300-100 benefits - LPIC-3 test 300: Mixed Environments, version 1.0 Updated: 2023

“Organic farming is not simply the substitution of approved input materials. It is the replacement of a treatment approach with a process approach to create a balanced system of plant and animal interactions.”
—Rodale Institute

Climate - the challenges ahead for farming and the organic contribution
Carbon sequestration - no-till organic and soil carbon sequestration, plus the problem with chemical-based no-till
Ecology - the ecological dangers of chemical use and the hope for organic agriculture

Climate

• Latest news on climate change and organics
• Climate Change, Plant Biology and Public Health, Lewis Ziska, PhD, USDA
• The Organic Farming Response to Climate Change, Paul Hepperly, PhD, Rodale Institute
• Climate Change Research, Rodale Institute
• Organic Agriculture and Climate Change, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• Low Greenhouse Gas Agriculture, FAO
• Agricultural Practices and Carbon Sequestration, Union of Concerned Scientists
• Climate Change and Agriculture, Pesticide Action Network North America
• High Sequestration, Low Emission, Food Secure Farming, IFOAM

Carbon sequestration and no-till organic

Research from the Rodale Institute’s Farming Systems Trial® (FST) has revealed that organic, regenerative agriculture actually has the potential to lessen the impacts of climate change. This occurs through the drastic reduction in fossil fuel usage to produce the crops (approximately 75% less than conventional agriculture) and the significant increase in carbon sequestration in the soil.

The no-till organic methods they have developed produce comparable yields to conventional systems on average, and higher yields in drought years because of the greater water holding capacity of the organic soils.

The Problem with Chemical-Based No-Till

Much of agriculture relies on tillage, or the turning of soil. This process has the benefits of aerating the soil, reducing weeds, incorporating crop matter, and warming the soil. However, tillage can hurt soil aggregation properties, and lead to erosion by wind and water. No-till agriculture is becoming more and more prevalent in conventional agriculture, but while it has been heralded by some as more environmentally friendly, it relies on the use of toxic herbicides. Chemical-based agricultural practices have contributed to climate change through heavy use of fossil fuels–both directly on the farm and in the manufacturing of pesticides and fertilizers–and through degradation of the soil, which releases carbon. The herbicide use that conventional no-till depends on, is no exception.

Furthermore, USDA research shows that chemical-based no-till just isn't that effective at sequestering carbon. A 2006 study, “Tillage and soil carbon sequestration what do we really know?,” led by a USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) soil scientist, concludes, “Though there are other good reasons to use conservation tillage, evidence that it promotes carbon sequestration is not compelling.” On the other hand, a long-term ARS study, "No Shortcuts in Checking Soil Health," finds that organic farming practices build soil better than chemical no-till and have more soil carbon, as well as better crop yields.

Organic No-Till

The adoption of organic methods, particularly no-till organic, is an opportunity for farming both to mitigate agriculture’s contributions to climate change and cope with the effects climate change has had and will have on agriculture.

Organic no-till agriculture incorporates cover cropping as a critical component to the system that adds both nutrients and a weed barrier in the form of mulch. In a no-till organic system, a cover crop such as hairy vetch is planted in the early fall on a field. In late spring, as soon as this vetch has flowered, a single tractor equipped with both an implement to knock down the vetch (photograph above) and an implement to seed another crop (corn, for example), passes through the field. Bacteria associated with the vetch, because it is a legume, add nitrogen to the soil, providing the corn with enough to grow and eliminating the “need” for nitrogen fertilizer. The vetch provides a mulch (side photo) so weeds cannot compete with the corn, and the “need” for herbicides is nonexistent. This is particularly important in light of the predictions that increased CO2 in the atmosphere will lead to faster weed growth.

At Rodale, experiments with this no-till organic system are revealing the immense benefits of combining the no-till approach with cover cropping. Both the water holding capacity and the water drainage capacity increase with this system because of the greater soil aggregation and organic matter content. The increased humus (organic matter [carbon] that is in a very stable form) in the soil provides carbon sequestration. A crop’s ability to deal with weather extremes is increasingly important in this era of climate change and this ability is directly related to the soil health. Solutions to dealing with changing weather patterns should focus on soil health as this does, not on the development of genetically modified “drought-resistant” plant varieties. This system holds promise not only for grains, but for transplanted vegetables as well.

For a more thorough discussion of the experiments at Rodale, please read Dr. Paul Hepperly’s article, "The Organic Farming Response to Climate Change" in Pesticides and You and the Rodale Institute’s "Regenerative 21st Century Farming: A Solution to Global Warming", which elaborates on the amount of carbon sequestration possible with organic, no-till agriculture.

For a thorough discussion of the environmental and economic impacts of conventional vs. organic agriculture, please read Dr. David Pimentel et al.’s article “Organic and Conventional Farming Systems: Environmental and Economic Issues”

For more on the Rodale Institute’s work on climate change, visit their global warming page.

The Rodale Institute also offers a free online course for farmers wanting to transition to organic available here.

