Comeback of Ancient Farming Practice

[Meadowlark]

I had to LOL when I read this article as I have been cover cropping extensively for decades. Looks like they are now attaching fighting climate change to cover cropping which is sure to make it trendy. Little do they know that cover cropping has always been one of the most powerful tools available to the home gardener.

Ancient farming practice makes a comeback as climate change puts pressure on crops

 

[YumYum]

I threw out some annual winter ryegrass in one plot and it didn't even come up now it sits there naked. I bought bad seeds.

Every farmed field around here usually has something growing in it all the time but not sure if it is a cover crop or just working the dirt hard but they dont sit around naked long.

 

[skinyea]

I

I had to LOL when I read this article as I have been cover cropping extensively for decades. Looks like they are now attaching fighting climate change to cover cropping which is sure to make it trendy. Little do they know that cover cropping has always been one of the most powerful tools available to the home gardener.

Ancient farming practice makes a comeback as climate change puts pressure on crops

I read this article the other day and thought of you.

 

[headfullofbees]

Cover cropping is valuable.
Alarmist anthropogenic climate change is a hoax.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Alarmist anthropogenic climate change is a hoax.

{ am not at all sure that is true, I know all natural systems are subject to change, but the degree and speed of the changes happening incline me to think this is not a natural occurrence. I hope you are right, I suspect we will soon establish you are wrong.

 

[headfullofbees]

{ am not at all sure that is true, I know all natural systems are subject to change, but the degree and speed of the changes happening incline me to think this is not a natural occurrence. I hope you are right, I suspect we will soon establish you are wrong.

During Dansgaard-Oeshger events, the Earth's mean temperature rises 5-8 C (9-14.4f) in a few decades, far faster than we are seeing now, & totally natural.
25 of these events are known in the recent geological past.
The science, if you actually read it, leans towards my view.

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/2%20Heinrich%20and%20Dansgaard%E2%80%93Oeschger%20Events%20-%20Final-OCT%202021.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/dansgaard-oeschger-cycle#:~:text=Dansgaard-Oeschger%20cycles%20typically%20began%20with%20a

Furthermore:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323918992000152

So, next time a starey-eyed climate moonie tells you that its the speed of warming which cannot be natural, so it must be anthropogenic, tell him/her/them/they or whatever stupid pronouns they use, that they are talking out of their lower digestive orifice.

I'm not wrong.

 

[headfullofbees]

 

[roadrunner]

I think the article is trying to make is that "Ancient Farming Practices", which I've never heard before, what they're actually talking about is Regenerative Farming (RF) is becoming more common on largescale farms. I think a lot of people don't understand what RF is or they think it's just a re-branding of Organic Farming, but nothing could be further from the truth. Organic Farming simply mimics Conventional Farming, they only real difference is non-use of synthetic fertilizers and x-icides.

However, RF (on a very large scale) attempts to exclude these amendments and rebuild the soil so the plants can be provided with all the nutrients from the soil life. It also relies on heavy biodiversity and armor over the soil to limit/stop use of all x-icides. That's just a quick overview, much more to it, since this is on a very large scale.


There also seems to be other benefits to regenerating the soil, in that the foods seem to be healthier for human comsumption. Organic Farming cannot make that claim, as other studies have suggested. A good read on that https://www.washington.edu/news/202...practices-grow-healthier-food-study-suggests/

And this is interesting: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.699147/full

