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Farmers are turning to an ancient practice to improve Agriculture

Originally published by Steve Gillman — December 07, 2023

From ancient Egypt to medieval England, cultivating one or more crops in the same field was common practice among many farmers for thousands of years. However, in the last century, food producers largely stopped ‘intercropping’ and moved towards an industrial type of agriculture – a shift that contributed to 34% of the world’s farmland being degraded today.

“Interest is growing in intercropping again because farmers increasingly understand it improves their soil health,” said Jerry Allford, an organic farmer and advisor from the Soil Association, a UK charity promoting sustainable agriculture. Jerry thinks this renewed focus can “open up a whole new way of farming” because it can bridge profitability with regenerative agriculture practices.

“In the case of growing a legume and cereal together, we know there is nutrient transfer between the two crops,” he said, adding that this reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and its associated costs. Other potential benefits include reduced weeds, pests, and diseases as well as higher resistance to extreme weather from climate change – all of which can improve farmers’ bottom line.

To understand and amplify the potential of intercropping, Jerry is running a range of trials where farmers grow a mix of crops on the same stretch of land. This is part of an EU project called LEGUMINOSE which is researching the benefits of intercropping in eight European countries, as well as in Egypt and Pakistan. In total, there will be 180 ‘living labs’ where farmers in monoculture systems introduce a strip of intercropped cereals and legumes, such as wheat and peas or barley and broad beans.

Each living lab will be tailored to its region with the farmer choosing the techniques and crops most relevant to their area, such as drilling depth, seed mix and planting methods. The idea is that this will enable food producers to produce more practical results, something which LEGUMINOSE wants to use to attract others to intercropping.

One of the UK’s living labs recently finished and Jerry says it has already provided an insight into intercropping’s promise. The test farm planted wheat and beans, reporting a 27% increase in the intercropped plot compared to the monoculture strips on the same farm. Less weeds were also reported while a preliminary analysis of the soil showed less plant disease present between the two, meaning less need to buy and use agricultural chemicals.

The economic potential of intercropping does not stop there either. Farmers can choose to grow a secondary crop for the market, such as a legume for human and animal consumption, or a plant that can enhance the quality of a primary crop.

“We’re also finding that intercropped wheat is meeting UK milling specifications easier, so it could produce a premium price for the farmer,” Jerry said, adding that he hopes this drives an uptake of intercropping and the practice becomes mainstream in the agriculture sector.

Models for scale

In Europe, only 2% of farmers currently use a legume-cereal intercrop. Shamina Imran Pathan, LEGUMINOSE’s project coordinator, says it will not be easy to make the practice go mainstream, but providing farmers with the right information and tools can help them switch quicker from a monocultural farming system to a more regenerative one.

“Many farmers still don’t know what intercropping is,” Pathan points out. “That’s why we need to involve more and more farmers to increase their knowledge about mixing crops together.”

The living labs are designed to galvanize discussions among farmers and boost uptake that way, but LEGUMINOSE will also reinforce this knowledge through seven additional research fields that explore the benefits of intercropping in precise detail. Academics from several European universities will collect soil samples from farms and conduct a range of physical, chemical and biological analyses to explore the benefits of intercropping on a range of aspect, such as those around soil health, pesticide reduction and crop quality.

Early results have also shown promise here too with one trial finding that wheat intercropped with clover completely removed the presence of a parasitic weed called dodder – a benefit that could reduce the need to use herbicide and help farmers’ cut down on their input costs.

Pathan explains this data will be combined with the regional information from the living labs to create forecasting models based on artificial intelligence. This will be made available to farmers as a web-based tool in the coming years that they can use to select the optimal intercrop combinations for their specific situation.

“Farmers can use this to input criteria like their soil type and climate, and the tool will then tell them what combination of crops could work for them,” Pathan said.

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This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

Happy Hanukkah חֲנֻכָּה‎ to all of our Jewish friends

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, commonly called a menorah or hanukkiah. One branch is typically placed above or below the others and its candle is used to light the other eight candles. This unique candle is called the shammash (שַׁמָּשׁ‎, “attendant”). Each night, one additional candle is lit by the shammash until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival.

