can also support productivity by predicting bad weather and allowing the farmer to make plans to avoid damage and reduce waste, such as irrigating before a storm, saving water which is very precious in regions like the Middle East, increasing the farming environmental and economic sustainability.
These factors can reduce the costs of farming and save resources while sustainably increasing the yield and quality of crops, all while respecting the environment.”


Soil Stabilization Specialists
Soil-Loc, Inc., is the industry leader in soil stabilization and erosion control products. From driveways, walkways, dirt roads, empty lots, golf courses, baseball and softball fields, Soil-Loc’s family of soil stabilization and erosion control products can help protect your property, maintain the value of your land and help create a stable and safe environment.
Soil-Loc is continuing and expanding its efforts in the distribution and technical support of these products and others in the areas of stabilization, dust control and sports fields. We are constantly seeking other new and economical solutions to erosion control and dust control problems.


MoonShadow Grove is in Oroville, California and produces estate olive oil from trees planted in 1935. Our focus is on making superior quality oil. All our oils are certified organic by CCOF, certified extra virgin by California Olive Oil Council and sustainably grown.
Estate grown in Capay Valley California. Certified organic. Unfiltered and milled from Picual olives hand-harvested in November 2014. A robust oil. Winner of 6 gold medals in California competitions since first harvested in 2011.
The Pasolivo Ranch is home to nearly a dozen varietals, including Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino, Lucca, Mission, Manzanillo, Coratina, and Maurino olives. Our trees are never treated with harmful chemicals and we hand pick our olives to prevent bruising and to create the freshest, healthiest, and most flavorful oils.
Tuscan Blend from the Napa Valley. We handpicked the olives with perfect ripeness and milled within hours of being picked. The Olive oil is rich and spicy lots of olive flavor. I get hints of ruby red grapefruit, cashew, and artichoke. This olive oil is delicious a great representation of Napa Valley extra virgin.
Lucero Olive Oil is the story of a small Northern California community, which has been home to olive trees for over a century. The company is run by a collection of local residents devoted to milling a premium selection of oils from the original trees in our town, as well as several estate holdings of 21st century medium and high density orchards nearby. Grown, milled and bottled in Corning, California.
Aromas of green fruit, green leaves, almond and notes of herbs. Taste exhibits abundant fruitiness, green leaves, sweetness, bitterness, vigorous pungency and notes of chicory, radish, with exceptional harmony, a high complexity and a high persistence.


Now that our outdoor garden is petering out, it's time to focus more on growing our food inside. We don't have grow lights or a heating mat or anything fancy, but we can still grow sprouts. In fact sprouts are a little easier to grow in the winter because they're less likely to mold.
Even in summer when produce is plentiful, I usually have some sprouts growing. I love how in just a few days, a tablespoon of seeds can turn into a whole quart of food. But we didn't have enough space to grow more than one jar at a time...until now! Check out the sprouting shelf that Jake built:
Sprouts are easy, easy, easy to grow. My rabbits could grow sprouts if rabbits had opposable thumbs. All you have to do is soak a tablespoon or so of sprouting seeds overnight. Then drain them, add some more water, swish them around, and drain them again. Wash and drain them twice a day and...that's it! You'll have sprouts in less than a week. I use the plastic mesh lids on my mason jars for washing and draining my sprouts, but lots of people use cheesecloth, and one of my regular readers uses a different system with coffee filters. (Maybe she'll explain in the comments?) I always keep my jars at a 45 degree angle so all the water drains out and the seeds don't rot.
I'm lucky because the co-op has a huge assortment of sprouting seeds: alfalfa, broccoli, radish, oats, clover, and lots of seed mixes with interesting items like cress and fenugreek. I'm currently growing a French blend, a salad blend and a legume blend. I'll post pictures when I get a full jar.
Another side effect of colder weather is that Trilby doesn't get to go on many excursions, so he needs more toys.
I did do a little driving and shopping today. I went back to Connecticut College's library for Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail. And because the college is so close to the supermarket, I bought twelve cans of cat food, four organic pears and one bunch of organic celery. I didn't need apples today, but while I was there I noticed that the price of conventional apples is hardly any cheaper than the organic apples at the co-op. I was relieved, because I wondered if buying organic was a big splurge. Nope, not really.
Daily consumption totals:
People Food: 5.86
Cat food: $4 (on sale and generated a $1 coupon)
Miles Driven: 6.3
Stuff we made from stuff we had on hand: sprout shelf and cat toy.


News Archives - 2007
Welcome to Brian Noy - new Campus Kitchen coordinator
Brian Noy is the new coordinator of the Campus Kitchen program at Augsburg College. Noy started Aug. 16 and is taking over for Rachel Vallens, who left to attend graduate school in Wisconsin.
Noy is originally from Vernon Center, Minn., a small farming community south of Mankato. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2006 with a degree in Sustainable Agriculture. After graduation, Noy worked with the Institution for Agriculture and Trade Policy, which is a non-profit think tank research and policy institute. While there, he was instrumental in starting several small-scale farmers’ markets, including the one at the Brian Coyle Community Center.
He came to learn about the Campus Kitchen program through Mary Laurel True, who met him at what Noy describes as a “local foods happy hour.” Given his interest in food and education around community gardens, he thought Augsburg would be a great fit for him.
Noy said he is very excited and looking forward to getting the community garden off the ground next year. As a matter of fact, Noy said that four years ago he spotted this piece of land and thought then what a great spot this would make for a community garden.
“I’m excited that I can be part of creating what I only dreamed about four years ago.”


|0.01 GHS||0 GHS||0 %|
Golden Web Limited Is a Ghanaian vegetable oil processing company. It was incorporated in 1982 and listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange on August 29, 2005.
The Company specializes in the production of vegetable oils and cakes from palm kernel, groundnut, soya bean, sunflower and coconut.
The products are sold on the local Ghanaian market as well as exported to other African countries. The estimated share value of GWEB on the vegetable oil market in Ghana is 5%.


