Grim Western Fire Season Starts Much Drier Than Record 2020
By
The Associated Press
Scientists say the outlook for the western U.S. fire season is grim because it s starting far drier than 2020 s record-breaking fire year.
Measurements show soil and plants are much drier, making trees and brush more likely to ignite and fire to spread. A megadrought fueled by climate change is part of the problem. From the Rockies westward, April was the second driest on record. Now more than 77% of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico is in either extreme or exceptional drought.
Juniper trees are dying, and fire officials say their canopies of dead needles are like having gasoline out in the national forests.
It turned an otherwise monotonous morning into stimulating thoughts about rotational grazing.
I initially got hooked on podcasts listening to the UK’s
Rock & Roll Farming and it remains my favourite.
Worldwide podcasts
Regenerative Agriculture Podcast is great for those who are “regenerative curious”, while
The Working Cows Podcast can give you new ideas for managing your cattle and demonstrates that the US isn’t all feedlots and growth hormones.
From Australasia,
As possibly the only person in New Zealand to download
The Dewing Grain Podcast, it amuses me to imagine what the producers think a Kiwi is doing learning about the intricacies of Norfolk’s grain trade.
Hundreds of Kansas farmers learned about how being a good steward of the land can reap rewards during the No-Till on the Plains’ 25th Anniversary Conference.
Like many other conferences this year, the No-Till on the Plains conference went virtual. Replacing the dozens of speakers and break-out sessions were three speakers and several interactions with viewers written questions.
In addition to learning about the benefits of soil nutrition, about 300 attendees who came from South Carolina, Texas, Australia and the United Kingdom, learned how large agribusinesses are making producers dependent on high-dollar inputs and high-dollar data. Some of these practices that deplete the land of its nutrients are, according to one of the speakers at the conference, contributing to climate change.
After planning for their usual 700-person conference, No-Till on the Plains realized they must go virtual this year.
Instead of the comradery and more than one dozen speakers, the conference features three authorities on regenerative farming at the 25th Annual No-till on the Plains Winter Conference on Jan. 26. We re going to make farmers think about how they can produce crops a little differently, said Steve Swaffar, executive director of No-Till on the Plains.
No-till on the Plains is a nonprofit educational organization that provides information for producers to adopt high-quality, continuous no-till systems and information on soil health.
Swaffar understands the one-on-one intimacy present in in-person conferences will not be available this year, but he thinks the three speakers will challenge his audience and make them think about producing healthy soils.
41st EcoFarm Conference
Sierra Harvest is collaborating with EcoFarm for the 41
st annual event online from January 20-23, 2021. The move to a virtual format opens up this inspirational conference to a wider audience, with even more amazing speakers and a lower price tag.
A few of this year’s visionary keynote speakers include: Rupa Marya, M.D. , John Kempf, and Reginaldo (Regi) Haslett Marroquin. Focusing on everything from ecology and climate change to regenerative strategies for soil health to sustainable poultry systems, even the most seasoned grower will find something new to learn in this year’s conference.
In addition to these world-class keynotes, the conference will be offering 50+ workshops, networking opportunities, and a virtual vendor expo.