Farms following soil-friendly practices grow healthier food, study suggests​

Controversy has long surrounded the question of nutritional differences between crops grown organically or using now-conventional methods, with studies dating back to the 1940s showing that farming methods can affect the nutrient density of crops. More recent studies have shown how reliance on tillage and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers influence soil life, and thereby soil health, in ways that can reduce mineral micronutrient uptake by and phytochemical production in crops. While organic farming tends to enhance soil health and conventional practices degrade it, relying on tillage for weed control on both organic and conventional farms degrades soil organic matter and can disrupt soil life in ways that reduce crop mineral uptake and phytochemical production. Conversely, microbial inoculants and compost and mulch that build soil organic matter can increase crop micronutrient and phytochemical content on both conventional and organic farms. Hence, agronomic effects on nutritional profiles do not fall out simply along the conventional vs. organic distinction, making the effects of farming practices on soil health a better lens for assessing their influence on nutrient density. A review of previous studies and meta-studies finds little evidence for significant differences in crop macronutrient levels between organic and conventional farming practices, as well as substantial evidence for the influence of different cultivars and farming practices on micronutrient concentrations. More consistent differences between organic and conventional crops include that conventional crops contain greater pesticide levels, whereas organically grown crops contain higher levels of phytochemicals shown to exhibit health-protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, part of the long-running controversy over nutritional differences between organic and conventional crops appears to arise from different definitions of what constitutes a nutrient—the conventional definition of dietary constituents necessary for growth and survival, or a broader one that also encompasses compounds beneficial for maintenance of health and prevention of chronic disease. For assessing the effects of farming practices on nutrient density soil health adds a much needed dimension—the provisioning of micronutrients and phytochemicals that support human health.​

 

[DirtMechanic]

Cover cropping is valuable.
Alarmist anthropogenic climate change is a hoax.

Did you see the dna extraction from dirt discovery that illuminates the climate 2 million years ago? Fascinating stuff, Greenland I think, turns out soil components acting as preservatives caught dropping dna from everything. Heat levels indicated were way higher than current.

They are core drilling earthen materials for dna rather than fossil bones and teeth. Amazing discovery!

Now every time I pee on a compost pile I will be thinking about the future and what they will say about me

 

[DirtMechanic]

Unlocking the oldest known DNA revealed a 'lost' Greenland from 2 million years ago

Today, the northern tip of Greenland is a barren Arctic desert, but back then it was a lush landscape of trees and vegetation with an array of animals, even the now extinct mastodon.

www.pbs.org

Oldest DNA reveals life in Greenland 2 million years ago

It's not quite Jurassic Park, but new technology has allowed scientists to take a peek at life when Greenland was a lush paradise filled with forests.

www.9news.com

 

[Oliver Buckle]

During Dansgaard-Oeshger events, the Earth's mean temperature rises 5-8 C (9-14.4f) in a few decades, far faster than we are seeing now, & totally natural.
25 of these events are known in the recent geological past.
The science, if you actually read it, leans towards my view.

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/2%20Heinrich%20and%20Dansgaard%E2%80%93Oeschger%20Events%20-%20Final-OCT%202021.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/dansgaard-oeschger-cycle#:~:text=Dansgaard-Oeschger%20cycles%20typically%20began%20with%20a

Furthermore:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323918992000152

So, next time a starey-eyed climate moonie tells you that its the speed of warming which cannot be natural, so it must be anthropogenic, tell him/her/them/they or whatever stupid pronouns they use, that they are talking out of their lower digestive orifice.

I'm not wrong.

Not something I had come across before. My immediate reaction is that such events must have a root cause that triggers them, for example an underwater volcano putting a lot of water vapour into the stratosphere, purely an example, but I can conceive of a warming event starting a chain of events, there is a lot of methane caught up in frozen tundra, if you pass a point of temperature rising it will be released and accelerate the process. The initial event would only need to be a warming one, any type would do, and human activity may well fit that bill. It seems like a big co-incidence just when we have produced huge amounts of CO2 and released fluorides into the atmosphere. There is another part that says 'What does it matter?'. When a ball that big starts rolling momentum will keep it going.

I shall try and educate myself further, not that that will change much at my age, nor will I ever find out for certain where things are going

 

[headfullofbees]

Did you see the dna extraction from dirt discovery that illuminates the climate 2 million years ago? Fascinating stuff, Greenland I think, turns out soil components acting as preservatives caught dropping dna from everything. Heat levels indicated were way higher than current.

They are core drilling earthen materials for dna rather than fossil bones and teeth. Amazing discovery!

Now every time I pee on a compost pile I will be thinking about the future and what they will say about me

Aye, He liked his beer...

