MAY 13, 2019 11:58 PM
the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released its latest Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators report. Here are some notable highlights:
- By 2013, over 20% of planted corn, soybeans and rice acreage were farmed using VRT.
- Conservation tillage is used on 70% of soybean acres, 40% of cotton, 65% of corn, and 67% of wheat.
- US organic retail sales reached an estimated $49 billion in 2017. The number of certified organic operations in the US more than doubled between 2006 and 2016.
- As of 2017, across the Nation, 55% of assessed rivers and streams; 71% of lakes; and 84% of bays and estuaries nationally have impaired water quality. Agriculture is the largest source of impairments in rivers and streams and the second-largest source in lakes and ponds.
- In 2012, 35% of all cropland acres were in no-till and 3% were planted with a cover crop.
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