Steve
@steveharing.bsky.social
Independent agronomist 🌾🌱 Undisciplined scientist 🔬🧩 Apple grower 🍎🚜 Nature lover 🌎🌄 VirginiaAg.com
"Although fungal diversity remained unaffected, prokaryotic diversity significantly decreased in pesticide-treated agricultural soils, indicating a selective effect on bacterial community structure." doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... lots of interesting results here
Soil Microbial Diversity and Network Organization Respond to Land Use and Agricultural Inputs Worldwide
Based on a global analysis of 1921 soil samples, we show that agricultural management acts as a powerful ecological filter reshaping microbial communities. Land use and inputs—pesticides and fertiliz...
doi.org
"As mycorrhizal fungi are replaced by saprotrophic fungi, which digest dead organic matter, the conversation between plants and soil shifts, moving from a two-way exchange, where nutrients flow both ways, to a more one-sided relationship." www.hcn.org/issues/58-8/...
In a warming world, wildflowers offer a warning - High Country News
Climate change is disrupting the symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi in subalpine meadows, offering a warning for how different a warming world could look and function.
hcn.org
Virginia had a proposal to ban paraquat this year, but it didn't make it out of committee
Center for Biological Diversity@biologicaldiversity.org · 4w ago“Paraquat is the most acutely lethal #pesticide ever made,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director with the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re really the last major agricultural power that still uses #paraquat, and we use a ton of it."
"Major research gaps still exist when it comes to defining what a “healthy” vineyard soil is, which standard soil health indicators are most applicable to the unique conditions found in arid vineyards, and how these translate to grape and wine quality." doi.org/10.1002/saj2...
Soil characterization for a long‐term soil health research vineyard in eastern Washington
Irrigated specialty-crop perennials in semi-arid and arid areas are underrepresented in soil health long-term experiments. Depth-driven stratification defines characterization of soil health indicat...
doi.org
"One key challenge is a limited understanding of regenerative agriculture’s financial viability, despite growing evidence demonstrating its potential environmental and economic benefits for winegrape growers" doi.org/10.5344/ajev...
Evaluating the Economic Viability of Regenerative Viticulture in Sonoma County, California
Background and goals The transition to regenerative agriculture (RA) is gaining attention for its potential to enhance sustainability in viticulture, but questions remain about its economic feasibility. This study investigates the farm-level economic implications of transitioning to RA in the viticulture sector, with an application to California’s North Coast region, specifically Sonoma County. Methods and key findings We analyzed data from four vineyards to evaluate the financial outcomes of implementing RA practices (e.g., no-till, composting, and livestock integration) compared to conventional viticulture (CV) practices. Our findings reveal that CV and RA practices result in comparable profitability over a 30-yr time horizon, with RA averaging 5% lower in net present value across vineyards, assuming no change in yields. While in-house RA practices involve higher initial costs, they provide long-term benefits, including lower operational expenses, improved soil health, and additional revenue from sheep grazing integration. The profitability of RA is influenced by site-specific factors such as grape variety, vineyard layout, vine age, and density, as well as by the ability to maintain yields or obtain price premiums that compensate for potential yield reductions. Conclusions and significance The results of this study suggest that RA practices can achieve economic outcomes comparable to CV practices over the long term, particularly under the site-specific conditions of Sonoma County. Understanding the financial tradeoffs and benefits of RA can support growers in making informed decisions about transitioning to more sustainable viticulture practices.
doi.org
"...current cover crops do not enhance overall bee abundance or diversity. Bee-specific cover crops may be necessary to better support the diversity of wild bees." // Are broad sustainability practices sufficient to support wild bees? A case study in cool-climate vineyards doi.org/10.1017/S174...
doi.org
"Flower strips may deliver pest control effects only under high pest pressure, raising questions about their reliability as a biocontrol measure in intensively managed systems." doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Do field margins matter more than floral resources? Arthropod activity and limited spillover of natural enemies from perennial flower strips into adjacent crops
Both flower and grass strips supported significantly higher arthropod activity than adjacent crop fields, underlining the general ecological value of field margins regardless of floral composition. T...
doi.org
"The entire 13-state Mid-Atlantic grid may not have enough generation to power the 111 new data centers with a load of 27 gigawatts that Dominion has approved so far." www.princewilliamtimes.com/localnews/th... Good reporting about Dominion's process to prioritize data center growth over all else
THE BIG BOTTLENECK: Power crunch keeps data centers in the dark
In Virginia, more than 300 data centers are waiting for power that would equal the output of 70 Lake Anna nuclear plants. It could take decades.
