This webinar will explain how energy flows through agricultural systems with emphasis on the role of soil health to reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to maintain production.
Fundamentally, agriculture is the human manipulation of the capture and flow of energy in ecosystems. Energy flows in one direction through ecosystems. It enters as solar energy and is converted by photosynthesis into potential energy, being stored in the form of organic material or biomass used as food, feed, fiber, and fuel. The “emphasis “of modern energy- intensive agriculture for the last several decades is to increase “yields.” However, the return on the nonrenewable fossil fuel investment (ancient carbon) in conventional agriculture is not favorable. For many crops we invest more energy than we get back as food. Webinar participants will gain an understanding of strategies that mimic natural processes and follow soil health management principles and that reduce dependency on petroleum-based inputs.
This webinar is sponsored by the USDA NRCS East National Technology Support Center. Contact David Lamm, Leader, Soil Health and Sustainability Team, for assistance with soil health management systems. Contact Holli Kuykendall, National Technology Specialist, for more information about our webinars.
This Webinar uses AT&T Connect to facilitate the webinar. You must download this application 24 hr ahead. For more info on connecting:
http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/addressing-energy-concerns-with-soil-health
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