The Feed

This week, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) released an issue paper titled, “Food, Fuel, and Plant Nutrient Use in the Future.” Two authors of the paper, David Zilberman, chair of the department of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California at Berkeley, and Bruce Dale of the department of chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University in East Lansing, presented key points of the paper in Washington, D.C.

The impact of agricultural cropping systems on water and air resources is continually debated. Right or wrong, many stakeholders point to nutrient and sediment concentrations in surface and groundwater such as lakes, rivers and wells when they target the agricultural sector.

Just last week, I participated in a panel discussion surrounding water issues – particularly issues related to agriculture’s role in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

I have just arrived home from a quick trip to Cleveland, Ohio to judge entries in the 2012 Environmental Respect Awards (ERA). It was a whirlwind trip - one  of those two day, four city deals that leave you thinking of an airport as close to a second home - on second thought, a home minus electrical outlets for charging key items like computers and phones.