SoilMate’s Weekly News Digest #30
Research: the nature of the floods is expected to change with future warming
According to a new study, partly conducted by the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, climate change will significantly change future flood patterns. Although an increase in the number of moderate storms in the future will not necessarily increase run-off in many regions, extreme storms will cause more devastating and frequent flooding. As the study shows, more precipitation will affect floods related to higher temperatures on the atmosphere and land. Researchers have also found that the threshold of increased precipitation leading to more significant flooding varies with seasons, altitude, and other factors.
Carbon neutrality — a new policy brief for municipalities worldwide
Municipalities worldwide need to increasingly apply negative emission technologies to achieving carbon neutrality over the next 20 years. Since biomass carbon has been fixed there for thousands of years, technologies with long-term harmful carbon emissions (biochars) will become increasingly important in the future.
A study group headed by professor Mikko Jalas at the Aalto University and professor Priit Tammeorg at the University of Helsinki found that demonstration sites of urban carbon sinks in public parks should be safely visible scientifically sound for reliable and cost-effective verification of carbon sequestration.
The U.S. Leading States in Investing in Agri-food Tech by 2020
The leading state in investing in agro-industrial technologies last year was California. After all, it contains Silicon Valley and is itself a major agricultural producer. Massachusetts is in second place, given its pedigree for scientific research, Harvard and MIT, and a thriving ecosystem of startups that grew around them and other well-known institutions and companies. Also, according to the AgFunder Agribusiness Investment Report for 2021, Michigan and Florida were among the top five states to invest in agribusiness last year.
U.S. Cropland Values Up Nearly 8% in 2021
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average value of arable land in the country will be $4,420 for 2021. That’s $320 (almost 8 percent) more than in 2020. This year the value of arable land is a record. Until 2021, the average weight of arable land in the United States has fluctuated around $4,000 since 2014. The total value of farm property, measuring the value of all land and farm buildings, in 2021 averaged $3,380 per acre, which is $220 per acre, or 7% more than in 2020.
