Organic/Sustainable Farming

Kansas farmer aims to make herbicides obsolete with robotic weed control

Greenfield, Inc.’s “WeedBots” cut weeds down to size, help farmers reduce herbicide use Biotechnology companies have put farmers on an herbicide treadmill. Weeds have developed resistance to glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide. The companies then introduced crops that are genetically modified to tolerate dicamba and 2,4-D herbicides. But both of those herbicides are prone […]

Organic farmer challenges pesticide company representatives at regenerative agriculture conference

As a Marine in Iraq doing counterinsurgency, Ryan Erisman, learned how to work in a hostile environment. Now an organic farmer, Erisman had no problem challenging a different opponent—pesticide company representatives—about the need for their products at the Regenerative Agriculture and Food Systems Summit. During a question-and-answer segment of the panel session, “Transforming and Innovating […]

Fertilizer prices are soaring – and that’s an opportunity to promote more sustainable ways of growing crops

By Kathleen Merrigan Farmers are coping with a fertilizer crisis brought on by soaring fossil fuel prices and industry consolidation. The price of synthetic fertilizer has more than doubled since 2021, causing great stress in farm country. This crunch is particularly tough on those who grow corn, which accounts for half of U.S. nitrogen fertilizer use. The National Corn […]

Hemp’s versatility could turn a downslide into an uptick as new opportunities emerge

After a robust start following legalization of hemp cultivation in the 2018 Farm Bill, production of the multifaceted plant has plummeted—a dramatic reversal leaving many farmers shortchanged, bankrupt, or having to store many millions of pounds of hemp to hopefully sell later at a higher price. Growers jumped on the bandwagon primarily to reap rewards […]

An organic agronomist’s perspective on the tillage debate

By Rob Wallbridge For a number of years now, no-till—the practice of planting and tending a crop without mechanically disturbing the soil—has been the darling of sustainable agriculture. “Minimizing soil disturbance” is a key principle of the regenerative agriculture movement, and for good reason. Organic farming is often criticized for its reliance on tillage, with […]