📝 In a recently published study, University of Maine researchers show the different ways in which specific crops take up PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” from contaminated soil. “American Farmland Trust quickly identified University of Maine researchers as strong partners in investigating how farmers in Maine and beyond can respond to the [PFAS] challenge,” said Bianca Moebius-Clune, Climate and Soil Health Director at American Farmland Trust. “The funding provided to the University of Maine is unique — the intention was specifically to jumpstart research that will be directly relevant to farmers making decisions about their PFAS impacted land.” American Farmland Trust and 15 partner organizations recently released federal policy recommendations to address PFAS contamination on agricultural land. Learn more at farmland.org/pfas.
University of Maine research on PFAS in crops and soil
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Mitigating the Environmental Effects of Agrochemicals Abjuring agrochemicals may appear less efficient and labor-intensive, but it is a far more ecologically benign alternative to pesticide use. Read More : https://lnkd.in/gPDe__4s #NatureFirst #GrowGreen #FarmSmart #HealthySoil #Agroecology #PlanetFriendly #EcoConscious #BiodiversityMatters #CultivateChange #HarvestHappiness #CleanFarming
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A very insightful note on the EU. It is important that we update ourselves on the newly adopted Soil Health Monitoring law by the European Union, as this policy will play a crucial role in safeguarding our soils from immense degradation. Thank you for sharing Dr. Suzie Haryanti Husain SHE™ – Soil Health Expert Framework
Global Soil Health Expert (SHE™) | Founder of the SHE™ Framework | Soil Governance Architect | Leading Regenerative Agriculture in the Global South
Europe has made history. The Council of the EU has formally adopted the Soil Monitoring Law, creating the first-ever EU-wide framework to track and govern soil health. This is no small step: → All Member States must now monitor the physical, chemical, and biological condition of their soils with standardized indicators. → Registers of contaminated sites will become mandatory. → PFAS, pesticides, and even microplastics in soil will be on the monitoring agenda. → By 2028, every EU country must have a national monitoring system feeding into a digital soil health data portal. But here’s the unspoken truth: this law risks being a Eurocentric compass. Soils in the tropics—peat, acid sulfate, monsoon-driven clays—do not behave like loess in Germany or silt in France. If Brussels’ descriptors become the de facto global benchmark, millions of hectares across the Global South could be judged by metrics that were never designed for them. This creates two futures: → A harmonized global soil governance system that respects regional realities, where EU methods are adapted to diverse ecosystems. → Or a one-size-fits-all regime, where exporters in palm oil, rice, cocoa, and rubber face compliance audits based on alien indicators, with sovereignty quietly slipping away. → For external actors (Malaysia, ASEAN, Global South), this becomes a reference standard. EU buyers will soon expect suppliers—whether palm oil, cocoa, rubber, or rice—to show soil health data that is comparable to EU metrics. Where SHE™ Can Help → The SHE™ Framework was designed for exactly this moment. We support industries and governments to prepare, comply, and compete: → Tropical Relevance: Adapting EU descriptors into tropical soil diagnostics that account for peatlands, acid soils, and monsoon variability. → Compliance Pathways: Translating EU soil health descriptors into auditable data for palm oil, rice, and other commodity sectors linked to EU supply chains. → Baseline & Benchmarking: Providing industries with soil intelligence baselines so companies can publish soil health reports before buyers demand them. → Capacity Building: Training agronomists, plantation teams, and policymakers in SHE Masterclasses to align practice with governance. → Certification Reform: Integrating soil data into ESG, Scope 3, and sustainability standards—helping industries avoid penalties and instead win premium access. Europe has acted. The Global South cannot remain silent. If we don’t define our soils, someone else will. Plantation leaders, policymakers, and ESG bodies—what’s your soil baseline today? And will you dare to make it public? #DrSuzie #SoilHealth #SoilMonitoringLaw #EUSoilLaw #SoilGovernance #ESG #SustainableAgriculture #PalmOil #ASEAN #GlobalSouth #ClimateAction #FoodSecurity #SHEFramework SHE™ – Soil Health Expert Framework
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Biological crop protection is no longer optional; it's a necessary pillar for South African growers. With the EU and global markets imposing stricter residue limits and cutting access to traditional chemicals, experts are calling this a "turning point". Read more: https://lnkd.in/degE7WbZ
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Working with good people on important issues and big opportunities in global food & agriculture systems. Illegitimi non carborundum.
"Healthy, resilient soils are not just the foundation of food security, they are central to biodiversity and climate stability. Yet many of the practices we rely on to increase yields today risk undermining that foundation in the future." Study identifies key agricultural practices that threaten soil health and global food supply https://lnkd.in/gK79__VW
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We were intrigued to learn about a groundbreaking discovery from the University of California, Davis, where scientists have used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to develop wheat plants that produce their own fertilizer. This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce air and water pollution globally while also cutting costs for farmers. What a difference this could make, especially in developing countries where farmers often can't afford to use fertilizer! Read more in the post below 👇🏻 #CRISPR #AgInnovation
🚨Research alert 🚨 UC Davis scientists developed wheat plants that help make their own fertilizer. The development could lead to better food security, higher yields and less environmental pollution.
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Optimizing organic manures, sustainable agricultural practices, nutrient cycling, soil chemistry, nutrient emissions, nutrient use efficiency, soil health and fertility, fertigation, synthetic fertilizers
🌱 What makes an agricultural practice truly sustainable? This question ties into an even broader one: how do we define soil health? A key indicator is soil carbon, which underpins soil stability, fertility, and its vital role in climate regulation. In our recent study, we applied a 14C radio-isotope approach to investigate how cattle slurry applications influence soil carbon dynamics. Our findings show that: 🔎 The effect of slurry (conventional vs. acidified) on soil carbon priming varies across different carbon pools. 🌿 Acidified slurry reduced positive priming (read the paper to find out in which pools), pointing to its potential to limit carbon losses while promoting more sustainable nutrient management compared to conventional slurry. These insights contribute to the wider discussion on how everyday farming practices shape soil health and drive long-term sustainability at both farm and landscape scales. 📖 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eW3wKnwk #SoilHealth #SustainableAgriculture #SoilCarbon #NutrientManagement #ClimateAction
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https://lnkd.in/gMQa_e6c Our new research from commercial dairy farms across U.S. dairy regions reveals how management practices reshape soil health! It's the first large-scale baseline for sustainable dairy systems representing 20% of national milk production.
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Carbon is the foundation upon which Hank McGowan is building a farm he believes will be increasingly resilient, low-input, high-production, and financially and environmentally beneficial. "I want a carbon (C) to nitrogen (N) ratio of 15:1 in my soils, and I’m getting there. When C is high it enables the rest of the systems on our farm to function as they should. The soil will capture and retain more water, soil biology will thrive, nutrients will be released from the soil, crops will need fewer inputs, pests will be less of a concern, and the list goes on."
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🌱 Farmland treated only with organic fertilisers stores significantly more carbon in soil, boosting climate resilience and soil health. A win for sustainable agriculture! 🌍🧪 #OrganicFarming #CarbonStorage #ClimateSolutions 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gf_TcrcR
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Ex-post sustained impact(s) Valuing Voices CEO, Family Forest steward/ owner and presenter-researcher
We need to move away from chemical fertilizers which means we need to move away from GMO seeds, for the soil & carbon capture
🌱 Farmland treated only with organic fertilisers stores significantly more carbon in soil, boosting climate resilience and soil health. A win for sustainable agriculture! 🌍🧪 #OrganicFarming #CarbonStorage #ClimateSolutions 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gf_TcrcR
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