Sustainable Infrastructure
May 16th to June 20th 2024
About this course:
Managing land ecologically is a resource-intense activity which requires finding a balance between consumption, ecological impact, and financial solvency. This course will provide practical answers on balancing these often complex and sometimes competing needs. Sustainable Infrastructure centers student understanding on the fundamentals of farm and ranch scale energy systems, material choices, and waste management. We will explore how to design, maintain and manage energy systems, integrate cyclic waste management strategies, and evaluate and find low-impact materials for landed projects.
The solar storm that brought the auroras to many parts of the world this weekend also broke vital GPS and precision farming functionality in tractors and agricultural equipment during a critical point of the planting season, reports @404mediaco.
One chain of John Deere dealerships even warned farmers that the accuracy of some of the systems used by tractors had been “extremely compromised,” and that farmers who planted crops during periods of inaccuracy would face problems when they go to harvest.
The outages have highlighted the vulnerability of modern tractors to satellite disruption, and the threat this places on our food supply — something experts have been warning about for years. Here’s more.
#SolarStorm#GPS#Farming#JohnDeere: "The solar storm that brought the aurora borealis to large parts of the United States this weekend also broke critical GPS and precision farming functionality in tractors and agricultural equipment during a critical point of the planting season, 404 Media has learned. These outages caused many farmers to fully stop their planting operations for the moment.
One chain of John Deere dealerships warned farmers that the accuracy of some of the systems used by tractors are “extremely compromised,” and that farmers who planted crops during periods of inaccuracy are going to face problems when they go to harvest, according to text messages obtained by 404 Media and an update posted by the dealership. The outages highlight how vulnerable modern tractors are to satellite disruptions, which experts have been warning about for years."
In my research I asked farmers how they evaluated farming practices and increased biodiversity was one of their metrics. They were right!
"Changing How We Farm Might Protect Wild Mammals—and Fight Climate Change
Nearly a quarter of U.S. mammal species are on the endangered species list. Researchers say farming with biodiversity in mind may help stave off further decline."
“Farmers’ union lobbied to increase pesticide limit in UK drinking water. NFU’s director of strategy asked for review of EU-derived protections as part of post-Brexit loosening of rules.” Well you wouldn’t want public health getting in the way of increased farm rents for rich landowners. #tories#farming
Who could have guessed that forcing cows to eat bird poo would result in spreading pathogens ?
Experts fear that H5N1, which was only first detected in cows a few weeks ago, may have been transmitted through a type of cattle feed called “poultry litter” – a mix of poultry excreta, spilled feed, feathers, and other waste scraped from the floors of industrial chicken and turkey production plants.
What Liberal Elites Don’t Know About Rural Americans Can Hurt Us
By Wendell Berry, originally published by Barn Raiser May 7, 2024
"...There is no interest in remedies for the bad ecological and human effects of mining, or in a farm bill that would make agriculture less destructive of land and people, or in ways to preserve the ecological integrity of our forests, or in ways to prevent the corporate destruction of the local economies necessary to support local communities—to name only a few rural needs.
...The space program is not the highest human accomplishment. All problems cannot be solved by science and technology. Good farmers are not mindless drudges who can be easily replicated from the “labor pool” or the Class of 2023..."
Food insecurity looms around the world, with worsening climatic conditions. Some crops can be adapted/changed but that is more difficult when the problem is unpredictable and wide-ranging between drought and flood.
In Her Own Words: An Indigenous Farmer’s Inventive Approach
"Michelle Week tells how she brings traditional foods to her community, many at no cost."
"The farm caused a lot of intergenerational healing and more openness with my family. I have all this ancestry and family trees, photographs my grandmother has gotten over the years, a bunch of books about our particular tribe. "
U.S. House votes to remove wolves from endangered list in 48 states.
AP reports: "The Republican-authored bill comes amid national debate on the wolves’ future. Hunters and farmers across the country maintain the species is stable and have been complaining for years about wolf attacks on game species and livestock. They want to be allowed to legally kill the animals."
The ducks and geese are now in their own pen, and have really been enjoying exploring their new home.アヒルとガチョウは今、自分の囲いの中にいて、新しい住処の探検をとても楽しんでいます。 #farming