 

[headfullofbees]

Not something I had come across before. My immediate reaction is that such events must have a root cause that triggers them, for example an underwater volcano putting a lot of water vapour into the stratosphere, purely an example, but I can conceive of a warming event starting a chain of events, there is a lot of methane caught up in frozen tundra, if you pass a point of temperature rising it will be released and accelerate the process. The initial event would only need to be a warming one, any type would do, and human activity may well fit that bill. It seems like a big co-incidence just when we have produced huge amounts of CO2 and released fluorides into the atmosphere. There is another part that says 'What does it matter?'. When a ball that big starts rolling momentum will keep it going.

I shall try and educate myself further, not that that will change much at my age, nor will I ever find out for certain where things are going

If we'd had a tipping event, we'd be Venus.
A volcano has to be at a precise depth to put that amount of water into the stratosphere. (150m)
TWENTY-FIVE times?

The initial event would only need to be a warming one, any type would do, and human activity may well fit that bill.

How very scientific.
Fact is, start a big ball rolling you need to overcome its static co-efficient of friction & to keep it rolling requires additional energy, OR IT WILL SLOW DOWN.

The Earth is not a closed system; it allows heat to leave.

Come at me with ANY "fact" which shows the climate change we are undergoing to be cataclysmic & I will show that it is no fact at all.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Depends what you mean by 'cataclysmic', whole areas of Africa are being depopulated by drought and crop failure, and two thirds of Pakistan have been flooded. Cataclysmic for those living there.

 

[headfullofbees]

This guy has

Depends what you mean by 'cataclysmic', whole areas of Africa are being depopulated by drought and crop failure, and two thirds of Pakistan have been flooded. Cataclysmic for those living there.

Anyone who claims drought or flood issues are new, is not really being honest, (Band Aid was 38 years ago) & the Sahara desert has shrunk by 8% over the past 30 years.
Cataclysmic weather has always happened, especially it seems, in Pakistan:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sidra-Bibi-2/publication/308054389/figure/tbl1/AS:[email protected]/Historical-floods-damages-in-Pakistan-1947-2011.png

Pakistan floods: Is history repeating itself at Mohenjo Daro?

Back in 1919-20, R. D Banerji, an Archaeological Survey of India officer, rediscovered the ancient site of Mohenjo Daro, following the finding of a flint scraper. What followed next was years and years of extensive excavations led by prominent archaeologists from world over.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

It only goes back to 1947, but you can see numerous episodes EVERY DECADE!
This suggests to me that this is normal climate variability in Pakistan.

 

[headfullofbees]

So the heating we have, in terms of speed & degree are unprecedented, apart from 26 times in recent geological history.
26 times, when man has definitely had no hand in it, & the climate has warmed far more, far faster.
Even if you retort that "something else" must have happened, in fact, even if you can prove something else happened, which you cannot, it is still a fact that this heating is far from unprecedented, & that argument is a busted flush.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yeah, what he said!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

First time that site has been flooded since 1947 it would seem. The archeologist and hydrologist only proposed a theory, they don't offer any proof, of repetitive events on that scale.

Meanwhile
“In a changing climate, what used to be a one-in-a-thousand-year event is often not a one-in-a-thousand-year event anymore,” Hausfather said. “You see a dramatic sort of change in the return periods of these extremely unlikely events as the world warms.”

Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan — coming just weeks after its historic siege of heat — destroyed more than a million homes and left nearly 1,500 people dead. The prolonged rainfall and flooding altered the lives of 33 million Pakistanis. During the summer months, the country experienced 190 percent more rainfall than average. The World Weather Attribution project showed that climate change probably intensified this rainfall by 50 to 75 percent.


!90% more than average rainfall can not be described as 'normal'. You will be telling me it was all normal here last Summer when we had 9% of our average rainfall. In a pre industrial society that would mean mass starvation.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Old and current issues of the Farmers Almanac would feature those ideas.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Re the OP.
Reading about old style farming and leaving land fallow once every three years I had always assumed that meant you simply left it. Not so, it was ploughed at least three times during the year, sometimes four or five. That must mean ploughing in a cover crop of weeds, maybe not as good as soya, but three times a year! Think of that as a lot of work too, ploughing is pretty physical and the general old definition of an acre is the amount of land a man and his team can plough in a day.