MOTHER EARTH NEWS December - January 2018

One of our summer rituals is harvesting vast quantities of sweet basil and converting it into pesto, with the intention of freezing sufficient quantities of that summer sunshine to keep things bright all winter. And while our basil crop thrived for most of the season, by the end of September it became infected with basil downy mildew. Once thought to be more or less extinct, this pathogen popped up in Florida more than a decade ago, and then spread north and now west. I know that some of our neighboring states have the fungal presence and it certainly isn’t new to Kansas, but it is new to our garden. My first concern was how we’d get all the pesto made. Then I recalled a time many years ago when I…

“I’ve been reading your magazine and gardening ever since we moved to my great-grandmother’s homestead in 1996.” Alternative Tractor Options I read Tim Nephew’s article “Targeting Tractors” (October/November 2017) on selecting the right tractor, and would like to tell readers that for properties under 5 acres, walk-behind tractors are an excellent and affordable option. The highquality European machines offered by BCS and Grillo come with numerous implements for working soil, mowing, splitting wood, pumping water, and even making hay, all at a fraction of the price of a fourwheel tractor. We use a walk-behind tractor to manage our 1-acre flower farm and 3-acre field. It allows us to get into tight spaces and does almost everything we need. The only attachment that isn’t available for our two-wheel tractor is a front loader. But…

North American trees are moving west, and scientists can’t fully explain why. With seasonal temperatures breaking records almost every year, tree species are expected to adapt to the changes by slowly shifting their population centers northward and to higher elevations. But a recent survey shows the trend toward westward movement is even stronger than expected — in some cases, species have shifted their ranges west by as much as 73 percent. The research for this groundbreaking survey came from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, an annual census that has recorded data on the health, species mix, and density of forests in the United States since the 1930s. Recently published in Science Advances, the survey revealed that roughly three-quarters of the 86 tree species surveyed have shifted their…

Agricultural pesticides are a billion-dollar industry in the United States. Neonicotinoids (nicknamed “neonics”), a class of insecticide, have come under intense criticism in recent years for killing honeybees and other pollinating insects that farmers rely on. In light of these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Iowa conducted a study on the impacts of neonics in Iowa rivers and streams. The researchers took water samples from 48 tributaries of the Iowa River, the main drinking-water source for much of the Midwest, and found unprecedented evidence of pesticide contamination. A staggering 63 percent of the samples were found to contain traces of neonicotinoid compounds. Even more alarming, samples from tap water at the University of Iowa, whose campus borders the Iowa River, revealed traces of three different neonicotinoids, proving…

A new world record has been set for the longest range traveled in an electric vehicle at highway speeds on a single charge — and the winning car might surprise you. On April 1, 2017, the tech company IT Asset Partners (ITAP) conducted a highway range test of four electric vehicles, including three commercial cars — the Tesla Model S P90D, the Chevrolet Bolt, and the Nissan LEAF. The fourth vehicle in the test is known as “The Phoenix.” This BMW was slated for the scrapheap until ITAP reclaimed it and upgraded the car with 88 percent recycled materials, including the controller and the battery. Altogether, the vehicle and its improvements cost ITAP less than $13,000. For the range test, each vehicle was required to drive as far as possible along…

While much of California’s cropland is chronically short on water, a drought-friendly growing strategy called “dry farming” is challenging the region’s reliance on aquifers. Old Hill Ranch, the oldest rooted vineyard in its region of California, refrains from irrigation and instead relies only on seasonal rainfall and the soil’s natural ability to retain moisture. This seemingly counterintuitive farming strategy is creating impressive results. Dry-farmed grapes tend to be smaller and more intensely flavored than irrigated ones, making them well-suited for crafting award-winning wines. Tomatoes, apples, potatoes, and other crops produce similar results when dry-farmed. The secret to success with dry farming comes from the roots it encourages. Without easy access to irrigated water, plant roots are forced to mine deep into the soil, sometimes more than 30 feet. While overall yields can…