princewilliamtimes.com
I "like" to watch electricity prices "for fun", and it's pretty common on hot afternoons to see free electricity across Central, Southside, and SE VA, while electricity is trading for hundreds or thousands of dollars per megawatt across Data Center Alley
was out spraying tree of heaven this morning on my property, where I saw my first adult spotted lanternfly of the year and the first lanternfly that I've seen on my property
I use translucent plastic tubes to protect young apple trees in my orchard. These tubes have the potential to get really hot, so I set up a small side-by-side to measure leaf surface temperature in this extreme heat (air temps were low- to mid-90s F when I measured in the late morning)
win-win Soil carbon is good for crops, farmers, and farms, even if it didn't provide a climate benefit
Project Drawdown@projectdrawdown.bsky.social · 2mo ago🌾 The soil beneath our feet can help our climate Improve Annual Cropping is a climate solution that currently avoids roughly 0.81% of global emissions. It's also a unique case where what's good for soil is good for farmers and the climate at once. Learn more → https://bit.ly/4oV5tbi
"Postemergence herbicide use was the most influential management variable for predicting composite soil health scores" // Evaluating Soil Health in Commercial Apple Orchards for Improved Production Outcomes doi.org/10.21273/HOR...
I just visited some hazelnut orchards in the Willamette Valley to see some trials I helped design a few years ago, which test native plant cover crops and basalt dust soil amendments
This afternoon's shower brought us a rainbow not over the orchard, but in the orchard
Checking out one of the only vineyards in Virginia working with own-rooted vines
"The swing is the thing" - Virginia's climate isn't getting drier overall, but variance in our drought index is much higher this century vs. the last seansublette.substack.com/p/drought-cl...
Drought, climate change, and Virginia
Virginia is very different than California and Texas
seansublette.substack.com
the irrigation supply company included a couple of lollipops in my order which is very nice, but now there are ants in my barn
"The scientific system thrives on inefficiency: redundant efforts, failed attempts, and divergent paths. These are not costs to be eliminated but sources of discovery." doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Progression without progress
Progress in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to advance scientific discovery has made it increasingly realistic to envision automated “end-to-end science” (ETES) systems: integrated pipelines t...
doi.org
Drought monitor had the line between severe and extreme drought passing right over my house last week, and this morning's report shows my whole county in extreme drought. Hopefully getting meaningful rain over the next couple of days, but it isn't raining yet
Many talk about ecological complexity, but is the concept useful in practice? Our new paper shows complexity is measurable in the field & can be restored But it isn’t reducible to simple indicators - we must measure multiple ecosystem properties besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Drivers of complexity in ecosystem restoration
This study shows that ecological complexity is empirically measurable, and its development in restoration can be influenced by key variables, which have mechanistic underpinnings. The foundational ro...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
How warm has it been this spring in Virginia? Gray line is growing degree day accumulation for 2026. Even with recent cooler seasonal weather, Winchester VA is 150 GDD units ahead of average. (Graph by Dr. Drew Harner at Virginia Tech)
"Because vineyard soil microbes influence vine health and performance and operate as a reservoir of microbes for aboveground tissues, adopting under-vine groundcovers may offer a promising, biology-driven means for combining production goals with soil health stewardship" doi.org/10.1094/PBIO...
Groundcovers Alter Vineyard Soil Microbiomes Within and Beyond Their Rooting Zones | Phytobiomes Journal
Groundcovers are increasingly planted in perennial cropping systems to improve soil health. In vineyards, grass groundcovers can influence many edaphic properties, yet the effects of these groundcover...
doi.org
"We describe perennial wheat's ‘disruptive’ character not as evidence that the crop itself transforms farmers’ thinking but as recognition that its unique traits compel both farmers and researchers to reconsider what roles grain crops can and should play." doi.org/10.1017/S174...
Growing intermediate wheatgrass as a perennial grain crop in the United States: exploring the multifunctionality of agriculture within socio-technical constraints | Renewable Agriculture and Food Syst...
Growing intermediate wheatgrass as a perennial grain crop in the United States: exploring the multifunctionality of agriculture within socio-technical constraints - Volume 41
doi.org