The name “Hanukkah” derives from the Hebrew verb “חנך‎”, meaning “to dedicate”.

In Hebrew, the word Hanukkah is written חֲנֻכָּה‎ or חֲנוּכָּה‎ (Ḥănukā). It is most commonly transliterated to English as Hanukkah or Chanukah.

History:

In the second century BC, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs instead of mitzvah observance and belief in God. Against all odds, a small band of faithful but poorly armed Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of God.

When they sought to light the Temple’s Menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks. Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah.

You should be sharing your bedroom with your Dog

While dogs are one of God’s gifts to mankind and though most dog parents love having them around all the time, not everyone likes to share a bed with them. New studies have shown that sharing your bedroom with your dog is actually really good for you. Of course, anyone that’s ever had a dog might already know that studies aren’t really needed because they’ve already experienced all of the great things dogs can do.

Years ago we had a Malamute named Smokey — He’d jump up and take over the entire bed it seemed. After a while, when he’d get too warm, he’d jump down and find a cooler spot on the floor at the foot of the bed.

These days we have a German Shepard named Luna. Luna is getting up there in years and she can’t jump up on the bed any more so she sleeps at the foot of the bed just like Smokey did back in the day

When dogs aren’t all out playing stick or drinking out of mud puddles, they can be found doing some of the things listed below.

They reduce stress and anxiety

Just being near your furry friend makes you feel less stressed, imagine how calming it would be sleeping next to him. Therapy dogs are used the world over for a reason. And that is because they’re a proven stress buster.

They give you a sense of security

Not only can they physically protect you from danger, they also make you feel safe just by being present in the same room.

They keep you warm

Dogs are pack animals who stick together to keep each other warm. In the cold winter months, nothing is more soothing than a dog sitting with you and sharing his body heat with you. He’s your own personal bed warmer.

The dog loves it too

For your dog, you are his entire world. Sleeping with your dog by your side ensures you spend quality time with him and in turn lengthen his life and make it happier.

They help you sleep

Studies show that having your dog by your side makes you feel secure enough to sleep peacefully.

They help reduce the onset of depression

With their unconditional love and support, anyone suffering from depression can feel loved and wanted. Some can even cure or prevent depression by simply having their furry love ball around.

They offer comfort

Now, who doesn’t find a doggy cuddle comforting?

The Beaver Moon – November 25-27, 2023

Peak illumination of November’s full Moon, known as the Beaver Moon, will occur early Monday morning, Nov. 27 at 4:16 AM eastern time.

What is a Beaver Moon

During a full Moon, the Moon is positioned opposite of the Sun, placing the Earth between the star and our lunar satellite. Because of this position, the side of the Moon facing the Earth becomes fully illuminated by sunlight.

The Moon will appear full for three days, from Saturday night to Tuesday morning, but it will only appear at its brightest for a brief period of time.

The brightness will allow you to see the Beaver Moon with the naked eye. If this is how you’ll be viewing the full Moon, it’s recommended to give your eyes plenty of time to adjust. Depending on your eyesight, you will be able to see large impact craters on the moon.

You might also consider using binoculars or even a telescope.

Let’s hope that our skies are as clear on Sunday/Monday nights as they are tonight so that we can take a good look at the Beaver Moon.

November’s full Moon is known by a number of names. The name Beaver Moon is rooted in November being the time of year when beavers begin to shelter in their lodges for winter, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Parade of Lights 2023 – Great Falls, Montana

Who doesn’t just love a good parade?

This years Parade of Lights in downtown Great Falls should be one for the record books.

Of all of the years I’ve been attending the parade, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many people as I saw there tonight.

Parade entry:

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The skies were fairly clear, temps right around 33 degrees, and we’re just a few days away from the full Beaver Moon.

The crowds were huge by comparison to other previous years and a lot of folks were dancing to the sounds of Christmas.

This years parade was a long one indeed and featured some new folks.

Les Schwab Tire Center came to town earlier this year and showed up for the parade and the United States Postal Service showed up as well.

Santa Claus showed up right on time to light the tree at the Civic Center.

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Photos of the event: