soil quality

Family Fun and Sustainable Farming at Stone Barns Center

Stone Barns Center is an 80-acre farm tucked away in the rolling hills of Westchester County, New York and lies at the heart of a new food revolution.

The GOOD, the Bad and the Wasteful

Over at GOOD magazine, July’s 30-day Challenge is to Waste Less. (Twitter hashtag: #30daysofgood) Here at GRACE, we've been having a great time checking out the the GOOD staff updates and the responses to the questions they've been putting to their readers.

Drinking Water Week Blues: Nitrate Pollution from Coast to Coast

California’s Central Valley and New York’s Suffolk County have the shared problem of nitrate contaminated drinking water as shown in two separate studies. The question is, how long can this pollution be tolerated?

Soil Quality

Though healthy soil is invaluable, industrial agricultural practices degrade this natural resource by causing erosion, nutrient depletion, and soil contamination.

Pesticides

Pesticides are used extensively by industrial crop producers. Find out how these toxins damage the environment and compromise human health.

Sustainable Crop Production

Sustainable crop production is a way of growing or raising food in an ecologically and ethically responsible manner. This includes adhering to agricultural and food production practices that do not harm the environment, that provide fair treatment to workers, and that support and sustain local communities.

Organic Agriculture

What does "organic" actually mean? Find information about the USDA's National Organic Program, including its benefits and shortcomings.

Industrial Crop Production

Learn how industrial crop production degrades the environment and impairs human health.

Impacts of Industrial Agriculture

Learn how industrial agriculture damages the environment, threatens human health, degrades rural communities, harms workers, and compromises animal welfare.

Let's Talk About Dirt!

At the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (a pioneer educational institution and the first museum created expressly for kids), a workshop on soil teaches kids about dirt and its wonders. Watch the video and learn with the kids about soil, seeds, and the world class Olympic snail race.

Organic Agriculture: Fifty (Plus) Shades of Gray

Media coverage of a recent Stanford study has questioned the value of organic food. But is all organic agriculture created equal? In a word, no.

Discovery Education - The Dirt on Soil

We know less about life in the earth under our feet than we do about the far side of the moon, yet every plant and animal you can think of depends on this vast hidden ecosystem. Dig into this underground universe and meet its tiny but helpful residents using Discovery Education’s "The Dirt on Soil" guide.

Living Soils

Soil is more than just "brown stuff." Explore the world right under your feet using the interactive Living Soils tool created by the University of New England.

National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Quality Site

Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes. This site includes an overview of basic soil quality concepts, a soil quality glossary, and the online Soil Biology Primer.

National Sustainable Agriculture Program - Soils and Compost

Healthy soil can improve crop and livestock production. The publications and other resources listed on this webpage offer information on how to assess, improve and maintain soil health for both croplands and pastures.

The Healthy Farm: A Vision for US Agriculture

Recently, the Union of Concerned Scientists put together a policy brief, in which they outline a vision of a healthful alternative to the unsustainable practices that are involved in industrial agriculture. Accompanied by a bright interactive web feature illustrating the components of a healthy farm, the brief spells out the principles, practices and benefits that come along with a shift toward farming based on ecological principles, or agroecology.

1 16 results

Quick Facts

Health care costs associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria rise by an estimated $4 billion dollars each year.
One glass of milk has a water footprint of 52 gallons.
More than 1,300 gallons are required to produce a 12oz steak.
A shower leaking just 10 drips per minute wastes 500 gallons of water per year. That's enough water to run your dishwasher every day for two months!
Poultry farms often sear off as much as half of a chicken's beak to prevent aggression brought on by cramped living conditions.
One ton of carbon dioxide pollution causes around $20 of damage to economies, ecosystems and human health.
One cotton t-shirt has a water footprint of 659 gallons.
Of the world's leading 57 crops, 39 benefit from natural pollinators, such as birds and insects.
It takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water.
One slice of bread has a water footprint of 11 gallons.
Respiratory diseases account for up to 75% of all diseases on feedlots, and up to 71% of all pre-slaughter cattle deaths.
An estimated 48 million incidents of foodborne illness occur annually in the US, most frequently from poultry, beef, and fish.
On average, one apple has a water footprint of 33 gallons.
Arsenic compounds are approved as feed additives in the US, and are administered to chickens to speed growth and kill parasites.
Natural gas is the largest source of energy produced in the US followed by coal, oil, renewable and nuclear. (As of 2011)

Our Sites

GRACE Communications Foundation