agriculture

Not all biofuels are created equal, as the chart above illustrates (click the image to see full size). It’s one of the best depictions I’ve seen of how each biofuel feedstock has completely different impacts on overall greenhouse gas emissions, water and pesticide use, and the energy required to produce the fuel.

Senator Grassley rebuts the argument that ethanol and corn farmers are to blame for rising food prices. He says increased oil prices play a role.

The Rodale Institute's work on organic farming uncovers some solutions to global warming.

Maybe it was the martinis I had already drunk, or the beers he had already drunk, or maybe it’s just plain impossible to have a discussion about Biofuels without getting heated. But boy, did I have a doozy on Friday.

Somehow the discussion then veered away from Biofuels specifically and towards agriculture and GHG emissions in general. At which point, he presented his most sensational argument yet...

The face of Australian agriculture is about to change forever, as New South Wales farmers prepare to grow the country’s first genetically modified food crop in the wake of the state’s moratorium being lifted, despite warnings of an imminent catastrophe.

Outcry against spraying in California's agriculture counties raises questions about whether using pheromones is dangerous. How does it impact organic farmers?

Currently, the average price for a gallon of E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) is $2.67. That’s amazing if you think about it, since a gallon of ethanol requires about 16 lbs. of corn to produce.

Despite intense debate surrounding the growing global food crises, the European Union today defended expanding the use of biofuels in all 27 member countries. Part of the EU’s climate change package, the current proposal sets a target of meeting 10% of transportation fuel with biofuels by 2020.

NPR’s Morning Addition briefly interviewed World Bank President Robert Zoellick last Friday concerning world food prices. Zoellick called it a “perfect storm of things coming together…” and listed 7 different issues contributing to the increasing cost of food, which led to rioting in Haiti and Egypt last week, along with a general strike in Burkina Faso.

On March 18, 2008, three Indigenous Elders and Spiritual Leaders from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia,  took part in a presentation at the Poder forum in Miami, FL to discuss their land reclamation, restoration, and protection efforts. This is a video of that presentation.

After covering 22 of the most popular myths about biodiesel, I realized I’d only given lip service to a major issue: increasing food prices. If I use biodiesel made from soybeans right now, am I contributing to the larger problem of increasing commodity prices and starving poor people?

The next revolution in agriculture and greenhouse gas reduction may be a 3000-year old farming practice of adding biomass charcoal to the soil which may prove to be not just "green" and sustainable, but carbon-negative as well.

Ford Motor Company will be replacing up to 40% of their petroleum-based seat cushions with a new material made from soybean oil. “Soy foam” costs roughly the same to manufacture as traditional petroleum derivatives, but requires less energy to produce and may reduce environmental impacts by 75%.

The Renewable Fuels Association estimates that in 2015 it will take 1/3 of the total US corn harvest to meet ethanol quotas. That means that a 16% increase in corn production will have to support a 234% increase in the amount of corn being turned into vehicle fuel.

Brookings, SD - Alternative fuel manufacturer VeraSun has completed its merger with US Bio Energy Corp. Under the terms of the deal, VeraSun officials indicate they are now set to become the largest ethanol producer in the United States.