Organic farming is not the only eco-friendly solution Oct 25, 2008
This soil tillage damages the structure of the topsoil, leaving it exposed to wind and water erosion and exposing beneficial microfauna to the harsh air ... Any cultivation of land will deplete the topsoil of nutrients, releasing trapped carbon into the air and allowing fertilizers and pesticides to run off into nearby lakes and rivers, which causes algal build-up and poisoning the water table. (Yale Herald, CT)
Deal between city of Fresno, Hmong farmers to relocate appears to be uprooted. Oct 21, 2008
"These people are being used as pawns. We had a wonderful understanding. They were going to have shade and water at a new site. It felt so good as opposed to showing up two weeks from now and saying 'Bye-Bye.' "Wallace said the city is planning to add topsoil to the proposed parcel. The elderly Hmong, all war refugees from the Vietnam era, have quietly grown corn, lemon grass, Thai eggplant and other plants and herbs tracing back to Laos on the city-owned land on Belmont Avenue. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Tropical cyclones can bury green gases Oct 21, 2008
But more powerful cyclones would have other damaging effects such as washing away more topsoil, threatening farms. Text. (India Times, India)
Terroir lessons in a nutshell Oct 16, 2008
When you bite into a fresh Dixon Ridge walnut, says McNamara, you should notice a distinctive terroir, a sweet rich flavor that reflects the high-quality water of Putah Creek and the loamy topsoil that in some places is 60-feet deep. This year marks McNamara's 28th harvest. (San Francisco Chronicle)
U.S. taps Canada's oil sands - but at what cost? Oct 13, 2008
"Oil companies are expanding so fast in Alberta that the three big players Suncor Energy Inc., Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Albian Sands Energy Inc. have built their own airstrips to ferry in temporary construction workers. Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC and many other companies have investments in the big operators.Workers from all over Canada, plus miners from South Africa and oil workers from Venezuela, have moved to Fort McMurray. Housing costs are sky high. The boomtown of 65,000 has... (Anchorage Daily News)
Even dirt isn't dirt cheap anymore Oct 10, 2008
Be it run-of-the-pile dirt, screened topsoil or fluffy, nutrient-juiced, potting mixes, the earth of landscapes, flower beds and container gardens is getting pricey. Fuel increases hit the soil industry with a triple whammy, as local business owners such as Scott McCaughey of Worthington-based Topsoil Inc. cope with customer delivery, equipment processing and the mound-to-mound hopscotching that no one sees ... Wendy Dunlap, operations assistant at Diamond Mulch in Hampton, said producing... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Fuel increases hit the soil industry Oct 10, 2008
said producing Diamond's premium topsoil involves screening out the tree roots, rocks and other junk, then taking steps to minimize the amount of clay. People might understand the transportation costs, she said, but as McCaughey said, not so much the fuel costs related to production. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
Mile-a-minute vine kept at bay---for now Oct 10, 2008
" The vine's seeds can be distributed from one place to another through deliveries of topsoil, too. "And mulch," Ms. Nelson added. "That idea scares me to death. My gardening clients get soil brought in, and it's hard to know where that will end up. (New Milford Times, CT)
Topsoil's Limited Turnover: A Crisis In Time Oct 6, 2008
5, 2008) Topsoil does not last forever. Records show that topsoil erosion, accelerated by human civilization and conventional agricultural practices, has outpaced long-term soil production. (Science Daily)
World Environment Day marked at Tarkwa. Oct 5, 2008
Mr Sandow Ali said since the middle of the last century alone, the world has lost nearly a fifth of its tropical rainforest, a fifth of the topsoil from its croplands, tens of thousands of its animal species. He said human activities had increased carbon dioxide levels to the point where the climate of the world is affected, the protective ozone layer was being depleted and water bodies were being polluted and poorly managed. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Woman digs coffee grounds for garden Oct 3, 2008
"If I were rich, I would make a telephone call and I'd have them deliver all the topsoil I wanted," she said ... The difference between using topsoil and coffee grounds is that topsoil is a combination of compost, sand and clay, while coffee grounds become just compost as they decompose, Summers said. (Carroll County Times)
NORMAN WINTER:Mum's the word for every landscape Oct 3, 2008
We plant all our mums on raised beds where prepared, organic landscape mixes have been incorporated into the topsoil. If you're planning on putting in some mums at your house, keep light - or actually, darkness - in mind. (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal)