The history of Etna is studded with the historic eruptions which have shaped it. That of 1614 is legendary, lasting ten years and the longest ever recorded, halting just on the border of the vineyards of Sciaranuova. A name strongly evocative of our Cru dell’Etna; Carricante with a small addition of Riesling. High altitude black soils confer a fresh, savoury and mineral style.
Territories & Wineries
Eruzione 1614 Carricante
90% Carricante 10% Riesling
2009 - WineRviewOline.com "Ed McCarthy": Wine of the Year - WineRviewOline.com "Mary Ewing-Mulligan": 91 pt
2010 - Wine Guide Vini di Sicilia 2012, Giornale di Sicilia - 5 stars Decanter, World Wine Awards 2012 - Bronze Medal
Above sea level
5.000 vines per hectare
ClimateThe seasonal pattern showed a fall and a cold winter and little rain, while the spring period was characterized by heavy rains even in the pre-summer. The vineyard went into the summer and maturation in perfect health. The average summer temperatures has been excellent: pleasantly cool, regular, without peaks of heat, never above the seasonal average. Balanced solar radiation. The harvest began with a delay of about 10-14 days (August 17). Temperatures have increased markedly since August 20, while maintaining the proper level of humidity and avoiding dehydration and concentration of the fruit. Harvesting grecanico ended the last days of September.
ClimateThe climatic conditions prevailing during the 2010 harvest were particularly favourable. In 2009 the autumn finished with abundant rainfall, ideal for setting the vines to rest. The winter had normal temperatures and not too much rain. The spring was also average, with rain at the end. The summer began with cooler temperatures until the middle of August, when the temperature then rose to assist perfect ripening. Around 20th September rain assisted the harvest at Vittoria. On the other hand the beginning of summer on Etna was fairly dry but the rains at the end of September were useful and prolonged the harvest until 21st October. Might 2010 be one of the best vintages out of the previous ten? It is early to say but it is certainly a super vintage.
ClimateThe climatic indicators of 2011 had forecast, on a global level, a classic winter with precipitations below average, which after the last few winters with their copious rainfalls had us a little worried. But then in the spring the situation changed; copious rain fell even relatively late in the season and prepared the vineyards to perfection. The summer was hot without being excessively so, and the grapes were able to ripen without a flaw. The 2011 vintage yielded perfectly healthy grapes, if in noticeably diminished quantities. Indeed quantity as well as size of the harvested fruit was reduced by 15% on the average, which means also a decrease in total weight. In any case this resulted in an exceptionally high overall quality, especially of the red grapes which profited greatly by this natural and thus perfect thinning out. The temperatures stayed in the average range and, more importantly, showed no heat spikes. Both September and October were mild, and sporadic rainfalls at the end of the season accomplished the vintage.
ClimateMount Etna The harvest seems to have a tremendous potential and we will be able to know more next year. Undoubtedly, this year the usual elegance of these wines grown on the volcano will give way to the power of the alcohol and tannins. However, this vintage seems to be characterized by wines with an above-average quality. The grapes are healthy and perfectly intact. This is definitely important for a mountain harvest, which by its very nature tends towards the rainy season.
It would be hard to imagine two harvests more different than those of 2012 and 2013. After the hot wines of last year, we have perhaps returned to a vintage more in the ‘Etna style’. A long dry summer, but not too hot, just perfect. However we did need the September rains, and the rain arrived and never seemed to finish! We waited patiently, and then a miracle arrived. On 15th October a sort of Indian Summer arrived and completely turned the vintage around. On Etna it is essential to harvest late to ensure the quality of the reds. It seems early to say but it seems that the whites indicate minerals and Nerello its variety.
Time of Harvest
The grapes are picked into crates and immediately refrigerated at 8⁰C, selected by hand and sent for light destalking and soft pressing; the decanted must is racked, inoculated with yeasts and fermented at 15⁰C in inox stainless steel; the wine thus obtained remains on the fine lees until March with continuous stirring
Great potential, from 7 to 10 years


- Brett Carver Ph.D.
- OkState Wheat Improvement Team
- NPK Blog
- Wheat varieties developed at OkState
- 2022 Winter Crops School Videos
- Randy Raper Ph.D.
- OSU Ag Research Facilities
- New Frontiers Agricultural Hall
- Karen Hicks Ph.D.
- Environmental Science Program
- Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law and Rules
- USDA/NRCS Introduced, Invasive, and Noxious Plants - Oklahoma
- ODAFF Weed Free Forage and Mulch Certification Rules
- Thistle Identification OSU Extension
Tyson Ochsner Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University Soil Physics Program
U.S. Drought Monitor
Payne County Extension Office
NPK Blog post - To bale or not to bale
FALL SOIL HEALTH FIELD TRAINING
Thursday, September 1, 2022
OSU Agronomy Research Station
OkState Fire Ecology
Oklahoma Prescribed Fire Council
Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association
Oklahoma Mesonet's OkFire
Amanda Silva Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University Wheat Resources
Oklahoma State University Wheat Blog
Grasshopper Management OkState Factsheet
Oklahoma State University Pest E-Alert
Sumit Sharma Ph.D.
Oklahoma Master Irrigator Program
Oklahoma Mesonet Irrigation Planner
Oklahoma Panhandle Research & Extension Center (OPREC)
McCull Research Station
Rangeland Analysis Platform
Grassland Productivity Forecast
The Prairie Project website
The Prairie Project Facebook Page
The Prairie Project Twitter site
The Prairie Project Instagram
Ok State Natural Resources Extension Facebook Page
Dr. Laura Goodman
Dr. Andrea Jilling
Dr. Tom Royer
Mites in wheat
Planning for stinkbugs in summer crops
Difference between false and true chinch bugs
State of Oklahoma Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Mental Health America - Mental health test
Mental Health Oklahoma - Resources
OSU Extension - Local Farm Stress Resources
Contact information for setting up a small group to help famers
Copyright © 2022 Ag Now Media LLC - All Rights Reserved.


