"A scientist who wants to change the world in a particular direction is no longer beholden to the truth. They are beholden to a cause...This is why I have come to believe that science and activism cannot mix. It is a plain conflict of interest." www.chronicle.com/article/when...

Opinion | When Bad Research Feels Good

My work advanced social-justice causes I believed in. There was just one problem.

chronicle.com

Montgomery with new book; the geomorphologist takes on farm policy. Regenerative ag, "properly understood," is guided by "minimizing or avoiding both physical and chemical disturbance." And then he claims that glyphosate degrades soil health, and loses me. civileats.com/2026/09/09/o...

Op-ed: Five Policy Changes to Save Agriculture from Itself

From reforming subsidies to treating ag policy as public health policy, here is roadmap for a regenerative, soil-health revolution.

civileats.com

Recent paper: "There is now overwhelming evidence for the destructive effects of the industrial model of agriculture on Earth’s life-support systems." The fact is that ALL models of crop production that will actually feed us have these destructive effects - it's how crops are grown.

Here's why it's easier to be sustainable/regenerative if you only raise livestock: the exports of nutrients are much lower. And this doesn't show N or C. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"We need to understand nature is always self-organizing, self-regulating, self-healing." - Gabe Brown Pop ecology is the bread and butter of regenerative agriculture. Don't fall for it. yonearth.org/podcast/epis... csanr.wsu.edu/pop-ecology/

How Pop Ecology Misleads Agriculture

Romanticized “pop ecology” oversimplifies nature and leads to costly mistakes in real-world crop management.

csanr.wsu.edu

Can high Brix make a crop insect-proof? CSANR’s Andrew McGuire examined the claim that virtually no insects will feed on plants at 12 Brix or above. He found little research supporting it. 🔗 csanr.wsu.edu/brix-insect #WSU #PestManagement

Do high Brix levels in leaf sap prevent insects from feeding? I looked into the claims. Insects aren't reading your refractometer. My latest, csanr.wsu.edu/unraveling-t...

Unraveling the Brix-Insect Story

Andrew McGuire examines the limited evidence behind claims that high leaf-sap Brix protects crops from insect pests.

csanr.wsu.edu

"Everything is connected" is true is the most trivial sense, but not in ways that matter. It's a romanticized nature-slogan that doesn't identify mechanisms or magnitudes of effects. Which connections matter for your field? Pop ecology won't tell you. csanr.wsu.edu/pop-ecology/

How Pop Ecology Misleads Agriculture

Romanticized “pop ecology” oversimplifies nature and leads to costly mistakes in real-world crop management.

csanr.wsu.edu

There are a LOT of products out there being marketed to farmers. Many of these products have little to no independent testing to evaluate whether they work. A couple years ago, we tested two products marketed as "soil detoxifiers" - and we found they didn't seem to do anything.

Andrew Kniss @wyoweeds.bsky.social · last mo.

New publication out today: "Can soil detoxifiers mitigate crop injury from residual herbicides?" doi.org/10.1002/agg2...

"A scientist who wants to change the world in a particular direction is no longer beholden to the truth. They are beholden to a cause...This is why I have come to believe that science and activism cannot mix. It is a plain conflict of interest." Agroecology, take note.

Cosmic Crisp has solved most of the problems of the honeycrisp.

geoffrey@parsnip.bsky.social · 2mo ago

a perfect pink lady is the best apple you will ever eat, but a perfect pink lady is rare, and a bad pink lady is not good, so for practical purposes honeycrisps, with their narrower range of quality and higher median, are superior

Reading in journal club Roots navigate around decay regions by sensing local pH gradients www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Roots navigate around decay regions by sensing local pH gradients

Plant tropisms enable roots to navigate complex soils by responding to directional environmental cues. Biological decay, although central to nutrient cycling, also creates microbially active and poten...

science.org

The EU depends on imported #fertiliser, as shown again by the war in Iran. But manure—suggested by some as solution—cannot replace mineral fertiliser because the #livestock sector itself is a net consumer of it. Scaling up #manure “production” would increase fertiliser use: doi.org/10.1111/1746... +

Which is better for marketing?

FAIRR Initiative@fairrinitiative.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📢 NEW REPORT | FAIRR’s latest report examines #RegenerativeAgriculture commitments across 78 agri-food companies. While the sector is turning to these practices to meet #climate and #nature goals, real impact requires transparent implementation. 📖 Access the report: www.fairr.org/resources/re...

While we may never achieve the goal of complete neutrality in science, it is an essential goal. Science will be worse off if we abandon it. Science: an attempt at neutral disinterest in the results with the goal of finding the truth. Activist science: a motivated effort to prove something is so.

Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · 3mo ago

“Scientists should stop trying to be neutral and instead embrace their values,”says a group of top climate scientists, including @katharinehayhoe.com. The neutrality myth is harming the reputation of science right when we need it most.” #ClimateCrisis Science isn’t neutral. It’s science.