Ike's remnants batter farm crops in South, Midwest Sep 18, 2008
Elsewhere, heavy rain actually helped parts of southern and southeastern Iowa in need of moisture, producing "significant surpluses" in topsoil moisture, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service Iowa field office. In western Kentucky, several dark-fired tobacco growers lost barns to wind-fanned fires. (Anchorage Daily News)
I Have to Tell You . . . Sep 18, 2008
"With silica sand they could just fill two or three railcars, but the sand and gravel plants could fill a whole line of cars. Later on that point turned out to be an important part of the story. Billy noted that the combined mining operations in Pacific mined two grades of gravel, A gravel and B gravel, and two grades of sand, concrete sand and sugar sand. Sugar sand was the pure white silica sand from the white bluffs and was way too soft and fine to be used for concrete. It was a major mistake... (Missourian Publishing, MO)
A lifetime of good groundwork Sep 18, 2008
A hill that overlooks the pool, once a wild landscape bereft of topsoil, is now a series of terraces framed by pairs of stately cypress. Farther away, defined by low hedges of boxwood, are the working gardens, awash in color, with flowers for cutting and vegetables for eating. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Cool, wet weather delays crop progress Sep 17, 2008
Topsoil moisture improved a bit last week, with 62 percent in the adequate to surplus categories. Madison Daily Leader 2008. (Madison Daily Leader, SD)
As list of tainted rivers grows, Iowans take up challenge to improve waterways Sep 14, 2008
Utilizing such marginal land can lead to greater erosion, meaning topsoil runs into waterways when it rains, reducing water quality. The state's growing urban areas also contribute to the problem, as concrete replaces soil that normally absorbs rain. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
How to Build a Raised Garden Bed Sep 11, 2008
Fill with topsoil and plant. The copyright of the article How to Build a Raised Garden Bed in is owned by. (Suite101.com)
Drought-tolerant plants need little care and add an exotic feel to gardens. Sep 11, 2008
Do bring in topsoil and create raised beds if you have hardpan. Do remove offshoots from plants that produce them, such as agave and aloe vera, or your garden can get out of control. (Fresno Bee -- Lifestyle)
Is Organic Farming Polluting Our Food With Heavy Metals? Sep 9, 2008
further contaminate topsoil with varying concentrations of heavy metals. Organic advocates, who rely exclusively on these fertilizers, remain well aware of the problem today, although they rarely publicize the point. (Slate)
Ducks Unlimited Applauds Decision To Maintain The “Holy Grail” Of Conservation (2) Sep 7, 2008
The program is credited with conserving more than 470 million tons of topsoil in the past year that would otherwise be washed into rivers and streams, degrading water for drinking, fish and wildlife, business, and downstream agriculture. The soil retention accomplished through CRP also lessens runoff of agricultural chemicals, which have been linked to the growing hypoxic dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. (Minnesota Farm Guide, MN)
Drought-tolerant corn to be featured Sep 1, 2008
"Also, our topsoil and subsoils tend to be more porous, so they're more coarse and have less water-holding capacity than the soils of Iowa and Illinois," he said. Nebraska farmers are able to implement irrigation practices using water from aquifers, rivers and lakes, but the practice is stressing the environment, McCauley said. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Lack of rain causes concern Aug 28, 2008
Carroll County Times: Westminster, Maryland. WEATHER SPONSORED BY. (Carroll County Times)
Not-So-Permafrost: Big Thaw of Arctic Soil May Unleash Runaway Warming Aug 27, 2008
"Frost boils" deep soil that roils to the surface like bubbles in a boiling pot and ground cracks allow topsoil to slip below the surface and come into contact with the deep permafrost. This keeps the soil from decomposing and thereby traps more than 98 petagrams (98 million billion grams) of carbon, or one sixth the total in the atmosphere, according to biogeochemist Christian Beer of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany. (Scientific American)
Compost odor causes concern Aug 22, 2008
Kevin Clark of Hudson Valley Organics, who has been making organic topsoil from the composting operation at Allen Sand and Gravel, attended the meeting and offered his comments to the town board, as well ... Clark then went on to clarify the material that is used to compost into the topsoil. (Henrietta Post, NY)
Inflation gets down to nitty-grity Aug 17, 2008
