#Biologicals in Farming

[agreads]

Ag-tech Start-Up WeedOUT Raises USD8.1 Million to Fight Weed Resistance

Ag-tech start-up WeedOUT, Ltd., announces it has secured USD 8.1 million in A-round funding. Leading the round is Fulcrum Global Capital, a prominent US agri- focused VC with ties to a vast network of farmers across the US. The infusion of new capital will advance the company’s mission to combat weed resistance through its breakthrough green solution. WeedOUT Team 2024 Other participants in the…

[merakiui]

just saw this art of cowboy floyd and i am so so sosososososososososo not normal in the slightest way.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

(Chapter 22 Bonus Scene | Mystic Code Book Chapter 1 Q&A)

Thinking about how the photo Ray took of Isabella burned up with plant no.3, so the only pictures the children possibly have of her in the human world are mugshots stored in headquarters' database that might have been updated every year on her birthday.

How surreal it is to see her like that, grappling with memories of the complicated woman they knew—the good and the bad—and the young girl staring back at them who resolutely held her head up high to prove she had what it took to survive in a demon's world, knowing all the unspoken pain behind her eyes.

Yvette's portraits of her quickly become their preferred visual references.

[floorgazing]

doing jonas drafts on a friday night

[exalteranima]

I might be one of those weirdo unicorns who hasn't read the core Vampire Chronicles (yet) but has read some of the later Mayfair Witches crossovers.

Which is to say i have a strange fondness for Blackwood Farm since it is unhinged in a completely different way from the rest of the series. At least Lestat's tale is spread out across several books; Quinn's backstory is just pure concentrated crazy.

[muckbottomcatfish]

i think i might revamp my lore a little bit. again. not that there's much to revamp but likeeeeeeeeeeee

[tenth-sentence]

In fact, homosexual activity is so routine among domesticated hoofed mammals that farmers and animal breeders have coined special terms for such behavior: mounting among male Cattle is referred to as the buller syndrome (steers who are mounted are called bullers, the males who mount them are called riders), female sows who mount each other are described as "going boaring", mares who do so are said to "horse", while cows are said to "bull".

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[crownprincessoftherusalkas]

Spoiler, Unveiled Book 4

*Zak, holding one of his kids*

Tori: Aww, so you do have feelings.

Zak: The only "feeling" I have right now is annoyance.

Tori: Still a feeling

[agreads]

Invaio Sciences acquires Peptyde Bio to accelerate nature-positive crop protection pipeline

[sev-says-so]

I took my sister to some little craft place to make candles that she’s been showing me reels of. Cool place, very nice lady running it. Candles turned out alright but I’ll be smelling of lavender and fir for the foreseeable future from the amount I spilled on myself.

[farmerstrend]

A Comprehensive Farming Guide on Tomato Fertilization

Tomato farming in Kenya is one of the most profitable agricultural crops due to the growing demand for tomatoes in both local and international markets. With the country’s population expanding, the consumption of tomatoes, a staple in Kenyan dishes, has increased, making it a viable option for many farmers looking to diversify their farming activities. Kenya’s climate is suitable for tomato…

[ecohubmap]

100 Top Sustainable Agriculture Companies - Organic Agriculture Directories

Organic agriculture techniques include crop rotation, green manure, composting, and biological pest control. These methods help maintain soil fertility, reduce erosion, and Sustainable agriculture minimize the need for chemical inputs. Sustainable agriculture practices reduce the environmental impact of farming by minimizing soil erosion, conserving water, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing biodiversity. These practices help protect natural resources and ensure long-term agricultural productivity.

[spartanmemesmedical]

The Secret Lives of Ants: Exploring Complex Social Structures, Communication Methods, and Survival Tactics

Ants, small but formidable creatures often seen scurrying across picnic blankets and garden paths, lead far more complex and organized lives than their size suggests. These insects boast some of the most complex social structures, sophisticated communication methods, and ingenious survival strategies in the animal kingdom. This article sheds light on the secret lives of ants, uncovering the…

[beemovieerotica]

No wonder “gender identity,” understood by well-meaning LGBTQ+ advocates as an abstract feeling, has done such a poor job of justifying sex change. If biological sex is part of a material structure of value, then society has a concrete interest in any potential gains or losses that may result, feelings be damned.

Gill-Peterson tells the story of Robert Stonestreet, a 10-year-old boy who was brought to the Johns Hopkins Hospital for a rare urethral defect in 1915. When the doctors informed his father that the boy had ovaries and should be reassigned as a girl, the man refused, explaining that he already had six girls at home and his son was a great help around the family farm. Of course, Stonestreet was prepubescent. Whatever biological advantage he had over his sisters was the natural spoils of working daily on a farm. The point is that his father’s social validation of his gender was the basically incidental result of an economic calculation about his sex. Twenty-one years later, Stonestreet asked the same doctors to certify him as male so he could wed his fiancée. They refused — one suspects because a marriage with no reproductive potential struck them as dead in the water, especially with the national birth rate at an all-time low. Three days later, Stonestreet committed suicide — the victim of a society that could not make up its mind on how best to make sense of his gender while also extracting value from his sex.