In addition to containing essential information on all aspects of Scottish rural life, this volume, compiled by John and Andrew Arbuckle, contains many totally irrelevant, but entertaining, facts about farming, farmers and those who live in the countryside.
Where else would you find such a range of knowledge from the most influential people in the industry sitting alongside alternative uses for welly boots?
With more than 120 lists to enjoy, there is something for everyone with little pieces of history sitting alongside futuristic predictions.
The author: Andrew Arbuckle was born and brought up on a family farm in North Fife later taking over the tenancy of the unit from his father. The farm specialised in growing seed potatoes and malting barley with cash crops of sugar beet and strawberries. On giving up the tenancy, he moved into full time journalism working as agricultural editor with the Courier in Dundee. A spell as a Member of the Scottish Parliament followed before once again picking up his pen and writing about the agricultural industry he loves.
Over 150 pages, including colourful cartoons.


Cortijo La Torre
Cortijo La Torre uses the cold extraction method to obtain their olive oil, which has gathered over 125 international awards for its quality. The tradition and long experience of more than a century in the cultivation, collection and obtaining of oil allows Cortijo La Torre to guide consumers through the sensations of smell, taste and culture of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Their EVOO is characterized both by its high organoleptic quality and by its high content of vitamins A, D, E and K. Visits are by appointment only. Located south east of Arjona, off the JV-233B.


May 29, 2018
At Nature’s Gold, our number one priority has always been to produce high standard products with elite natural ingredients. Manuka Honey
is a featured ingredient in all of our products, and we are always researching initiatives to ensure the Manuka Honey in our products is the best quality around. In March 2018, Nature’s Gold helped to incorporate the Australian Farming Together/ABC Honey co-op initiative, which allows beekeepers to share in the profits from the entire chain of the hive to the consumer. Beginning with production right up to the end user, beekeepers benefit.
Forming a co-op and undertaking a joint venture with Nature’s Gold
has helped apiarists invest in technology to create the highest standards of Australian honey for the world to enjoy.
By collaborating with ABC Honey and Nature’s Gold, the co-op has been able to create a stand-alone packing house, and install a sophisticated honey aeration plant to secure a major supply contract. The co-op also offers packing services to all members of the co-operative under their own labels. The co-op is also preparing to introduce mobile extraction units for the honey, which creates a natural process for preventing raw honey from crystalizing. Aeration plants are used extensively overseas, but are an Australian-first.
Working collaboratively allows beekeepers to save money, potentially make more money, and ensure their honey stays at a high-standard from the hive all the way to the end customer, whether those customers are local or overseas.
“Co-operatives are the building blocks of all great economic activity, they formalize loose partnerships and make them work for the benefit of all the members,” - Richard Symes Cooperative Co-founder.
This exciting new collaboration for Nature’s Gold means that we can ensure we maintain healthy relationships with the elite beekeepers across Australia, whose quality standards are only the best.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.


SAN MARTIN — Blaming market conditions, one of Santa Clara County’s largest family-owned farm operations is going out of business, though its most popular attraction — the fall Pumpkin Patch festival — will continue to offer the usual hayrides as well a chance to blast apart the orange orbs with an air gun.
About 50 full-time employees and 250 seasonal workers will lose their jobs as family-owned Uesugi Farms winds down operations in more than 5,000 acres in California, Arizona and Mexico, where it grows cabbage, corn, pumpkins and peppers.
But the company Wednesday announced it would continue to operate the annual festival from Sept. 28 through Halloween on Monterey Road in San Martin.
“The Pumpkin Patch is going to be open this fall,” said Uesugi’s general manager, Pete Aiello, whose father Joe Aiello bought the operation nearly 40 years ago.
The festival includes a pyramid of about 4,000 pumpkins, a petting corral, carousel and corn maze, as well as train and pony rides.
Pete Aiello declined to comment on the circumstances that drove the family to make the 2018 season its last. But he said the company was not declaring bankruptcy, though a bank was helping handle the sale of much of its machinery.
“We’re still winding down the situation,” he said.
A source familiar with the operation said the costs of renting the land, buying fuel, pumping water and paying field hands had eaten up profits to the point where it was no longer feasible to continue.
“They quit because they had to, not because they wanted to,” the source said.
A recent statement on Uesugi’s website said that “due to market conditions and factors outside of its control,” the company would “wind down” its operations once the current harvest season ends.
“Uesugi’s priority is to maximize the value of its assets and implement plans to work with customers, vendors, lenders, employees and others to obtain the best outcome possible for all its stakeholders,” according to the posting.
Despite such market forces, about 20,000 acres in Santa Clara County remain under cultivation by other farmers and the local county Farm Bureau has about 300 active members.
While the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival draws thousands every season, the most common crops in the county are actually peppers, including bells and jalapenos, and cherries, wine grapes, lettuce and tomatoes, said bureau president Paul Mirassou of B & T Farms.
Mushrooms were the top single crop with a market value of $74 million in 2017, according to the most recent Farm Bureau report.