At your local garden center, the cheapest dirt, which often goes by the name of "premium topsoil," may cost $4 ... Depends on the recipe, but any kind of topsoil or potting mix is likely to be crammed with composted organic material ... Topsoils can be made from composted shellfish shells, for example. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Garden lets residents get their hands in the soil Aug 16, 2008
All plots cost $10 a month to rent with three hours of volunteer service, or $20 per month, which covers the cost of water, additional composted manure and organic topsoil, and an introductory organic gardening course. As of last week, Ferrell had sent out 60 applications but not all had been returned. (Florida Times-Union)
Land conservation contracts expiring Aug 14, 2008
According to Ducks Unlimited, CRP conserved more than 470 million tons of topsoil alone in the past year that otherwise might have ended up in the nation's rivers. Moreover, deep-rooted plants that keep soil in place also help absorb and naturally disperse excess agricultural chemicals and nutrients such as nitrogen that are partly responsible for the hypoxic dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. (Pekin Times, IL)
Row crops in good shape Aug 13, 2008
Seventy-seven percent of the state has enough topsoil moisture. Madison Daily Leader 2008. (Madison Daily Leader, SD)
USDA crop and weather report for August 11 Aug 13, 2008
Topsoil moisture is rated at 7 percent very short, 19 percent short, 65 percent adequate, and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture is rated at 11 percent very short, 25 percent short, 57 percent adequate, and 7 percent surplus. (Midwest Bulls Eye, NE)
Fungal Disease Culprits Identified With Molecular Genetics Aug 11, 2008
In Washington State, Rhizoctonia root rot is so severe that some wheat growers have abandoned the practice of direct-seeding, a planting technique that conserves water and topsoil, notes Okubara. The assay her team developed uses laboratory-built molecules called primers to detect specific sequences of fungal DNA in soil or plant samples. (Science Daily)
Colonial Restoration of Bolton helps move Schartner barn Aug 10, 2008
For example, one set of foundation plans had to be revised when an examination of the grounds revealed topsoil difficulties. It s expensive, but it s exciting, said Schartner. (Bolton Common, MA)
Officials say maintenance not 'special favor' Aug 7, 2008
However, following an agreement made where Mr. Gilhooly would pay for the hay and grass seed, Public Works spent about a half-day placing topsoil over the large exposed rocks, alleviating depressions up to Mr. Gilhooly's stone wall and planting grass over the area. The Public Works Department preferred that they do the work themselves, as an aged drainage fixture exists on the site, which they wanted to assess. (Town Times, CT)
On the Front Lines of the Global Food Crisis Aug 5, 2008
Where water was applied with too much abandon, naturally occurring soil salts rose to the surface, making the topsoil too saline for plants to grow properly. The Green Revolution's miraculous yields depended on boosting efficiencies through mono-cropping. (Slate)
Energy issues put sensitive areas in crosshairs Aug 3, 2008
Gravel has replaced topsoil that was removed for drilling operations. Childress said both locations will have to be restored. (Montana Standard, MT)
Floods strip Midwest of valuable topsoil Jul 28, 2008
Floods strip Midwest of tons of valuable topsoil ... Erosion robs farmers of the nutrient-rich topsoil their growing plants need ... "It takes thousands of years to form one inch of topsoil," said Jane Hardisty, Indiana's state conservationist. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Soil Now Gone, Floods Keep Hurting Jul 28, 2008
Erosion robs farmers of the nutrient-rich topsoil their growing plants need. "It takes thousands of years to form one inch of topsoil," said Jane Hardisty, Indiana's state conservationist ... He could replant corn in an effort to make money off the field, but that would take cash to rebuild a breached levee and haul hundreds of truck loads of topsoil to replace his lost land. (Time.com)
Through the Woods: A turkey spa Jul 26, 2008
They walked with purpose straight to a truckload of good, loamy topsoil destined for flowerbeds and garden amendment. The hot sun had dried it to an irresistible and veritable turkey spa. (Hillsdale Independent, NY)
Modeling Erosion Damage From Ephemeral Gullies Jul 19, 2008
These new channels easily erode the recently tilled fields and start another cycle of gully development and topsoil reduction that can expand across production fields. The team developed a model to evaluate how tillage practices can affect the formation and evolution of ephemeral gullies and subsequent soil erosion rates. (Science Daily)
French Doubts Up After Nuke Mishaps Jul 19, 2008
The ASN announced July 7 that uranium-tainted waste liquids from the Tricastin nuclear plant, in southern France 30 miles northwest of Avignon, had leaked into surrounding rivers and topsoil. Inhabitants of the Vaucluse department were ordered to refrain from drinking water, eating locally caught fish, and irrigating crops with potentially contaminated water. (Time.com)
