From mmiller@pcsia.com Wed Apr 26 11:58:45 2000 Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 08:16:28 -0500 From: Mike Miller To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Carbon Sequestration - The organic way >From http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2000/2000L-04-25-09.html If adopted without the increased use of herbicides that chemical no-till implies, (maybe by using some of Greg's method of no till with rye where applicable) this really could be a win-win as Dr. Bloomfield suggests. I wonder if farmers will ever be allowed to offer fee based carbon sequestration services to power plant owner? ;>) Mike Miller FARMERS CAN HELP CONTROL GLOBAL WARMING NEW YORK, New York, April 25, 2000 (ENS) - "Soil Sense: How Farmers Can Profit And Help To Control Global Warming," is a new brochure that shows farmers how they can grow crops in ways that keep more carbon in the soil not allowing it to escape into the atmosphere. Emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (C02) from industry and automobiles contribute to global warming. There are also many ways for farmers to manage their fields and livestock that can improve their wallets and keep the planet cooler. The brochure was released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Agroforestry Center, the Soil and Water Conservation Society and Environmental Defense. "These practices are a win-win option," said Dr. Janine Bloomfield, an Environmental Defense scientist. "These strategies make economic and ecological sense for farmers. Investing in climate change control can have financial benefits for US agriculture, and long-term benefits for people and the planet." The brochure spotlights practices such as conservation or "no-till" cultivation systems that increase carbon storage in the soil, reduce the number of field operations, thereby saving energy, money, and time, and can increase productivity, and reduce soil erosion. Better management of nitrogen fertilizers means that less greenhouse gases will become trapped in the atmosphere and fields lose fewer nutrients to ground and surface waters. Farmers save money on fertilizer costs and protect water quality. In large livestock operations, recovery systems for liquid manure reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas methane, improve water quality, and can be a source of energy - biogas. The brochure is available on-line at http://www.swcs.org/f_pubs_education.htm To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest". To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command "subscribe sanet-mg-digest". All messages to sanet-mg are archived at: http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail