Category Archives: Agriculture

Chemical industrial farming is unsustainable. Why poison ourselves when pesticides don’t save more of our crops than in the past?

Posted on March 16, 2017 by

Pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides destroy soil, ecosystems, and a third of the crop is still lost to pests, just as in the many millennia of farming before chemicals. [ This is a book review of Dyer’s “Chasing the Red Queen”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture, Biodiversity Loss, Chemicals, Overshoot, Pesticides, Soil | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Chemical industrial farming is unsustainable. Why poison ourselves when pesticides don’t save more of our crops than in the past?

After a collapse will people grow their own food or plunder others?

Posted on March 7, 2017 by

[ In this post Ugo Bardi looks at what will happen if society collapses and we have to suddenly go back to pre-industrial agriculture conditions.  A back to the land movement where people grow their own food may not happen. … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Peak Food, Phosphorus, Scientists, Soil, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Sand mines used to frack oil & gas are destroying the best topsoil in the Midwest

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

Nancy C. Loem. May 23, 2016. The sand mines that ruin farmland.  New York Times. Chicago — While the shale gas industry has been depressed in recent years by low oil and gas prices, analysts are predicting that it will … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Sand, Soil, Soil | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Benefits of promoting soil health in agriculture U.S. House hearing 2014

Posted on August 8, 2016 by

                    [ At last, 10 years after I first published “Peak soil: Why biofuels destroy ecosystems and civilizations“, Congress had a hearing that educated house members on why preserving topsoil is … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biomass, Infrastructure, Pesticides, Soil, Soil, Water | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Benefits of promoting soil health in agriculture U.S. House hearing 2014

USGS Groundwater Depletion study of Aquifer decline in the United States

Posted on May 21, 2016 by

[ The Ogallala and many other aquifers are depleting rapidly and growing more toxic from pesticides, feedlot waste, intruding salts, and other pollution.  Most won’t be recharged until after the next ice age.   The Ogallala is one of Earth’s largest … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Government, Groundwater, Peak Food, Water | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Energy used to spray agricultural pesticides

Posted on September 4, 2015 by

April 14, 2011. Drilling for a solution: finding ways to curtail the crushing effect of high gas prices on small business. U.S. House of Representatives. Small Business Committee Document Number 112–011 Rick Richter, owner of Richter Aviation, an aerial application … Continue reading →

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Energy used in Potato Production

Posted on September 4, 2015 by

April 14, 2011. Drilling for a solution: finding ways to curtail the crushing effect of high gas prices on small business. U.S. House of Representatives. Small Business Committee Document Number 112–011 JIM EHRLICH. I speak on behalf of the 170 … Continue reading →

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Peak soil, peak phosphate, peak fertilizer means Peak Food

Posted on May 9, 2015 by

Amundson, R., et al. May 7, 2015. Soil and human security in the 21st century. Science 348. A group of leading soil scientists has summarized the precarious state of the world’s soil resources and the possible ramifications for human security … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Peak Food, Scientists Warnings to Humanity, Soil, Soil | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Peak soil, peak phosphate, peak fertilizer means Peak Food

Why You Should Love Trucks

Posted on September 27, 2014 by

Why You Should Love Trucks by Alice Friedemann, September 27, 2014 source: bitsandpieces1.blogspot.com Before the age of fossil fuels, getting food, water, and shelter was simple. Nine out of ten people were self-sufficient farmers. But now there are long, 24/7 … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Supply Chains, Transportation, Trucks | 4 Comments

The Oiliness of Everything: Invisible Oil and Energy Payback Time.

Posted on August 24, 2014 by

The Oiliness of Everything: Invisible Oil and Energy Payback Time By Alice Friedemann, www.energyskeptic.com August 23, 2014 (last update 8-28-2015) Just as fish swim in water, we swim in oil.  You can’t understand the predicament we’re in until you can … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Alternative Energy, An Overview, Antecedents, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Wind | 7 Comments