About our Company
Our family has been on roofs installing skylights for over 25 years! Our team takes great pride in workmanship and customer service. Skylight Professionals are committed to delivering exceptional value and quality in every facet of our operations. We are grateful to each and every one of our hundreds of satisfied clients, with whom we have had the distinct pleasure of working with over the years. We know about eco-friendly lighting solutions!
Skylight Pros are committed to being "green" wherever possible. We recycle all our re-usable skylights and domes to Grow Calgary. This location makes greenhouses to grow vegetables for Calgary’s homeless and we’ve been told it’s enabled them to grow and supply hundreds of pounds of tomatoes each year!
Fully managed from consultation to the finished project
Our work stands the test of time
Motivated, highly-trained experts committed to their work


2 edition of Agricultural drainage wells in Iowa found in the catalog.
Agricultural drainage wells in Iowa
Robert D. Libra
by Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources, Energy and Geological Resources Division, Geological Survey Bureau in Iowa City, Iowa (109 Trowbridge Hall, Iowa City 52242-1319)
Written in English
|Statement||prepared by R.D. Libra and G.R. Hallberg.|
|Series||Technical information series ;, 24, Technical information series (Iowa. Dept. of Natural Resources. Geological Survey Bureau) ;, 24.|
|Contributions||Hallberg, George R.|
|LC Classifications||TD428.A37 L53 1993|
|The Physical Object|
|Pagination||39 p. :|
|Number of Pages||39|
|LC Control Number||94620083|
Groundwater quality response to closure of agricultural drainage wells in Floyd County, Iowa By L. S. Seigley, D. J. Quade and M. P. Skopec Get PDF (1 MB) By L. S. Seigley, D. J. Quade, and M. P. Skopec, Published on 07/01/ Comments "The Floyd County Agricultural Drainage Well Project has been supported, in part, by Water Quality Protection Funds administrated by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation via the Floyd County Soil and Water Conservation District, and › Home › College of Engineering › IIHR › Iowa Geological Survey › IGS_TIS ›
Good Wells for Safe Water Tom Glanville. Iowa Drainage Guide. $ AE Employers' Instructional Guide - Training Employees Who Operate Agricultural Tractors. Woodchip Bioreactors for Nitrate in Agricultural Drainage. Free. PM E. Animal and Plant Health Inspection – Transport. :// (2) The agricultural drainage well pilot project shall be designed to identify the environmental, economic, and social problems presented by continued use or closure of agricultural drainage wells and to monitor possible contamination caused by agriculture
Woodchip Bioreactors for Nitrate in Agricultural Drainage (Iowa, 4 pages. Click "Download" in blue table.) "Evaluating Denitrifying Bioreactors" - On the Ground with the Leopold Center (Video from Iowa, ) Bioreactors: Benefits and Potential Challenges" - Iowa Learning Farms Webinar (Video recording from Iowa) Dave Mowitz is back with Terry Wells from Maxwell, Iowa, to hear his thoughts on the Weego Crankenstein. Paul Johnson has a passion for Cuba. Not only has he lived there, but he is also focused on building trade between the U.S. and at ps://lorg/tamil/agriculture-news-in-tamil.
The perfect machine
Pirates, Jack Tar, and memory
The management of sickness absence in Her Majestys Land Registry
On the structure of the group ring of a p-group over a modular field
Preliminary validation of several new US Air Force computer-based cognitive pilot selection tests
Conference on the working of composing machines held at ... Manchester Feb. 21st, 1891.
Private voluntary health insurance regulation
Into the hidden environment
Relief of the Drought-Stricken Farm Areas of New Mexico.
religions of mankind.
use of Christianity, especially in difficult times
Estonian finance and trade.
The early English cotton industry
introduction to Michael Drayton.
Oh! to be a sapper in the Royal Engineers
The Iowa Agricultural Drainage Well Research and Demonstration Project was established by the Iowa Groundwater Protection Act.
That legislation charged the Department to conduct a research and demonstration project to address concerns about contamination of groundwater through use of agricultural drainage wells (ADWs).
Agricultural drainage wells constructed in IA in early ’s to provide outlets for surface H. O runoff & tile drainage from croplands.
A drilled shaft funnels/diverts drainage water into existing bedrock. Key concept is VULNERABILITY. In Iowa, proximity to the Mississippian aquifer (Wright, Humboldt - Pocahontas Co.) and the Devonian Agricultural drainage wells are required to be registered both with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources as a part of the Groundwater Protection Act, and with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency as a part of the Underground Injection Control :// AGRICULTURAL-DRAINAGE-WELLS Download Agricultural-drainage-wells ebook PDF or Read Online books in PDF, EPUB, and Mobi Format. Click Download or Read Online button to AGRICULTURAL-DRAINAGE-WELLS book pdf for free :// Agricultural drainage wells (ADWs)--also referred to as shallow injection or dry wells--were dug to allow water from subsurface drainage systems or surface water to drain deeper into the ground.