Henbit as an easy cover crop: "This common plant is an opportunity for regenerative farming progress. The cost for seed and management once henbit populations establish will be less than the cost for other cover crops..." What do you think? acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Henbit is an attainable cover crop

Henbit is a short-season plant that grows through the winter. It seeds itself in the spring with seeds that stay dormant through the summer and germinate in the fall. Winter growth makes henbit a goo...

acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

If, like me, you wonder about the soil health of the field/pitch while watching World Cup games, here is a fresh paper on the topic. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

A Comparative Evaluation of Soil Health in American Sports Fields

Sports fields are among the most intensively managed soils, raising concerns about their soil health. The primary objective of this study was to compare soil health in sports field soils with other l...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Decades of research said organic farming builds soil better. A study of 3,000 actual farms says: not so fast. It's not organic vs. conventional — it's about biomass inputs, nitrogen, and tillage. The practices matter, not the label. My latest... csanr.wsu.edu/what-actuall...

Dominant Factors: What Actually Builds Soil Organic Matter

Organic and conventional systems can build soil when their practices support the dominant drivers of organic matter.

csanr.wsu.edu

Oh, absolutely. Irrigation is probably the biggest driver of increased SOM for an area like ours. And it can contribute to other issues. But I wish people could see that rather than a strict org/conv binary, proper utilization of best practices from both toolkits is likely to deliver best results.

Organic vs. conventional farming, which builds soil better? A new study of 2,900+ real farms found NO difference in soil organic matter. Why? Because the label doesn't matter — plant biomass inputs, nitrogen, rotation & tillage do. Focus on dominant drivers. csanr.wsu.edu/what-actuall...

Dominant Factors: What Actually Builds Soil Organic Matter

Organic and conventional systems can build soil when their practices support the dominant drivers of organic matter.

csanr.wsu.edu

Up to 12 Extension professionals from across the US will be selected to participate in the upcoming #WSU Specialty Crops Adaptation Course for a week-long mix of farm & research tours, workshops, specialty crop scenario planning & more. #GoCougs To apply: csanr.wsu.edu/resources/cl...

Specialty Crops Adaptation Course

Extension professionals can apply for a week-long course on climate adaptation planning for specialty crop systems.

csanr.wsu.edu

The recent NY Times article on Oath (a soil inoculant company) warrants a mini-thread, so here we go: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/b... (1/9)

After Prison, a Financial Titan Plots an Unlikely Comeback

nytimes.com

One of the most frustrating things I find in the soil health world is the assumption that a management is good/bad rather than evaluating it within a given system/context. Finally some nuance - a great reminder!

Fabien Ferchaud@fabien-ferchaud.bsky.social · 5mo ago

📣 Just out in @commsearth.nature.com Our paper explores the role of tillage in agroecological systems, discussing the trade-offs between carbon, climate and pest management. We recommend moving beyond the simplistic view of 'tillage bad, no-till good'. Open access ➡️ doi.org/10.1038/s432...

"Most field studies that report consistent agronomic benefits use moderate biochar rates, typically about 5 to 15 tons per hectare, rather than the very high rates sometimes used in research trials." OK, what's the cost at moderate rates? sciencesocieties.org/publications...

Biochar: A promising tool for soil health and nutrient efficiency in sustainable agriculture | Science Societies

Biochar: A promising tool for soil health and nutrient efficiency in sustainable agriculture

sciencesocieties.org

2020s tech for the tractor, 1800s tech for the tillage. #conservationAgriculture is the way to go.

Digital Brain@yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 5mo ago

China tackles its rural labor crisis with the Honghu T70, an autonomous electric tractor that operates for 6 hours with remarkable precision. A game-changer for agriculture.

Some data from my world: This time last year "Size 60" avocados (most common size) returned about $1.75/ lb to the grower. Today = $1.06. This time last year a gallon of UN32 (conventional nitrogen fertilizer) was about $4.96 Today = $8.54 Not fun.

Just read the underlying study. It 1) does not say “modern agriculture is collapsing,” 2) acknowledges need for 35-56% more food by 2050 without further land clearance, 3) says labor needs in traditional systems are 10x higher, 4) says crop yields in highly agrobiodiverse systems are 20-40% lower.

Larry Neufeld@larryneufeldsk.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Modern agriculture is collapsing under climate change. Indigenous farming has answers www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/01/n...

It's Norman Borlaug's birthday! If you don't know who he was, you should--regardless of what you think about modern ag and the global food system--as NB was, for better and worse, a major part of creating them. Last year, I had a fun talk with Derek Thompson (@dkthomp.bsky.social) about the guy.

Plain History: How Norman Borlaug Stopped the Apocalypse

Podcast Episode · Plain English with Derek Thompson · May 16, 2025 · 1h 9m

podcasts.apple.com

For all you dried okra fans out there. Nutritional Value Score Rates Foods Based on Nutrient Density and Noncommunicable Disease Prevention.

I just resigned from NASA. It breaks my heart to leave, but I’ve become convinced the best path forward is to do the best science I can, and that can’t be here anymore. I’m still in love with the promise of those four magic letters. Ad astra per aspera, and remember: Earth is the only good planet.