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Wednesday, February 26, 2025

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U.S. and Ukraine agree to minerals deal, officials say; Defense Sec. Hegseth tied to Idaho-based Christian nationalist church; As federal cuts hit Wisconsinites, one group pitches in to help; Funds sought to help address Oregon housing shortage.

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Trump faces backlash for restricting press access. The Defense Secretary's ties to a controversial church spark debate, Speaker Mike Johnson struggles with votes for a budget that includes health care cuts. Arkansas expands school meals, and Western voters push back against cuts to wilderness agencies.

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The Taos County Sheriff says he won't conduct raids or round ups of immigrants, New Hampshire worries a dearth of charging stations will force tourists driving EVs to pick another vacation destination, and Southern states improve education with workarounds.

Research shows value of getting 'back to nature' on GA farms

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Wednesday, December 4, 2024   

A new study suggested getting "back to nature" in farming could help ward off the biggest impacts of climate change.

As Georgia experiences more frequent extreme weather events and a loss of biodiversity because of a changing climate, farmers and scientists are turning to more resilient practices mimicking what Mother Nature has been doing for thousands of years.

Liz Carlisle, associate professor of environmental studies at the University of California-Santa Barbara and co-author of a new study in the science journal Frontiers, said what's known as "agroecological" farming can create tightly connected cycles of energy, water and nutrients if farmers can get the resources they need.

"If we want to have a more sustainable food system, we really need to invest in that next generation of farmers and their development of knowledge," Carlisle urged. "Think of them as the most important resource in farming."

She pointed out most farms today still rely on fossil fuel-based inputs, like chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The new approach prioritizes a living, healthy soil, and aims to replace nonrenewable chemicals with practices tapping into natural ecosystems.

Carlisle noted new farms planted in wooded landscapes would look a lot like an actual forest, with multiple layers of crops, including trees. And farming on prairie lands could include regenerative grazing patterns created by native bison and other herbivores.

"Agroecological farming systems are really trying to work with nature and the services that nature provides, in terms of pest control and fertility, rather than working against nature," Carlisle explained.

Over the past century, as family farms have been swallowed up by large corporations, farming in the U.S. has trended in the opposite direction. Carlisle observed people with deep ties to their lands have been replaced by chemical-centered practices in an effort to lower labor costs and entire rural economies have paid the price.

"It's worth investing a little bit more of our tremendous wealth as a society in the people that do that critically important work," Carlisle contended. "And the landscapes that they are caring for."


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