They were used to receive irrigation tailwaters, other field drainage, and barnyard runoff or to remove excess water from potential crop land in areas /planning/identifying-and-sealing-agricultural-drainage-wells. Groundwater Quality Response to Closure of Agricultural Drainage Wells in Floyd County Iowa, July () Groundwater Quality Response to Closure of Agricultural Drainage Wells in Floyd County Iowa, July Natural Resources, Department of Preview.
PDF TISpdf File Size:1MB Iowa Center for the Iowa Code Title 11 - Natural Resources Subtitle 1 - Control of Environment CHAPTER - AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE WELLS AND SINKHOLES - AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE WELLS. AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE WELLS.
An owner of an agricultural drainage well shall register the well with the department of natural › Justia. Agricultural drainage wells (ADWs) were developed in the early to mid ’s and discharge cropland tile drainage water to underground aquifers.
The fund was established in to protect drinking water aquifers by cost-sharing with landowners to close agricultural drainage wells and develop alternative drainage outlets to surface streams or Those in agriculture, especially north-central Iowa, recognize how important drainage is for improved row crop performance.
In the early to mids, some farmers who needed to provide drainage for their fields installed Agricultural Drainage Wells (ADWs). //3/13/guest-post-agricultural-drainage-wells. This report summarizes the monitoring at the piezometers, a network of tile lines, private wells and surface-water sites.
This data and the results of previous investigations in this region are used to evaluate the impacts of drainage wells on groundwater Terms Used In Iowa Code Agricultural drainage well: means a vertical opening to an aquifer or permeable substratum which is constructed by any means including but not limited to drilling, driving, digging, boring, augering, jetting, washing, or coring, and which is capable of intercepting or receiving surface or subsurface drainage water from land directly or by a drainage Agricultural drainage wells in Iowa: hydrogeologic settings and water-quality implications.
Iowa City, Iowa: Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Energy and Geological Resources Division, Geological Survey Bureau, › Home › College of Engineering › IIHR › Iowa Geological Survey › IGS_TIS › Iowa Drainage Guide Matt Helmers. This publication provides guidelines for drainage improvements installed on Iowa's agricultural land.
It provides legal, soil management, and engineering information to farmers, engineers, contractors, farm planners, and others associated with drainage system planning, construction, and management.
That tile reflects a major part of Iowa’s agricultural history that has been buried, literally, for generations, yet this history continues to influence farming methods, especially in the prairie pothole regions of north-central Iowa and northwest Iowa.
“In general, ag drainage in Iowa got its start aroundbut this varied a lot In Iowa, where agricultural drainage wells are commonly used, pesticides are more commonly found in ground water than are industrial chemicals (Ground Water Monitor, ). The increasing number of agriculture-related ground-water contamination scenarios being documented warrants increasing ://?Dockey=FTXT.
An “agricultural drainage well” is a well constructed for the purpose of draining, or which drains, water from agricultural land to an aquifer (underground), excluding drainage tile intakes which outlet to the surface. Agricultural drainage wells are required to be registered with the department by Septemand the owner of the well instructionspdf.
The drainage of surface waters from agricultural lands and all other lands or the protection of such lands from overflow shall be presumed to be a public benefit and conducive to the public health, convenience and AMES, Iowa — A year study by Iowa State University researchers shows fertilizing cropland with poultry manure can benefit soil health and farm profits when compared to a commercial fertilizer.
The study looked at long-term impacts of poultry manure on soil quality, crop yield, production costs and water quality in conventional Iowa cropping :// Iowa regulators are not meeting some state requirements for water-quality related conservation practices, according to an analysis of the Department of Wells that are no longer needed can be a safety hazard to your family and pets, and also to the well you currently use.
These wells create extra vertical pathways for contaminants to easily move deeper into the ground and impact your current well. Grant funds, available in most counties, can help reduce the cost of plugging private :// Protecting Your Private.
The Iowa vulnerability map was designed to provide general guidance in planning and ranking activities for preventing contamination of aquifers and wells. It is not intended to answer site-specific questions, cannot predict contaminant concentrations, and does not even rank the different areas of the state by risk of :// closure of agricultural drainage wells in order to prevent groundwater contamination, and providing a variety of financial assistance for private land owners and soil and water conservation districts to address various water quality issues.4 The DSC plays a very important role in Iowa water protection, Underground Injection Wells, Shallow Non-Hazardous Injection Wells, Class V Wells Rule, Fact Sheet, Well Types, Agricultural Drainage Wells, Created Date Z


