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177 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Biofuel production has the potential to benefit ecosystems by supporting ----.
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perennials
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an negative effect of corn biofuels is an increase in the amount of ---- moving down the Mississippi river into the gulf.
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nitrogen
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how many tons of dry matter per acre does switchgrass provide? (range)
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3-7
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how many tons of dry matter per acre does miscanthus provide? (range)
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10-15
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what is the problem that miscanthus has in the midwest?
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the cold winter temperatures kill it.
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miscanthus is a --- hybrid.
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sterile
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what is a possible alternative to monocropping biofuels?
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grassland multi-species
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what percent of 2007 WI state economy was agriculture?
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12.5
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what are the three unique aspects of agriculture?
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land use, biology, and risk
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what are examples of abiotic risks of agriculture?
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weather, drought
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what are examples of biotic factors affecting agricultural risk?
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pests and pathogens
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what are the three main things we are trying to control with agricultural crops?
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yeild, quality, and tolerance
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what percent of the US is used for cropping/grazing?
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50
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what percent of managed fields' nitrogen comes from fertilizer?
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50
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in the last decade, --- percent of their income from the government.
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30
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what is a key to acceptance of the biofuel economy?
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consideration of the environment
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what is a multifunctional system?
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one that provides commodities and ecological services
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what is one way that biofuel production can aviod competing with current agricultural practices?
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it can be grown on abandoned agricultural lands
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another source of biofuel could come from collecting a portion of crop ---.
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residue
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another source of biofuel could come from using sustainable ---.
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forests
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another source of biofuel could come from the ultilzation of a --- cropping system.
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mixed
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another source of biofuel could come from the use of --- wastes.
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industrial
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the impact of ethanol on corn prices is often ---.
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overstated
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the impact of oil prices on ethanol prices is often ---.
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understated
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impact of bioenergy activity varies by ---.
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region
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how many gallons of ethanol does WI produce in one year?
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500 million
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how much was the largest grant to the UW made for?
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135 million
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what is the industry for southwest WI agriculture?
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livestock and small farms
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what is the industry for central WI agriculture?
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sand; vegetables
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what is the industry for northern WI agriculture?
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there is not much, but forestry is prominant
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WI is ranked -- in the nation for soil erosion from fields.
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8
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what is domestication?
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genetically determined physical and physiological changes a plant has undergone in response to human behavior
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what three things increase with ag intensification?
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demand on land
reliance on external inputs reliance on technology |
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what percent of the US population has direct involvement in agriculture?
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1
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how many farms is the US losing each year?
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about 20,000
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what is the definition of a farm according to the USDA?
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grossing 1,000 dollars annually
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--- percent of farmers account for fifty percent of agricultural land
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16
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how many farms has the US lost in the past 50 years?
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100,000
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WI has the highest rate of land --- in the midwest.
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development
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yeild gains have come at the cost of ---- and ----.
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natural resources and farming communities
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what are 5 ways technology effects farming?
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1. increased intensification
2. increased reliance on natural resources. 3. increased inputs/dependency on technology 4. increased complexity of farming system 5. decreased control by producers |
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what is "push" ag production?
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problem exists, technology is developed to fix it
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what is "pull" ag production?
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a group of developers pool knowledge to solve an issue (good for large, complex problems)
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though corn hybrids made mechanization easier, what is the trade off?
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greater need for chemicals due to higher suseptabilty to pests
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no till systems lead to --- and --- problems.
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weed, nitrogen deficiency
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over -- percent of the US farmland is leased.
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40
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what is a big reason that farm land is decreasing in WI?
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the value of developed land is greater than farmland, thus retiring farmers sell to development
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today, 24% of farms account for --% of market value.
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90
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today, 5% of farms account for ---% of products sold.
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75
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what is value-added agriculture?
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allows producers to capture greater value than normally secured by conventional channels
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the dairy industry of WI has the number of farms decreasing/increasing while the the number of cows per farm is decreasing/increasing.
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decreasing, increasing
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how many dairy farms is WI losing per year?
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1500
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is the dairy sector as polarized as the rest of agriculture?
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no
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what are a few driving forces of ag intensification?
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industrial revolution, WWII, energy availability, research, economics
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who benefits from the 'technology treadmill'?
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large farms
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do late adopters of technology benefit from it?
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no
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what is agroecology?
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the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to agriculture
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agroecology is based on a --- approach.
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systems
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what are four barriers to agroecological improvement?
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information, management, social and economic aspects, and farm policy
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what are the four aspects of structure in agroecology?