This is the larger historical reason why the anti-trans movement does not want transgender people to receive sex-altering care. It is not clear how, if at all, such people will fit into the division of sex in America.

-Andrea Long Chu

[reasonsforhope]

"In an unprecedented transformation of China’s arid landscapes, large-scale solar installations are turning barren deserts into unexpected havens of biodiversity, according to groundbreaking research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The study reveals that solar farms are not only generating clean energy but also catalyzing remarkable ecological restoration in some of the country’s most inhospitable regions.

The research, examining 40 photovoltaic (PV) plants across northern China’s deserts, found that vegetation cover increased by up to 74% in areas with solar installations, even in locations using only natural restoration measures. This unexpected environmental dividend comes as China cements its position as the global leader in solar energy, having added 106 gigawatts of new installations in 2022 alone.

“Artificial ecological measures in the PV plants can reduce environmental damage and promote the condition of fragile desert ecosystems,” says Dr. Benli Liu, lead researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “This yields both ecological and economic benefits.”

The economic implications are substantial. “We’re witnessing a paradigm shift in how we view desert solar installations,” says Professor Zhang Wei, environmental economist at Beijing Normal University. “Our cost-benefit analysis shows that while initial ecological construction costs average $1.5 million per square kilometer, the long-term environmental benefits outweigh these investments by a factor of six within just a decade.” ...

“Soil organic carbon content increased by 37.2% in areas under solar panels, and nitrogen levels rose by 24.8%,” reports Dr. Sarah Chen, soil scientist involved in the project. “These improvements are crucial indicators of ecosystem health and sustainability.”

...Climate data from the study sites reveals significant microclimate modifications:

Average wind speeds reduced by 41.3% under panel arrays

Soil moisture retention increased by 32.7%

Ground surface temperature fluctuations decreased by 85%

Dust storm frequency reduced by 52% in solar farm areas...

The scale of China’s desert solar initiative is staggering. As of 2023, the country has installed over 350 gigawatts of solar capacity, with 30% located in desert regions. These installations cover approximately 6,000 square kilometers of desert terrain, an area larger than Delaware.

“The most surprising finding,” notes Dr. Wang Liu of the Desert Research Institute, “is the exponential increase in insect and bird species. We’ve documented a 312% increase in arthropod diversity and identified 27 new bird species nesting within the solar farms between 2020 and 2023.”

Dr. Yimeng Wang, the study’s lead author, emphasizes the broader implications: “This study provides evidence for evaluating the ecological benefit and planning of large-scale PV farms in deserts.”

The solar installations’ positive impact stems from several factors. The panels act as windbreaks, reducing erosion and creating microhabitats with lower evaporation rates. Perhaps most surprisingly, the routine maintenance of these facilities plays a crucial role in the ecosystem’s revival.

“The periodic cleaning of solar panels, occurring 7-8 times annually, creates consistent water drip lines beneath the panels,” explains Wang. “This inadvertent irrigation system promotes vegetation growth and the development of biological soil crusts, essential for soil stability.” ...

Recent economic analysis reveals broader benefits:

Job creation: 4.7 local jobs per megawatt of installed capacity

Tourism potential: 12 desert solar sites now offer educational tours

Agricultural integration: 23% of sites successfully pilot desert agriculture beneath panels

Carbon reduction: 1.2 million tons CO2 equivalent avoided per gigawatt annually

Dr. Maya Patel, visiting researcher from the International Renewable Energy Agency, emphasizes the global implications: “China’s desert solar model could be replicated in similar environments worldwide. The Sahara alone could theoretically host enough solar capacity to meet global electricity demand four times over while potentially greening up to 20% of the desert.”

The Chinese government has responded by implementing policies promoting “solar energy + sand control” and “solar energy + ecological restoration” initiatives. These efforts have shown promising results, with over 92% of PV plants constructed since 2017 incorporating at least one ecological construction mode.

Studies at facilities like the Qinghai Gonghe Photovoltaic Park demonstrate that areas under solar panels score significantly better in environmental assessments compared to surrounding regions, indicating positive effects on local microclimates.

As the world grapples with dual climate and biodiversity crises, China’s desert solar experiment offers a compelling model for sustainable development. The findings suggest that renewable energy infrastructure, when thoughtfully implemented, can serve as a catalyst for environmental regeneration, potentially transforming the world’s deserts from barren wastelands into productive, life-supporting ecosystems.

“This is no longer just about energy production,” concludes Dr. Liu. “We’re witnessing the birth of a new approach to ecosystem rehabilitation that could transform how we think about desert landscapes globally. The next decade will be crucial as we scale these solutions to meet both our climate and biodiversity goals.”"

-via Green Fingers, January 13, 2025

[agreads]

Nufarm and IBI Ag collaborating to bring to market novel bioinsecticides

Nufarm and IBI-Ag have announced a collaboration agreement which grants Nufarm exclusive rights to further develop, with an option to commercialize, several specific bioinsecticide candidates discovered by IBI-Ag. IBI-Ag is a leading ag-biologicals company that develops single domain antibody insecticides to increase crop production with no harm to farmers, consumers and the environment. As an…