While farmers have to account for the eco-friendliness of their practices and even the methane their cows make by breathing and defecating, these agricultural professionals are resiliently doing their bit to save the planet and secure a greener future.
Here are nine ways farmers are embracing green technology and methods.
1. Embracing Regenerative Agriculture
Focusing on soil health, farmers now use crop rotation and cover crops to reduce reliance on tilling. These actions ensure operations return nutrients to the soil without using harmful chemicals.
Cover crops are gaining traction among farmers. They protect new crops and replace soil nutrients while suppressing weeds. Texas leads the way, with 1,550,789 acres of cover crops planted in 2022.
2. Reducing Chemical Input
Many farmers have scaled back on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that can leak into the groundwater. Instead, they use organic or integrated pest management systems to protect ecosystems.
One example is installing owl houses in grain sheds. These apex predators patrol fields and storerooms and can catch up to three to four mice per night, which decimates the rodent population and helps with natural pest control.
3. Switching to Green Energy
Farmers go green with renewable energy by installing wind turbines and solar panels to generate electricity. They also use biogas and green hydrogen fuel to function off-grid and reduce reliance on standard electrical grids which generate power from fossil fuels.
With green energy from a solar plant, farmers can reduce their carbon footprint across their operations and eliminate harmful emissions.
4. Improving Soil Management
Farmers can grow multiple crops by applying GPS data collected from sensors that monitor soil nutrient levels and water content. Agriculturalists can strategically grow crops based on what their soil allows. They can then use the exact amount of water and fertilizer needed without creating any waste.
Farmers also add organic options — such as compost or decomposed manure — to fields instead of synthetic fertilizers. Using rotational grazing, they work with nature’s cycles and reduce erosion.
5. Increasing Productivity Over Less Land
American farmers have nearly tripled their output over the last 75 years with less land. This means they are more productive per acre, which places less strain on the surrounding environment.
Unlike urban areas, which contribute to deforestation, farmland mostly comprises a mix of herbaceous grassland and shrubs for livestock and planted fields for crop production. Crops continue nature’s cycles, unlike densely packed human populations who live where trees once stood.
6. Using Less Water
New technology and machinery use different irrigation methods compared to traditional large-area sprayers. Runoff from poorly designed fields may account for up to 50% of water losses, often due to spray irrigation.
Drip watering combined with plastic film or covering exposed soil in cultivated fields with mulch ensures enough water for optimal growth. Without excessive irrigation, there’s no runoff or excessive evaporation. Plastic film can retain soil moisture, which means there’s less need to irrigate.
7. Composting Waste Materials
Local operators use organic waste materials — like rotten fruit, animal manure, leftover grain and roughage — to create compost. This natural fertilizer delivers natural nutrients directly into the soil.
Reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers lowers the demand for these harmful chemicals, which equates to a reduced production rate from factories and fewer carbon emissions. Ammonia nitrate manufacturing accounts for 450 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually to make products like synthetic fertilizers.
8. Supporting Local Food Systems
Farmers can sell to local markets instead of shipping food further away. Local sales help reduce the impact of transportation emissions. Many farmers use on-farm shops or stalls at fresh produce markets or local retailers, reducing the miles per product to get their produce to market.
Additionally, selling locally means farmers save on packaging costs. This benefits the environment since fewer single-use plastics enter the system. Most single-use plastic bags contain polyethylene, which can take centuries to decay. A ton of unused plastic bags equates to 11 barrels of crude oil. When they don’t wrap their produce, farmers save the planet by cutting back on:
- The crude oil used in each bag’s production
- The electricity used to produce each bag
- Emissions from the bag’s manufacturing process
- Pollution when the bag gets dumped
- Emissions from trucks that transport the bags and produce
9. Participating in Legislation
Farmers support legislation that protects the environment, consumers and farming in the U.S. An example is the recent farm bill that checks imported organic foods for banned substances. This bill regulates imports, encouraging people to buy locally and minimize packaging, transportation and production pollution associated with imported goods.
Green All the Way
In a world where climate change is a reality, everyone has to do their share to fight emissions and pollution. As farmers have always known, when you don’t care for the planet, it won’t look after you.
Today, agriculture embraces new technologies, methods and research to produce more food on less land. Operators reduce their carbon footprint and wasteful practices that negatively impact the world. Each plate of local, sustainably grown food makes the planet a greener place to live.
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