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Ecology

Besides killing non-target organisms, many of these synthetic pesticides have deleterious effects on long-term species survival because they impair their reproductive abilities. Endocrine disrupting pesticides affect the hormonal balance of wildlife and humans, often at very low doses (for more information on endocrine disruption, please read the spring 2008 volume of Pesticides and You, and for information on low dose effect please read an excerpt from Dr. Warren Porter's presentation from 2007). One very common herbicide, atrazine, has been linked to serious deleterious effects on the reproduction of frogs (for more information, read Dr. Tyrone Hayes's 2004 article in Pesticides and You). There are numerous examples of the ecological devastation caused by pesticide use. Organic agriculture does not use these chemicals, and therefore eliminates a significant source of toxic chemical contamination in our environment.

Given that we have to eat, and in order to feed over 6 billion people on the planet we have to have agriculture, it is imperative that agriculture be ecologically sensitive. Good organic practices work to build the soil and maintain an ecological balance so that chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides are proven unnecessary. Claims that organic agriculture cannot feed the world because of lower yields are contested by scientific studies showing that organic yields are comparable to conventional yields (read abstract) and require significantly lower inputs. Therefore, organic agriculture is not only necessary in order to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals, it is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of food production.

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Military pay will see a 4.6% increase for 2023 compared to 2022 levels, after President Joe Biden signs the new rate into law. These military pay tables apply to active members of the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force.

Journal Reports: Wealth Management

Sell Your Loser Stocks—and Other Year-End Tax Moves to Consider

By Tom Herman

October 26, 2023 at 9:30 AM ET

There are ways to lower your taxable income for the year. But not if you don’t do them.

Working remotely is a preference for lots of working professionals, especially women, but could the choice to be away from the office end up costing them raises, promotions, influence?

On Friday, Nov. 3, the Rutgers Center for Women in Business will host a conference (accessible virtually) that brings together academics, executives, and innovative thinkers to discuss the challenges and experiences of remote and hybrid work, especially for women and caregivers, and to share ideas for how both individuals and organizations can continue to navigate the challenges of this evolving work world.

In a short Q&A, Lisa Kaplowitz, the center’s director, explains the strategy of combining academic researchers with industry executives in a discussion about overcoming work challenges and gives us a sense of some of the syllabus that will be addressed during the conference.

What is the goal of the Conference for Women in Hybrid and Remote Work? How does it fit into the objectives of the Center for Women in Business?

“Our goal is to bring together scholars and industry executives to explore the benefits and challenges women face under different hybrid and remote work models. We are looking forward to discussing how company culture impacts the practice of hybrid and remote policies, and which companies seem to be doing it well.  We also hope the conference will spur additional research that needs to be done to ensure women are not disadvantaged even more in hybrid and remote work environments. The Rutgers Center for Women in Business works to remove barriers, build community, and empower women. While we’re hopeful that remote work removes a barrier many women, especially caregivers, face, we are concerned that if only women take advantage of the flexibility, it will hurt women’s career advancement in the long run.” 

Why is it important to connect academic researchers with industry?

“We’ve found that academia and industry often operate in silos, and we believe there is power in the collaboration. Scholars are looking for participants in their studies. Industry executives are looking for data-based solutions. By bringing them together, we can use industry experiences and challenges to help inspire the research questions that the scholars can explore and bring back to industry as best practices.”

Can you provide a sense of the research that will be presented at the conference? What type of effect could some of it have for working women or future women in the workforce?

“We are diving into it all. From reimagining inclusion with Mita Mallik, to exploring how remote work can simultaneously enhance and reduce job opportunities for women. We are going to hear from scholars and industry experts on how remote and hybrid work makes it easier to “show up” to work, while at the same time, it can create more isolation. We are also going to explore how remote and hybrid work experiences are not all the same, and how there are additional complexities for women of color, LGBTQ+, veterans, women with disability, caregivers, and women of different ages/life stages. Finally, we are also going to discuss how this is not just a “women’s” issue and the role of men in leading and working in hybrid and remote environments.

What do you hope will result from the conference?

“We hope the conference will produce new research collaborations and highlight the need for additional work on the syllabu of women in hybrid and remote work. The COVID 19 pandemic saw women’s labor force participation drop to 1980s levels, but the trend toward more workplace flexibility has enabled women to return to the workforce at higher levels than pre-pandemic. Companies are struggling to create the optimal in-person/remote work environment, and we hope the collaborations coming out of the conference will produce data and research findings that can guide companies in their decision making.”

To attend the Women in Remote and Hybrid Work: Registration is required in order to receive a Zoom link for virtual attendance. Register here.

Although best known for its monthly payouts to retirees, Social Security actually pays several different types of benefits, as its official name, Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), implies. If you are eligible to collect Social Security benefits upon retirement, your spouse or dependents may be eligible for survivor benefits in the event of your death. But as with many federal programs, the rules can be complicated.

America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow

Unchecked overuse is draining and damaging aquifers nationwide, a data investigation by the New York Times revealed, threatening millions of people and America’s status as a food superpower.

 By Mira Rojanasakul, Christopher Flavelle, Blacki Migliozzi and