Returning the 'three sisters' – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms nourishes people, land and cultures
For centuries Native Americans intercropped corn, beans and squash because the plants thrived together. A new initiative is measuring health and social benefits from reuniting the "three sisters."
Christina Gish Hill, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Iowa State University •
conversation
Nov. 20, 2020 • ~9 min
Nov. 20, 2020 • ~9 min
Farmers are depleting the Ogallala Aquifer because the government pays them to do it
An invisible crisis is brewing in US farm country as the overpumped Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer drains. The key drivers are federal farm subsidies and the tax code.
Jacob A. Miller, PhD Student in Sociology, Kansas State University •
conversation
Nov. 9, 2020 • ~10 min
Nov. 9, 2020 • ~10 min
A few heavy storms cause a big chunk of nitrogen pollution from Midwest farms
New research shows that one-third of yearly nitrogen runoff from Midwest farms to the Gulf of Mexico occurs during a few heavy rainstorms. New fertilizing schedules could reduce nitrogen pollution.
Chaoqun Lu, Assistant Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University •
conversation
Nov. 2, 2020 • ~9 min
Nov. 2, 2020 • ~9 min
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