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species diversity, vegetative structure, trophic structure, and stability
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what is species richness?
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the number of species (plants/area)
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what is species abundance?
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the diversity of species (plant mass/area)
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what are the three considerations of structural species diversity?
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richness, abundance, and dominance
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what are the two considerations of structural vegetative structure?
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vertical and horizontal
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what is vertical vegetative structure referring to?
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canopy interaction
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what is horizontal vegetative structure referring to?
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spatial interaction
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what two things are structural trophic structures considering?
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producers and consumers
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what two things are structural stability considering?
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resilience and response to disturbance
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what is an ecosystem?
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a functional system of complimentary relations between living organisms and their environment
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what is the order of beings in an ecosystem?
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organism, population, community, ecosystem
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what does the 'emergent properties' theory say?
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that the farm is greater than the sum of its individual crop plants
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what is the ultimate emergent quality in ecoagriculture?
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sustainability
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what is a dominant species?
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one with the greatest impact on a community
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what is a heterotroph?
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something that must eat something else to survive
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what is standing crop?
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biomass of a plant
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what is gross primary product?
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rate of converting solar energy into biomass
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what is climax?
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end state of succession
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what is biogeochemical cycling?
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a cycle with both biotic and abiotic factors
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what are four ways that natural and ag ecosystems differ?
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energy flow, nutrient cycling, population regulation, and stability
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function of a cropping system is determined by ---.
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structure
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what are the units for net primary productivity?
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pounds/acre/year
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prairies have 2/3 of their net primary productivity ----.
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underground
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what is the return of CO2 to the atmosphere from the soil called?
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mineralization
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what agronomical process speeds up mineralization?
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tillage
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which cycle is considered the most critical to sustainability?
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carbon cycle
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what is the equation for demographic population density?
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N(t+1) = Nt + Birthrate - Deathrate + Immigration rate - Emmigration rate
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what percent increase in production does narrow strip intercropping have?
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10
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what are two factors of yield in a narrow strip intercropping system?
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planting sequence and growth rate
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in narrow strip intercropped systems, soybeans are usually at a ----.
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disadvantage
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what is an example of a plant:plant system?
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narrow strip intercropping
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what is an example of a forage:livestock system?
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corn and kura clover
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what are the three options for living mulch management?
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preplant broadcast suppression, band kill, and in season
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what are the two factors in root endosymbiosis?
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arbuscular mycorrhization and nodulation
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what is stability?
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the variability of productivity over time; the effect of normal, small scale fluctuations
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what is the average volatility in the WI corn market?
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+/- 20%
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what is the average volatility in the WI soybean market?
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+/- 15%
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why does the potato have decreased variability in markets (about 5%) compared to corn or soy?
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less management reguirements and irrigation
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what is sustainability?
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ability of a system to maintain productivity under stress or perturbation
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what are a few examples of perturbation to system?
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drought, flooding, economic crisis, pest/pathogen outbreak
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what are a few examples of stress to a system?
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soil erosion, climate change, increasing input costs
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the June 2008 WI flooding and the soybean aphid introduction in 2000 are both examples of -- to a system.
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perturbation
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soil carbon loss in the corn belt, decreased diversity across the landscape, and global climate change are examples of --- to system.
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stress
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equitability (distribution) is used as an indicator of --- of a system.
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health
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which three factors are necessary/balanced for sustainable agriculture?
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quality of life, economics, and environment
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what are a few practices seen in "level 1" conversion?
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testing, scouting, precision farming
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what are a few practices seen in "level 2" conversion?
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n-fixing crops, IPM, no-till, organics
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why is a rye a suitable cover for a no-till corn field?
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the rye life cycle is done by the time corn needs to grow
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though yield is higher in a conventional system than a no-till, what is not taken into account?
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costs of land, labor, and management
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what is "T-value"?
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the tolerable amount of soil loss that permits crop productivity and can be sustained economically indefinately
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what are two risks of no-till?
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less yield and less profitability
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most erosion in WI is due to ---.
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water
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what percent of national soil loss is due to water?
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50
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what percent of national soil loss is due to wind?
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45
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what is a typical T-value for U.S.?
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3-5 tons/acre/year
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what factor doesn't T-value take into effect?
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aquatic factors
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83% of WI is greater/less than T?
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less than
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most soil erosion related to water is --- and --- erosion.
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rill and sheet
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what is sheet erosion?
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water on soil surface is them moved off, carrying the soil with it
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what is splash erosion?
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the initial stage in erosion, loosens the soil
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what is rill erosion?
