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Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences
Returning Crp Land To Grain Production, Wilbur Frye, Lloyd W. Murdock
Returning Crp Land To Grain Production, Wilbur Frye, Lloyd W. Murdock
Soil Science News and Views
Land that was contracted into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was committed to the program for 10 years. The first contracts expire in September 1995, but USDA has already authorized a one-year extension of those contracts. Unless Congress extends the program in the 1995 Farm Bill the contracts will begin expiring on September 30, 1996, as the 10- year period elapses, and continuing until all of the acres that were set aside in the program are released. In Kentucky, about 440,000 acres were contracted in the program from 1986 to 1992. Most of the land is highly erodible, and farmers …
Developing Efficient Crop Production Systems, Kenneth L. Wells
Developing Efficient Crop Production Systems, Kenneth L. Wells
Soil Science News and Views
Land is initially the most limiting resource to consider in setting up a farm system aimed at maximizing returns. This is because soil, its topographical features, and its physical and chemical properties are largely fixed. There is little which can be done about them except to manage soil fertility and control erosion. Over the long run, crop production from any land tract will be directly influenced by the nature and character of the soils in that land tract. For this reason, the most basic step in initiating or redesigning a farming operation is to get an evaluation of the soil …
Managing Soils For Optimum Crop Production, Kenneth L. Wells
Managing Soils For Optimum Crop Production, Kenneth L. Wells
Soil Science News and Views
The major resources which must be manipulated to develop a farm operation are LAND, LABOR, CAPITAL, and MANAGEMENT. Of these four broad categories of resources, LAND is the one which imposes constraints which ultimately determine the productive capacity of the individual farming system developed. This is because land is a fixed resource from the standpoint of the nature and amount of it available for developing a specific farming system. In this regard, the allocation of LABOR, CAPITAL, and MANAGEMENT should be directly linked to LAND productive capability in order to economically optimize the farming system developed. In other words, the …
Sewage Sludge For Land Application, William O. Thom
Sewage Sludge For Land Application, William O. Thom
Soil Science News and Views
Sewage sludge is a product of waste water treatment plants that function as environmentally acceptable pollution control facilities. In past years most of the sludge had been landfilled, dumped at sea or buried. But environmental and economic considerations have resulted in greater interest in its application on cropland.
Returning Pik Land To Grain Production, Wilbur W. Frye
Returning Pik Land To Grain Production, Wilbur W. Frye
Soil Science News and Views
With the end of the 1983 PIK program, much of the acreage that was in the program will be returned to grain production. Farmers who planted cover crops on their PIK fields in 1983 and who plan to return them to grain production in 1984 will be faced with deciding whether to use no-tillage or conventional tillage. The cover crops will provide mulch for no-tillage crops which may be an asset but can contribute to problems as well. Also, weed problems may be worse on PIK land and more difficult to control with no-tillage than with conventional tillage. The decision …