Decode 6

Research Driven Insights: Advancing Ecosystem Service Markets for Sustainable Farming

Ecosystem services encompass the dynamic balance between plants, animals, and the surrounding environment. Ecosystem service markets seek to quantify these complex relationships and offer incentives to producers and land managers for improving ecosystem services. What’s the relationship between research and ecosystem service markets? Our expert with the answers is Dr. LaKisha Odom, Scientific Program Director at the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research [https://foundationfar.org/about/people/lakisha-odom/]. In this episode, LaKisha explores: * The intricacies of ecosystem service markets, * The relationship between research and practical applications in farming, * The challenges of quantifying ecosystem services, and * The tangible and intangible benefites these markets bring to farmers. Dig deeper: Explore these resources to learn more about ecosystem services and their corresponding markets. * What Are Ecosystem Services? (Decode 6) [https://decode6.org/articles/ecosystem-services/] * Ecosystem Markets in EnviroAtlas (USDA) [https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/ecosystem-markets-enviroatlas] * Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (FFAR) [https://foundationfar.org/consortia/ecosystem-services-market-consortium/] Curious about carbon and ecosystem services and want to learn more? Check out Decode 6 [https://decode6.org/]. We're you're source for unbiased, science-based, bite-sized information about carbon and ecosystem services.

Optimizing Nutrient Cycling for Nutrient Dense Crops

Not all crops are harvested equal. Nutrient cycling—the transfer of nutrients from the atmosphere, additives, or the soil into plants and back again—has a profound impact on the final product: the crops at harvest. What can farmers do to grow the most nutrient-dense crops possible? Listen in as Joy Youwakim, a soil scientist currently working as a farmer and an agroecology scientist at Biome Makers, sheds light on the pivotal role of soil testing, microbes, and management practices in nutrient cycling and, ultimately, the production of more nutritious crops. Curious about carbon and ecosystem services and want to learn more? Check out Decode 6 [https://decode6.org/]. We're you're source for unbiased, science-based, bite-sized information about carbon and ecosystem services.

Harnessing Farm Data: Practical Strategies for Optimizing Efficiency

Farm data include yields, inputs, soil tests, machinery data, and business info. Keeping it all current and in ship-shape can be tough, but data are becoming a more and more powerful tools every day for you to document and communicate the value of your on-farm practices. Listen in as Ben Craker, a Portfolio Manager at AgGateway and president of the Ag Data Coalition, walks us through best practices for farm data, whether you’re an old hand at managing your archives or just thinking about ways to get the collection into good shape. Curious about carbon and ecosystem services and want to learn more? Check out Decode 6 [https://decode6.org/]. We're you're source for unbiased, science-based, bite-sized information about carbon and ecosystem services.

Practical Dairy Sustainability Tips for Immediate Impact

We’ve talked a lot about big changes on the horizon for dairy production in the last few episodes. This week, we’re digging into some practical on-farm tweaks dairy farmers can make to instantly impact their sustainability. Listen in as Tara Vander Dussen, a fifth generation dairy farmer and environmental scientist, talks us through hands-on sustainability tweaks for dairy farms. Water, electricity, and manure management are all candidates for small changes that can make big impacts to the whole farm’s overall environmental impact. Curious about carbon and ecosystem services and want to learn more? Check out Decode 6 [https://decode6.org/]. We're you're source for unbiased, science-based, bite-sized information about carbon and ecosystem services.

Muck to Money: Unraveling Anaerobic Digesters for Dairy Farms

Anaerobic digesters turn manure and other organic waste products into biogas and "digestate," a nutrient-rich product that farmers can use to add nutrients to fields. Digesters get a lot of hype, but how do they work? And when are they economical choices for dairy farms to install? Listen in as Lauren Ray, an agricultural sustainability and energy engineer at Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY, walks us through how digesters work and when they break even for farms that install them. As a bonus, she'll also describe the top things you should ask if you're thinking about working with a developer to install a digester. Curious about carbon and ecosystem services and want to learn more? Check out Decode 6 [https://decode6.org/]. We're you're source for unbiased, science-based, bite-sized information about carbon and ecosystem services.