Time to invest more in protecting environment Jul 15, 2008
Environmental deterioration in some parts of China has led to progressive loss of topsoil and fast desertification, which has alarmed some neighboring nations. We have made tremendous efforts in recent years to upgrade our technology and many industries have improved their energy efficiency markedly, but in general our economy is still way behind member-states of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in terms of energy efficiency. (Xinhuanet, China)
Roundtable to look at environmental issues Jul 13, 2008
In its press release statement, the Houston-Galveston Area Council presented statistics on the impact homeowners have on the environment: homeowners and landscapers apply 90 percent of pesticides used in the U.S.; lawns and other urban landscapes emit topsoil and chemicals into waterways that residents depend on for drinking water and over 200 stream areas in Texas do not meet water quality standards. Empowering local residents with the education to participate in the environmental safety of... (Pasadena Citizen, TX)
Online help for novice desert gardeners Jul 13, 2008
Last fall, I added gypsum, cow manure, topsoil and phosphorus to the soil ... Many gardeners literally remove the first several feet of soil from their garden beds and replace it with topsoil and other organic materials, but you can also overdo it with the amendments. (AZCentral -- Home)
Tainted topsoil from contractor leads to a knotty problem : Jul 7, 2008
Tainted topsoil from contractor leads to a knotty problem ... The contractor that did the finishing site work for the roundabout on the intersection of Krumkill Road and Schoolhouse Road brought in topsoil that contained Japanese knotweed, an aggressive invasive plant ... "Our construction contract includes specifications for topsoil and seed, and our construction inspectors monitor the project to ensure that the contractor complies with these specifications," he said. (Albany Times Union)
‘Valley View hell’ Jul 6, 2008
He added that the road department has agreed to scrape back some of the topsoil (near the Veibell Road) and put in some road base and kind of bank it so that people can t just go out and start driving in their fields. For its part, the Cache County Council voted to double the fines for speeding in the area and limit the road to passenger cars and trucks, while making exceptions for trucks doing agricultural work and those making a delivery nearby. (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
No-Till: How Farmers Are Saving the Soil by Parking Their Plows Jul 1, 2008
John Aeschliman turns over a shovelful of topsoil on his 4,000-acre farm in the Palouse region of eastern Washington State ... By the late 1970s in the Palouse, soil erosion had removed 100 percent of the topsoil from 10 percent of the cropland, along with another 25 to 75 percent of the topsoil from another 60 percent of that land ... The first such tools were scratch plows, consisting of a frame holding a vertical wooden post that was dragged through the topsoil. (Scientific American)
Iowa farmer sees years of damage to corn crops from floods Jun 28, 2008
The rich topsoil lost to floods this month won't be restored so quickly ... "It takes 100 years to build an inch of topsoil," said Hatfield, director of the USDA's National Soil Tilth Laboratory, a land-management study center in Ames, Iowa. (Boston Globe)
Agricultural summary for June 23 Jun 28, 2008
Topsoil moisture was rated 6 percent short, 76 percent adequate, and 18 percent surplus. The average weekly temperature was 3. (Princeton Bureau County Republican, IL)
Design and construction combine at Twin Oaks Landscaping Jun 26, 2008
In addition to landscaping services, Twin Oaks Landscaping also sells mulch and topsoil. Before opening their own business, Erickson and Espel completed many landscaping jobs in the Chicago suburbs. (Princeton Bureau County Republican, IL)
Record corn prices hike food costs Jun 23, 2008
Floodwaters also tossed farm equipment, sprayed cornfields with debris and silt and sucked away large chunks of topsoil. For livestock owners and meat producers, the damage may be felt long after the corn grows back. (Helena Independent Record, MT)
Between the Lines Jun 21, 2008
"Farmers here didn't wait to be asked; they just showed up with tractors, end-loaders and huge manure pumps. These guys had crops under water, but rather than sit around and watch their topsoil erode, they went in to town to help. They stayed there as the water rose up their tractor wheels from Sunday before dinner, well into nightfall on Monday." Five different tractors ran 13 pumps, courtesy of local livestock farmers, which cleared out 200,000 gallons of water per minute. What these farmers... (Missouri Valley Times News, IA)
