Soil health is not just good for the planet; it's also good for your wallet. Recent research shows that farmers who adopt soil health practices can save money and even boost their income. This is big news for those who thought improving soil health would only cost more. The study looked at 20 farms in Southcentral Nebraska. It found that farmers who used soil health...
Reservoirs are like big bathtubs collecting water, but over time, they also collect a lot of mud. This mud can cause big problems. In China's Three Gorges Reservoir, even though less mud is coming in each year, there's still a huge amount already there. The same issue is happening in smaller reservoirs around the area. This mud isn't just any old dirt. It's got some...
Soil is a living, breathing thing. It's not just dirt under our feet. It's a complex web of life that supports plants, animals, and even us. But what happens when the weather turns harsh? How does soil handle drought and heat? Scientists wanted to find out. They looked at different types of soil. Some were from forests, others from farms using conventional methods, a...
Imagine burying your underwear in the garden to check if the soil is healthy. That's exactly what one bright student from Banning Unified School District did! Caleb Clay, a fifth-grader from Starlight Elementary School, came up with a fun and effective way to test soil health by using underwear. His experiment, called "Soil Your Undies, " involved burying boxer brief...
You might think of petroleum as just something that fuels our cars. But in the Khuzestan province of Iran, it's also used to fight off the desert. Farmers cover their soil with petroleum to stop wind erosion, a process called mulching. This study found that while this method works, it also comes with a hefty price tag for both humans and the environment. Scientists ...
Ever thought about what happens to key elements in our soil when it gets washed away? Well, it’s not just about losing dirt. This study looked at the Rothamsted Research's North Wyke Farm Platform, where they found out how different elements like copper, cadmium, and zinc ride off with the eroding soil. Turns out, it's not the same for each type of farmland. First o...