The nursery, founded by Roberto ( father of Giampaolo, the actual owner of the company) at the end of the 50s, is situated at the outskirts of Pistoia which is defined as the city of the plants.
The company has developed adopting, the innovative growing techniques so as to be able to guarantee products of excellent quality for its customers.
It produces a wide variety of plants, grown both in pots and in beds (paying great attention to nutrients, climate and hydration), like coniferous, shrubs and varius plants. The end products are sold both in Italy and outside Italy.
VIVAI PIANTE ROMITI GIAMPAOLO
Via delle Prata 5/A, 51100 Pistoia
Tel: +39 0573 532069 Fax: +39 0573532819


The process called nitrogen cycle is when nitrogen is converted to other forms of the element. There are two ways that this process is carried out and it’s either a biological process or a non-biological process. The important processes for the nitrogen cycle include nitrification, fixation, denitrification and mineralization. 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere is composed of nitrogen which is why it’s the largest sources of nitrogen but this atmospheric nitrogen is not available for biological use which leads to the scarcity of the nitrogen that is usable for the ecosystem. Ecologists are interested with the nitrogen cycle because the availability of nitrogen can affect the ecosystem process rate that includes the primary production up to the decomposition. The global nitrogen cycle had been significantly altered by human activities like the fossil fuel combustion and the use of artificial fertilizers containing nitrogen and also by releasing waste water with nitrogen.
Ecological functions of Nitrogen
Nitrogen is important part of different processes and it’s crucial for any living thing here on Earth. It’s in amino acids, protein, nucleic acids like our DNA and our RNA. Plants need nitrogen too for their chlorophyll that are essential molecules for photosynthesis and for the growth of plants. Most of the nitrogen from the atmosphere are useless to plants. This nitrogen needs to undergo a chemical process called natural fixation wherein it’s converted by bacteria to make it useful for live organisms. This is why nitrogen is an important element for the production of food. Our food supply is dictated by the amount of reactive nitrogen available on the land where it’s grown.
Processes of the nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen is in the environment in many different chemical forms such as the organic nitrogen, the NH4 ammonium ion, nitrate or no3- and the nitrogen gas or N2. The nitrogen cycle process transforms one form of nitrogen to another and most often it’s the microbes that carry out this process in order to produce energy or to accumulate the nitrogen in the needed form for their growth.
The atmospheric nitrogen needs to be processed through nitrogen fixation for it to be useful to plants. Nitrogen fixation can occur with lightning strikes but most often it’s caused by symbiotic bacteria or the free living bacteria. Nitrogenase enzymes from these bacteria combine with the N2 gas with Hydrogen in order to produce the ammonia which is then being converted to the organic compounds. Rhizobium is one example of these bacteria and they live in the roots of legumes like beans or peas. They are in a mutual relationship with the legumes where they produce the needed ammonia while they are receiving carbohydrates from the plants. Soils that are deficient in nutrients can regain the nutrients by planting legumes on them to increase the nitrogen. Few plants can do this too. Now, 30% of the fixed nitrogen is being manufactured by chemical plants for ammonia.
Conversion of N2
The conversion of the gas nitrogen from the atmosphere to a form that is readily available to plans is important for animals and humans as it’s an important step for the nitrogen cycle that distributes the essential nutrient. There are 4 ways to convert the atmospheric nitrogen gas to more reactive chemical forms. First is the biological fixation. Symbiotic bacteria most often found on legumes and some other free-living bacteria cn fix the nitrogen to be organic nitrogen. Rhizobium bacteria is one example of this type of bacteria and they live in the root of legume nodules. They are diazotrophs. Free-living bacteria example is the Azotobacter.
At 600 degrees centigrade and with iron as a catalyst, the atmospheric nitrogen combined with hydrogen from petroleum or natural gas, at really high pressure would be turned to ammonia or NH3. Explosives and fertilizers use the Haber-Bosch process of converting the gaseous nitrogen and hydrogen to NH3. Fossil fuel combustion release NOx. There are other processes that could form NO from the Nitrogen and Oxygen from the atmosphere such as the photons caused by lightning.
There are plants that absorb nitrogen from the soil in the form of ammonium or nitrate ions. Nitrogen obtained by animals and humans can be traced to the foods they eat. Plants have root hairs that absorb the ammonium or the nitrate ions from the soil. Nitrate is firstly reduced to nitrite ions then to ammonium ions to be incorporated into amino acids, chlorophyll and nucleic acids. Plants that have a mutual relationship with the rhizobia bacteria, some of the nitrogen is absorbed as ammonium ions from the nodules directly. Animals, heterotrophic organisms and fungi are able to absorb nitrogen in the form of amino acids, small organic molecules or as nucleotides.
Ammonification is the process wherein the organic form of nitrogen is turned to ammonium ion again. This happens when an animal or plant dies or from their expelled waste. Enzymes that are involved in this process are GS or Gln Synthetase, GOGAT, and GDH.
Ammonium conversion to nitrate is primarily performed by the soil-living bacteria as well as other nitrifying bacteria. The first stage is the oxidation of the ammonium ion that is performed by these bacteria like the Nitrosomonas that converts the ammonium to NO2 ions. Nitrobacter and other species of bacteria then convert nitrites to nitrates. This is important because too much of the nitrite ions are already toxic to plants.
The denitrification process reduces the nitrates to the inert nitrogen gas again and this is what completes the nitrogen cycle. Pseudomonas and the Clostridium bacteria are in charge of this process in an anaerobic condition. They use the nitrate in place of the oxygen for respiration as an electron acceptor.


Campaign of the Month: September 2013
- 5 days of Earth Celebrations
Each month has 30 days, following the lunar cycle. The Great Library of Throal acquires in the months of Sollus and Riag the official travel journals and other records from adventurers or adventure groups.
ED2 p255 under Climate:
“The Scourge caused Barsaive’s temperatures and rainfall to shift drastically and frequently, leaving the landscape devoid of living vegetation. Once the Scourge ended, the land’s flora began regenerating at a phenomenal rate, and the climate stabilized to its current temperate state. The average annual temperature in the province remains moderate, rising to somewhat uncomfortable levels during the warm season and dropping only slightly during the cool season. The higher mountain regions experience cooler temperatures than the rest of the land, though the lower hill areas experience temperatures much like those in the plains and forests.
This stable climate has caused concern and speculation among Barsaive’s scholars. The lack of a true ‘winter’ season remains a mystery, and many believe it is the last vestige of the Scourge. However, the present climate has its benefits, as it enables farmers to grow crops year-round.
The first six months of the year comprise Barsaive’s rainy season. Most of the province receives moderate rainfall of 40 to 60 inches per year, though southern Barsaive receives heavy rains. Most regions experience some precipitation throughout the year, except for areas along the Death’s Sea that suffer from constant drought."