UN warns of growth in climate change refugees Jun 20, 2008
In Haiti, he said, deforestation and the resulting erosion of fertile topsoil was contributing to conflict, while in Mali, Chad and Ethiopia, entire lakes had all but disappeared over the last two decades. Meanwhile in Asia, the Himalayan glaciers which fed the continent s life-supporting rivers could have all but vanished by 2030, he added. (Yahoo News -- Climate Change)
Rain slows planting; cool weather slows crop growth Jun 18, 2008
Only 1 percent of the state was rated short or very short of topsoil moisture, and just 6 percent of the state was rated short or very short of subsoil moisture. Madison Daily Leader 2008. (Madison Daily Leader, SD)
Durum sees a little stability creep into market Jun 17, 2008
We'll need to rely on consistent rains to keep the topsoil moist, and right now that's not proving to be a very positive trend, Peterson said. Durum planting in North Dakota is 90 percent planted vs a 75 percent average. (Great Falls Prairie Star, MT)
Eating at home, buying generic help people get by Jun 16, 2008
"I'm looking to get rid of the truck and I'm looking into hybrids. This economy affects my business - I went from 300 to 400 loads (of aggregate) per day to 30 to 40 per day, because the construction industry is down. So I'm looking into different materials, mason sand, septic sand, topsoil.". Brittany Bolinger of West Palm Beach, who is one year out of college and navigating the vicissitudes of real life, said driving her gas-hungry Durango has become less fun. (The Palm Beach Post)
Guys at auction report generally good crop start Jun 15, 2008
Based on mapping by the North Dakota field office of the USDA, Gussey is in a slice of the region up through northwest of Beulah underserved by rainfall and where topsoil moisture remained inadequate through the week ending June 8. Wes Andrews, a young farmer and rancher from north of Bowman, said he was at the sale to buy a truck, the same one he figured pretty much everyone was looking to buy. (Bismarck Tribune, ND)
More of this story Jun 14, 2008
Behind him is Wallace Farm, a 120-acre facility that produces compost, topsoil, potting soil and mulch ... The remaining area is segregated from the composting operation and includes buildings and piles of topsoil ... Only one developer came to talk to the Wallaces before building, and that was only because he wanted to run sewer lines across the farm and wanted to get rid of some wood and topsoil. (Huntersville Herald, NC)
Stoney beauties Jun 13, 2008
The Alaska Rock Garden Society used river rocks and chunks of broken concrete to underpin the ABG rock gardens, then topped that with a coarse mix of sand, gravel and topsoil. "Rock garden plants want moisture but not wet," says Pratt. (Anchorage Daily News)
Crop report: Rain hampering planting efforts Jun 11, 2008
The rain has helped topsoil moisture, which jumped 21 percent in the surplus category. Only 2 percent of the state is now rated as short or very short of topsoil moisture. (Madison Daily Leader, SD)
Gulf 'dead zone' could be largest on record Jun 11, 2008
Those deposits include topsoil as well as farm fertilizer runoff, which depletes the surrounding water of oxygen. . (MSNBC -- Environment)
Letter from Morocco Jun 11, 2008
Belafia says the Koran fortifies these attitudes by referring to women as "topsoil" to be cultivated by their husbands. Idrissi agrees. (International Herald Tribune)
Dave Kraemer: Reaching across a century on a river Jun 8, 2008
" And the modern version of the float was not without its wilderness. Indeed, Iowa's rivers provide a trip back in time, their waters etch through layers of Iowa topsoil to touch the rock laid down eons ago. Below the banks, in a staunch canoe, a person disappears from modern life and reacquaints with wild flowers and birds, muskrats, mink, carp and the verdant realm of nature. Most significantly, Ana Donaldson, wife of Al, points out in a blog about the trip kept this week, that exactly as with... (Ames Daily Tribune, IA)
Pipeline near Waverly causing waves with landowners Jun 5, 2008
The contractor will remove topsoil to bury the pipe and replace it, a process Hilt believes will result in reduced yields on about 16 acres ... We do the best we can to clean up and replace topsoil, he said. (Columbus Telegram, NE)
DEQ issues permit for gravel pit Jun 5, 2008
All topsoil at the site will be piled into beams and planted in an effort to control dust. The DEQ permit also requires the company to separately stockpile soil with lead levels above 500 parts per million. (Helena Independent Record, MT)
It takes persistence to beat this late-spring strangler Jun 5, 2008
Fortunately, they don't disperse easily unless tangled in vegetation clinging to maintenance equipment or introduced with topsoil. NOXIOUS NOTORIETY: Once rooted, these beauties cling to and wrap around everything in sight, frequently killing native pants and tree limbs. (Anchorage Daily News)