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concentrated water flow making small channels in soil
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what is gully erosion?
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rills forming large, deep channels. removes less than sheet or rill erosion.
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in the universal soil loss equation, what is the soil erosivity factor?
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inherent erodibility of soil relative to a fallow standard
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soil erositivity factor varies seasonally, highest in the --- and lowest in the ---
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spring, fall
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the soil erositivity factor is more important in meansuring erosion than considering --.
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runoff
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what is the maximum percent slope recommended for farming?
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9%
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--% soil coverage can reduce soil loss by 50-70%
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30
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what is a factor not accounted for by RUSLE in soil loss?
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soil translocation by tillage
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what are the three processes soil is lost by wind?
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suspension, saltation, and creep
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what is soil (wind) suspension?
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small particles floating in the air
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what is soil (wind) saltation?
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detached particles moving about
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what is soil (wind) creep?
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sand moving and drifting
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what are the characteristics of soil that determine wind loss?
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cover, roughness, and length of field.
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how can a field be "shortened"?
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windbreaks, strip cropping
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what type of erosion do buffer strips reduce?
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sheet and rill
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where are reparian filter strips usually found and why?
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near water; filter out particles to prevent pollution
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what is the recommended width of a riparian buffer strip?
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30 ft
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what are a few examples of forage grass cover crops?
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fescue, reed canarygrass, and smooth bromegrass
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what are a few examples of forage legume cover crops?
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alfalfa, clover, and trefoil
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what is the NRCS definition of soil quality?
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ability to support plant and animal productivity, maintain/enhance water and air quality, and support human health/habitation
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what is the number one reason for tillage?
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seed bed preparation
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advancement in what has changed dependency on tillage?
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technology
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what is the main difference between chisel and moldboard plowing?
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chisel plow only partially inverts the soil vs. moldboard inverts completely
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which type of tillage uses a "soil finisher" or "digger"?
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field cultivation
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what type of tillage is known as "vertical tillage"?
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sub-soiler; deep tillage
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what are a few benefits of secondary tillage?
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improved root growth, weed suppression
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what are some advantages of fall tillage?
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times and labor availability, time for decomposition over winter, and EARLIER PLANTING DATE
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what is the advantage of spring tillage?
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soil and water conservation
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most recent increases in conservation tillage adoption has been in which form?
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no-till
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mulch tillage leaves a --- cover of roughly 40-60%.
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winter
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what is the key factor in ridge tillage success?
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the canopy closure
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ridge till is fitting for what kind of cropping system?
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corn and soy
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why isn't ridge till common?
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the large capital investment put into machinery and soil use
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why do plants grow better in the "strip tillage" "strips"?
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the soil is warmer and drier there
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no-till yields exceed conventional yields in what type of soil?
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moderate to well drained
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what are a few examples of non-fragile crop residues?
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corn, small grains, alfalfa, forages
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what are a few examples of fragile crop residues?
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soy, veggies, potatoes, dry peas/beans
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complex crop rotations increase the amount of --- in the soil.
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C
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what is soil compaction?
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compression of the soil from force that destroys aggregates.
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what factors of the soil impact compaction?
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moisture, texture, and strength
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are carbon credits available for ridge tillage?
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no
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how many tons make up the axle load threshold for compaction?
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10 tons
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the greater the weight of the machine load, the greater the ---.
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compaction
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how does no-till prevent compaction?
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it gives the soil a firm surface that is stable and resistant to compaction
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what is "slow growth syndrome" in a no-till system caused by?
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the firm surface of the soil prevents root growth, stunting plant growth
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seasonality typically improves soil -- in the root zone.
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tilth
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what are macropores?
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"tunnels" cut in the soil by earthworms that allow water, air, and nutrient flow
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what are the holes made by earth worms (macropores) measured in?
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middens
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more/less earthworms reside in forage and no-till systems.
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more
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what is a problem with conservation tillage?
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it often cools soils, pushing back planting date and shortening the growing season
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in which soil type is conservation tillage the least successful?
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northern, poorly drained soils
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in continuous corn, no-till is more/less productive than conventional farming.
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less
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in a corn-soy rotation, no-till is more/less productive than conventional farming.
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more
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what soil type best suites strip till?
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moderate-poorly drained soils
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which tillage system can correct the flaws of no-till?
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strip-till
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what percent residue does strip-till leave on the surface?
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70
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what is the advantage of strip-till over no-till?
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warmer, drier seedbed
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are strip-till yields competitive with those of a chisel plow?
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yes
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