Is farm-to-table just a fad?
Amid this resurgence, it’s easy to forget that farm food was not always a luxury item but something fundamental.
By Kathy Gunst
A young man with a slightly wild beard, wearing a blue and black flannel shirt, makes his way through the crowd of partygoers. In his hand he carries a silver tray. “Would you care to try a French breakfast radish?” he asks the guests dressed in white pants and designer dresses. “They were picked just about an hour ago.”
I’m at a farm-to-table dinner on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a gorgeous summer night, the sky streaked with shades of fluorescent pink and orange. Close to 50 people are gathered outside the weathered barn. Despite the mud and dirt in the barnyard, many of the women are wearing heels, while the men soil their Topsiders. These farm-loving friends have each paid $125 to attend this dinner.
The radishes come with no sauce or fancy sea salt. A diminutive woman standing next to me looks at the tray of radishes as if she’s falling in love. “Is that the most precious thing you’ve ever seen?” she says to no one in particular. “What an adorable little radish.” And with that she pops the little baby right into her mouth.
Farm dinners like this have become popular across New England and around the country. The explosion of farm-to-table restaurants, CSAs, and community gardens are part and parcel of the same growing trend. And, according to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 8,000 farmers markets nationwide now offer fresh fruits and vegetables, a 500 percent increase from 1994. Whether you’re a chef or a home cook, the place to find your ingredients these days is on, or near, the farm.
That should be good news. People are becoming more aware of what they’re eating, where it was grown, who grew it, and in some cases, even growing it themselves. But this newfound infatuation with hyperlocal farm food does raise the question: Are we seeing a genuine change in the way Americans eat and get their food? Or is farm food a fad? In other words, is the “preciousness” of a single radish, or the sense of fulfillment that some get from buying $12-a-pound heirloom tomatoes sustainable?
Because if it is a fad, then eventually we’ll become bored with food from the farm. That would mean losing ground on healthier eating, preserving farmland, and moving toward a more sustainable food system. The stakes are high. It would be catastrophic to go backward from where we are today.
Food today is exciting, even glamorous. Eve Turrow, 28, has just written “A Taste of Generation Yum,” a book examining millennials and their relationship to food. “Food is an overall obsession with my generation,” she explained in a recent phone call. “Our parents were identified by their music and drug of choice. Organic kale, pork belly, eating at Momofuku, and shopping at farmers markets. Those are our cultural identifiers.”
Yet, amid this resurgence, it’s easy to forget that farm food was not always a luxury item but something fundamental to life. Many of our grandparents and great-grandparents farmed, canned, and planted Victory Gardens, because they had to grow their own food to survive and stretch thin household incomes. Before box stores and agribusiness, before Walmart and mega supermarkets, eating food from your own garden, or from the farmer down the road, was typical for many Americans.
At Tuckaway Farm in Lee, N.H., Chuck Cox, 71, checks on the Swiss chard growing between rows of heirloom tomatoes. Cox has been farming “pretty much my whole life.” His father was a pilot and a farmer, and today Cox runs the farm with the help of his son and daughter and their spouses.
Cox has seen a lot of changes in farming over the years. When he was studying agriculture at Cornell University many decades ago, he says, organic was a dirty word. He scratches his scruffy gray beard as he ponders the current enthusiasm for farm food. “I can’t find anything wrong with it,” Cox says. As we walk around the 200-plus acre farm, he tastes fat, ripe raspberries and golden cherry tomatoes. “People are wanting to know where their food comes from, and they are supporting us farmers. They’re putting their money where their mouth is.”
But does attending a $125-a-plate barn dinner qualify as learning more about what you eat? Just because you spend your hard-earned food dollars at a farmers market do you really understand how food is grown? Is this what Euell Gibbons or Scott and Helen Nearing had in mind when they wrote decades ago about a new way for Americans to eat?
Taking the optimist’s view, I’ve witnessed how kids’ eating habits improve when families spend less time and money at supermarkets and big box stores and instead pick their own fruit or buy organic vegetables from local farmers. But despite the popularity of shopping for food from local growers, this is still not a mainstream trend.
Small-scale farming is on the rise. According to the Maine Farmland Trust, there are more than 8,000 farms in Maine, the highest number in New England. Even more significant is that the number of farmers under the age of 35 in the state grew nearly 40 percent between 2007 and 2013.
“I grew an entire vegetable garden on a fire escape in Brooklyn!” Eve Turrow says. “Many of the thousands of millennials I interviewed [for my book] are interested in farming and growing their own food. They want to give up their suburban backgrounds and milk goats and grow potatoes and greens.” If the 20-somethings’ almost obsessive interest in growing vegetables and having the newest/coolest food on the block means a new generation of farmers and food entrepreneurs, then we need to take this food fashion seriously. We need to figure out creative ways for them to find financing and land to make that dream a reality.
That, however, requires we look at farm-raised food not as something precious and luxurious, but rather an essential part of life: fresh food grown by a farmer — not a corporation and hold the chemicals, thank you very much — that sustains us, and keeps us healthy. Let’s get rid of the silver tray and embrace the dirt.
Kathy Gunst is a James Beard-award winning journalist and the author of 14 cookbooks. Her most recent is “Notes from a Maine Kitchen.”


