Tilling The Green Soil

As reported in The Boston Herald:

Gary Larsen, who grows corn and soybeans in western Iowa, is among a growing number of farmers who are concerned about the potential effects of global warming.

“We don’t know how the world could actually turn out, but doing absolutely nothing and sticking your head in the sand is not an option,” said Larsen, a 63-year-old grandfather who lives near Elk Horn.

William Niebur, vice president of DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development, said the evidence of climate change includes the migration of successful corn production north 100 miles over the past three decades.

Improved soil management methods are reducing greenhouse gases. No-till farming, for example, where farmers plant crops without using machines to plow or turn over the soil, cuts down on energy use and keeps carbon in the ground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Farmers also are planting crops that require less fertilizer and herbicides; using alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel; capturing methane gas from livestock for energy production; and harnessing wind power.