Sustainable

Continued from Page 7 while creating income.

For example, farmers can plant winter rye after they harvest hay from wheat or corn fields. When this winter rye is cut, the clippings return nutrients to the soil, while the grain protects the soil from wind erosion.

By rotating different crops on each field, farmers can prevent the overuse of resources, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Through careful planning, farmers can grow more food per acre with less cost and without relying on chemical fertilizers.

Cover cropping is one of the most popular sustainable practices used by farmers in Central Pennsylvania. Cover cropping is the practice of planting a variety of plants in a field to protect the soil and reduce erosion. This practice helps to maintain soil fertility, increase organic matter, and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.

Cover cropping helps reduce weed growth and improve water retention, which can reduce water usage. Cover cropping can provide food for pollinators, which is essential for the health of the local ecosystems.

No-till farming leaves the soil undisturbed, which helps reduce erosion and conserve water. These practices help ensure the land is used sustainably.

Integrated pest management focuses on natural enemies in addition to pesticides. These strategies provide another tool for ensuring high yields with minimal pesticide use. IPM is an approach to pest control that combines various methods, such as biological control, cultural control, and chemical control, to reduce pest populations.

This approach helps to reduce the need for using chem- ical pesticides, which can be harmful to both the environment and human health. Using IPM, farmers can reduce their reliance on chemical pesticides while keeping pests in check.

Rotational grazing involves rotating livestock to different pastures throughout the year. This reduces the risk of disease and parasites, as well as help to maintain healthy grasslands.

Producers who incorporate these practices into their operations reap the rewards of a more productive operation, healthier soil, and a safer environment. Sustainable agriculture is based on the principle that healthy soil will lead to greater profits, healthier people, cleaner air, and lower costs for health care. This practice helps increase public support for farming because many perceive agriculture as a safe job.

Most important are the economic advantages these methods offer. Many organic farmers receive higher prices for their produce because consumers prefer it. Certified organic production costs about anywhere from 10-40 percent more than conventional production.

Organic production often involves more labor and higher production costs due to the stringent standards and regulations associated with organic farming. Organic produce is more expensive to purchase due to increased demand and limited supply.

In a study published in the journal Nature Sustainability, if all crops were grown according to sustainable principles, farmers could increase production of the major grains— corn, wheat, soybeans, and oats—by 40 percent. With increased production, prices would be lowered. Ultimately, those lower prices would translate into bigger profits.

So even though most conventional farmers do not use sustainable practices, it is often profitable for them to start.

USDA to measure quarterly bee colony loss

HARRISBURG — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will be collecting information about colony loss in the honey industry throughout the United States. The next Quarterly Colony Loss survey will be conducted during April of 2023. This survey collects information about colony inventory and loss from more than 400 producers with honeybee colonies in the Northeastern Region of the United States.

“The information from these surveys directly impacts our region’s beekeepers and honey producers,” said King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office. “Beekeepers and producers can use the survey results when making business plans and marketing decisions. Cooperative Extensions use the data to provide needed outreach and education and State Departments and Agencies of Agriculture use the information to set insurance values,” added Whetstone.

To ensure survey participants have an opportunity to respond, NASS interviewers will contact producers who do not respond by mail or online to conduct interviews.