Environmental Impact On Environmental And Economic Health Of The State Essay

The culprit this time around is the farmland that makes up 63% of the Lake Erie watershed, or, more specifically, the potent phosphorous fertilizers being improperly applied to the land (McLean et al., 2014). Growing demand for food has placed increased pressure on farmers’ crop production, so many farmers compromise using more fertilizer less efficiently in

The states of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio are mainly known for their auto industries, but automobiles aren’t the only thing these states specialize in. For starters, Michigan has a growing industry in technology. Technology just happened to be one of the top five industries fueling Michigan’s economy. This industry is supported by their unrivaled epic center for research and development. The research and development center is where work is directed towards the innovation, introduction, and improvement of products and processes. When dealing with technology, water technology is a necessity because it aids greatly in Michigan’s ever improving agricultural industry. The agricultural industry brings in $101billion to Michigan’s economy which

Seventy percent of the Dead Zone pollution in the Gulf of Mexico, is from Minnesota. But, that’s because we didn’t follow the sixteen foot buffer law. If the farmers put sixteen feet between their field and waterways, Minnesota would have clearer water. Fifty foot buffers are about five times more than we need. That empty land from the buffer is where food could be planted for many families. One acre feeds a family for a year, and one acre is around the size of a football field. Imagine 120,000 football fields, filled with food but then it gets taken

In the UVA Chesapeake Bay Game, I was assigned the role of a Crop Farmer number for the the Potomac River watershed. In the Bay game, the crop farmer controls several things, including the type of farming used, the number of acres used for each purpose, and the option of buying new farm equipment ("UVA Bay Game", 2016). The types of farming used in the bay game are conventional high yield, best management practices (BMP), advanced BMP, and sustainable ("UVA Bay Game", 2016). These farming practices range from very poor for the Bay’s health to the most beneficial. Conventional high yield farming produces the largest volume of crops, however uses pesticides and fertilizer that are detrimental to the Bay’s health ("UVA Bay Game", 2016). Sustainable farming is the most beneficial for the Bay as it puts a diverse population of plants together in order to reduce runoff, however it is more costly and has a lesser crop yield than the other farming practices ("UVA Bay Game", 2016). The crop farmer also has an option to choose how many acres will be used for planting, fallow land (land reserved for the next year to maintain nutrients), and cover crops that will be used as a more natural and environmentally sound option compared to other fertilizers ("UVA Bay Game", 2016).

It may seem like we will never run out of soil, but soil conservation is a critical issue in Texas today. So if the entire farming community implemented at least one type of soil conservation effort we would widely improve our agriculture benefits. These benefits would include saving energy, by using less diesel fuel for tractors. Implementation of these farming practices could save water and reduce several types of diseases and pests that farmers encounter when planting their crops. This is no time to be cutting corners on expenses because the United States spends about $37.6 billion each year on soil

Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “the history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.” The United States began seeing sustainable management practices in farms, and healthier soil through this act. In 1982 through 2007, the United States soil erosion had declined by 43%” (Montanarella, 2015). Every year the United States loses about $400 billion dollars due to crop soil that is eroded. Soil is a limited resource and the largest resource for growing food, accommodating diverse ecosystems, and providing food resources. Therefore laws, acts, and provisions are necessary to protect this natural resource.

Congress declares soil erosion “a natural menace”. Under Hugh B. Bennett, the SCS will develop programs to save the topsoil and irreparable damage to the land. New farming techniques are put in place and farmers are paid to practice soil-conserving techniques as

Today, in the United States, farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of commodities for food, fuel, and fiber in response to markets. These farmers understand and recognize the significance of managing their soil as well as their plant productivity. America’s farmers are true professionals because crop production is a very complex business.

Explanatory: How do political influences drive agricultural pollution, specifically in regards to the conservative nature of the states that surround the drainage of the Mississippi River? What makes agricultural water pollution difficult to control, in spite of all the attention it has been receiving by organizations such as the

For the past few years, the American Lung Association has been releasing its annual reports on the “State of The Air” that lists the most polluted cities in the United States. For instance, in 2014, out of the seven cities ranked to have the worst air quality, six of them are in California. The two major air pollution culprits in California are from the transportation sources such as trucks and cars, or from the stationary sources such as industrial facilities and refineries (Ierodiakonou, et al. 392). However, the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association includes other pollutants in their reports such as Sulphur(IV) oxide, Carbon(II) Oxide gas and Nitrogen(IV) Oxide from chemical industries, which also causes harm to human beings and the environment at large.

The effects of eutrophication will not be experienced downstream if the nutrients fail to enter the watershed upstream. A study by Ribaudo et al. in 2000 found that a cost-effective approach to reducing the hypoxic region is fertilizer management or reduction. Wu and Tanaka (2005) found that implementing a fertilizer tax is cost-effective and would reduce inputs of nutrients into the watershed. The federal government currently has a system that could grow and become more prevalent as farmers take action to reduce their runoff. A $3 billion United States grant is in place to fund cover crops for farmers. Cover crops are planted to take up excess nutrients in the soil and stabilize the soil to prevent erosion. This method, in addition to fertilizer reduction, has been effective in reducing agricultural runoff in Ohio. Almost 500 farmers in Ohio have applied for a portion of the grant to not only help their agricultural productivity, but also to reduce the impact of agricultural runoff on fisheries. Lawmakers already passed a law limiting the amount of agricultural runoff from farms in Ohio. For the next three years, participation with the guidelines is voluntary and encouraged, but the law will become mandatory after the third year. The voluntary efforts proved to be ineffective. The law was passed months before Toledo, Ohio experienced a water crisis due to toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie and many inland lakes. While the law does not address limits on fertilizer, it is a step in the right direction. More analysis will have to be done once the law takes full effect in

REMIEDIATING AGRICULTURAL WATER CONTAMINATION Remediating Agricultural Water Contamination: Problem, Solution, and Barriers Paper Problem Concerns about water pollution are generally focused towards sources that are highly visible and chemically oriented. However, the greatest causes of water contamination and quantity abuse in the United States come from agricultural production (United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2012a), which is defined as a nonpoint source that pollutes with nutrients. In 2011, nine

in an effort to solve problems, which can be seen with the Clean Water Act.

The editors at Grist all have degrees in their respective fields and many seem to have journalism experience prior to being a part of Grist. Grist’s team credentials instill a sense of credibility for the site. The site has a dot-org web address which I generally do not blindly trust. However, after looking at the credentials of the team putting together this site, I am more confident that this site is a trustworthy one. Grist seems to provide accurate info that is regularly updated and relevant. Grist also provides

Environmental problems are something which belongs to nature or known as “Mother Earth” [13]. Nature was created to help people survive from gathering foods until build a house. This phenomenon happens continuously without thinking how much damage that nature has because human’s fault. Nature gradually becomes worse and animal’s life in danger. People who are aware of the importance of nature react. Those people do several ways to save the environment. Although these efforts can return back the environment, these efforts only can be hold temporarily. This problem happens because those people who are aware of the environment only slightly; for remaining, there are people either do not know or do not care about the nature. People’s efforts