Tips for Successful Small Space Gardening
If you would like to start growing your own vegetable garden, it is important not assume that all you need is space and seedlings. Planting such a garden is never a problem. The challenge lies in keeping the garden productive. If you are in the dark regarding how to approach the task, below are guidelines to help you out.
You should make a decision regarding the types of vegetables to grow. This is because different vegetables have different needs regarding resistance to pests, weather conditions, spacing, among other things. Unless you simply want a garden, it is important to choose veggies that would be good for your kitchen. If you want a beautiful patio garden, you should make a decision with that in mind.
You have to build up your soil prior to planting anything. You have to use clean and organically rich soil if you are to realize high yields. This is because such type of soil is good for healthy roots because it makes it easier for them to reach more nutrients and water. To achieve deeper layers of fertile soil, it is advisable to make raised beds. Vegetables thrive best in loose, fertile soil. Get vertical gardening ideas here!
Spacing is of immense significance. It is obvious that you have limited space. Whatever you do, do not assume that spacing as required would be a waste. Crowded gardens would lead to competition for nutrients and/or suffocation, which means poor yields. Since different types of veggies have different needs as far as spacing is concerned, it is important to research regarding how to space them. While you can always thin out the plants later, such a move would mean a waste of money if you are buying your seedlings.
It is important to make a decision as far as location is concerned. You have to locate your garden appropriately whether you need it for aesthetic purposes or not. Locating your garden next to your house, near a walkway or any other place you would pass daily would be a wise decision. This is important because it would always be possible to notice when something is amiss. The right location would also prompt you to care for your garden more often, something that guarantees keeping it in shape. If you want to learn more gardening tips, you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_architecture.
You should research regarding the commonest diseases and pests in your area. This would help you avoid choosing vegetables that are susceptible to the diseases in question. Hydroponics for beginners would also help you know how best to treat your soil prior to planting anything.


I passed this strange fruit at the market – split open and calling for my tongue. I had no idea what this exotic fruit was.
Papausa is a prehispanic fruit found in Chiapas seasonally around the end of July through September. It is similar to a guanabana but smaller. Another unique relative includes the chincuya. In fact, in some regions, the fruits share the same name.
The light green scaly skin of the papausa covers fleshy fruit surrounding large, dark brown seeds. Though it is unique as when it ripens, it cracks open and must be eaten quickly before spoiling. The flesh is mildly sweet with a light floral flavor. There are two varieties, one with white flesh and another that is light pink inside.
Besides being tasty, this pre-hispanic fruit is said to have cancer-fighting properties and “antiviral, antibacterial, larvicidal and phytotoxic properties.” (El Siglo de Torreón)
Where to Find Papausa
Native to Central America, you will find this in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, as well as coastal regions of Guatemala and El Salvador.
How to Choose and Store
When ripe, this fruit oddly splits wide open. Ask your vendor for a fruit that has freshly opened, then eat it right away. Because the fruit is broken open, it will only last a night or two on the counter. However, beware that it may attract ants or fruit flies.
Papausa - ready to eat.
The latin name for the papausa is Annona macroprophyllata. However, there are many other name and spelling variations.
• ilama (which is also used for the chincuya)
The flesh of the fruit is eaten raw. Be sure to pick out the large seeds.
Regions of Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.


Food sustainability: what it is and why it is important?
Are you curious to find out more about food sustainability?
In this article, we will talk about sustainable nutrition and we will try to define in detail what are its peculiarities and characterizing aspects. https://burniva.com
“We are what we eat,” said Feuerbach. Yes, because our body is fed in everything and for everything from what we ingest, responsible in great part of the operation of our organism.
The concept of food sustainability embraces a series of practices related to nutritionally healthy food, referring not only to direct organoleptic properties. To be defined sustainable, in fact, food must have a low environmental impact, enhance local characteristics and traditions and be accessible to all.
Now let’s see what are the main points that revolve around the concept of sustainable food and what are the tools to learn more about what we eat.
Everything you need to know about sustainable nutrition
From the concept of sustainability and definition to recommendations for reducing environmental impact, here is what you need to know about food sustainability.
What is meant by sustainable foods?
Let’s start talking about food and environmental sustainability, talking about what determines the sustainability of foods.
First of all, let’s start from the concept of sustainability and meaning: in the economic, environmental and social sphere, sustainability serves to guarantee the stability of an ecosystem, i.e. the ability to maintain the ecological processes that take place within an ecosystem and its future biodiversity.
Applying the term to the alimentary field, we can say that the characteristics of sustainable food are …
- Product with low environmental impact, with very low consumption of soil and water;
- Product with low carbon and nitrogen emissions;
- Respectful of ecosystems and biodiversity;
- Attentive to local needs and the enhancement of the territory;
- Healthy from a nutritional point of view;
- Economically accessible to all.
FAO has often talked about food, even at the last EXPO food fair, in which it tried to give a definition of food sustainability by illustrating all its peculiar aspects.
Eat sustainability: The recommendations
Due to the industrialization of agriculture, the massive use of pesticides and intensive farming, choosing sustainable nutrition has not been easy in recent years. Our products need even more accurate controls on the part of consumers, who must be perfectly familiar with the production chain.
Making a sustainable diet is possible: just follow a series of steps and useful recommendations to choose the right foods. Here are some tips …
- Buy local and seasonal products: according to the recommendations for a sustainable WWF diet, buying local products will not only help the local economy, but will have a very low environmental impact, because intermediaries are eliminated;
- Don’t waste food: the issue of food sustainability is crucial when it comes to waste. Check the expiration dates before buying the products and make sure you can consume them within the time limit. If you advance food, freeze it or keep it for the next day;
- Choose BIO products: according to the legislation, BIO products try to reduce as much as possible the environmental impact of production activities, based on respect for ecological processes, resources (primarily soil and water) and biodiversity and eliminating the use of synthetic chemicals. For a zero impact on the ecosystem, choosing BIO products can be a good start.