Steve
@steveharing.bsky.social
Independent agronomist 🌾🌱 Undisciplined scientist 🔬🧩 Apple grower 🍎🚜 Nature lover 🌎🌄
Here to post what I'm reading (mostly ag science), and sometimes what I'm listening to (mostly p-funk) or what I'm cooking (mostly beans). VirginiaAg.com
Here to post what I'm reading (mostly ag science), and sometimes what I'm listening to (mostly p-funk) or what I'm cooking (mostly beans). VirginiaAg.com
My favorite annual weed species
Learning from a reviled and inspiring weed.
What tumbleweed can teach protesters - High Country News
Learning from a reviled and inspiring weed.
buff.ly
February 6, 2026 at 11:32 PM
My favorite annual weed species
Fertilizer prices have been going wild but it looks a bit different if you zoom out a bit
substack.com/app-link/pos...
substack.com/app-link/pos...
USDA Price Indexes
1-20-26 Update
substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Fertilizer prices have been going wild but it looks a bit different if you zoom out a bit
substack.com/app-link/pos...
substack.com/app-link/pos...
Reposted by Steve
Ansel Adams took one of his most famous nature photos while documenting the American citizens of Japanese ancestry who were imprisoned at Manzanar during World War II. Our country is both the darkness and the light. We are called to bear witness, and to respond.
Ansel Adams in the age of ICE - High Country News
Ansel Adams took one of his most famous nature photos while documenting the American citizens of Japanese ancestry who were imprisoned at Manzanar during World War II. Our country is both the darkness...
www.hcn.org
February 2, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Ansel Adams took one of his most famous nature photos while documenting the American citizens of Japanese ancestry who were imprisoned at Manzanar during World War II. Our country is both the darkness and the light. We are called to bear witness, and to respond.
"It is possible that diverse plantings with few attractive species benefit bee communities less than simpler mixes with crucial plant species included... tailored selection of host plant species may be essential for seed mix design"
doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
Seed mix performance and species network roles as a framework to select candidate key resources for pollinator habitat
Current native bee declines have been attributed in part to loss of habitat and floral resources. Mitigation approaches include trying to establish or enhance bee habitat by planting wildflowers, whi...
doi.org
January 29, 2026 at 10:19 PM
"It is possible that diverse plantings with few attractive species benefit bee communities less than simpler mixes with crucial plant species included... tailored selection of host plant species may be essential for seed mix design"
doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
“We thought if we could get specialty wheat to grow here, you could get more per bushel. It turns out to be true.” civileats.com/2026/01/26/h...
How Artisan Grains Helped Skagit County Rebuild Its Economy
When the last local pea processing plant closed in this part of Washington state, the county’s port commission invested millions to help farmers pivot to high-value grains.
civileats.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:56 PM
“We thought if we could get specialty wheat to grow here, you could get more per bushel. It turns out to be true.” civileats.com/2026/01/26/h...
Decided at the last minute that it would be good to re-tie some trees to their trellis, and the snow started to arrive just as I was walking out of the orchard
January 24, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Decided at the last minute that it would be good to re-tie some trees to their trellis, and the snow started to arrive just as I was walking out of the orchard
I listen to the Current, a music station from Minnesota Public Radio, just about every morning, and I suggest tuning in today if you want to listen to some power music (my term) or music that meets the moment (their term) www.thecurrent.org/listen
January 23, 2026 at 1:21 PM
I listen to the Current, a music station from Minnesota Public Radio, just about every morning, and I suggest tuning in today if you want to listen to some power music (my term) or music that meets the moment (their term) www.thecurrent.org/listen
"Unlike in the bulk soil, distinct differences between the pea and canola rhizosphere bacterial communities were observed regardless of cropping system. These results demonstrate that plants have a great level of control over the members of their rhizosphere..." doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
doi.org
January 20, 2026 at 3:40 PM
"Unlike in the bulk soil, distinct differences between the pea and canola rhizosphere bacterial communities were observed regardless of cropping system. These results demonstrate that plants have a great level of control over the members of their rhizosphere..." doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
this looks so so good www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFKL...
Bad Bunny Takes the World’s Biggest Stage | Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show (Official Trailer)
YouTube video by Apple Music
www.youtube.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:11 PM
this looks so so good www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFKL...
"Countries need to be increasing their rates of annual investment in agrifood R&D just to sustain the current rates of growth in farm productivity. It will take decades for the harmful consequences of current R&D spending slowdowns to be realized" www.nature.com/articles/d41... // archive.is/mMTrb
Food will be more affordable — if we double funds for agriculture research now
A global drop in public and private investment in agricultural science in the past four decades is partly to blame for high food prices, an analysis reveals.
www.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:09 AM
"Countries need to be increasing their rates of annual investment in agrifood R&D just to sustain the current rates of growth in farm productivity. It will take decades for the harmful consequences of current R&D spending slowdowns to be realized" www.nature.com/articles/d41... // archive.is/mMTrb
Reposted by Steve
The world dedicates a Poland-sized area of land to producing liquid biofuels such as bioethanol & biodiesel. Is there a more efficient way to generate energy?
Putting solar panels on the land used for biofuels, e.g., would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks worldwide to go electric.
Putting solar panels on the land used for biofuels, e.g., would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks worldwide to go electric.
January 13, 2026 at 12:38 PM
The world dedicates a Poland-sized area of land to producing liquid biofuels such as bioethanol & biodiesel. Is there a more efficient way to generate energy?
Putting solar panels on the land used for biofuels, e.g., would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks worldwide to go electric.
Putting solar panels on the land used for biofuels, e.g., would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks worldwide to go electric.
this is very cool and weird www.futurity.org/robot-arm-pi... I'm sure if it is ever brought to market (apple picking robots have been on deck for a long time) it will be sold as a service with a per-acre fee
Inflatable robot arm picks apples
"The uncomplicated nature of the design makes it low-cost, easy to maintain, and highly reliable for a soft robot."
www.futurity.org
January 13, 2026 at 10:13 PM
this is very cool and weird www.futurity.org/robot-arm-pi... I'm sure if it is ever brought to market (apple picking robots have been on deck for a long time) it will be sold as a service with a per-acre fee
headed to the Virginia Association of Biological Farming conference this weekend in Roanoke
January 9, 2026 at 5:04 PM
headed to the Virginia Association of Biological Farming conference this weekend in Roanoke
Reposted by Steve
Hey here’s a policy from Denmark we (and others) SHOULD be emulating:
Denmark’s Groundbreaking Agriculture Climate Policy Sets Strong Example for the World
Denmark’s Green Tripartite Agreement imposes taxes on livestock, restores forests and peatlands, and pays farmers to reduce pollution.
www.wri.org
January 6, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Hey here’s a policy from Denmark we (and others) SHOULD be emulating:
“All those apples are being largely overlooked in a quest for some new sameness... The ‘same thing but new’ seems to be trumping ‘it’s different but old.’” ambrook.com/offrange/cro...
Are the Apple Farmers Alright? - Offrange
People aren’t eating apples like they used to, but flashy new cultivars may not be the solution.
ambrook.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:18 PM
“All those apples are being largely overlooked in a quest for some new sameness... The ‘same thing but new’ seems to be trumping ‘it’s different but old.’” ambrook.com/offrange/cro...
Graduate Student: Here's the latest draft of my proposal, I've been working really hard-
Associate Professor: I'm gonna need you to floss all of these mice
Associate Professor: I'm gonna need you to floss all of these mice
A special kind of floss that can deliver proteins and inactive viruses, priming the body against foreign invaders.
The unusual vaccination strategy shows promise in mice, and the public seems intrigued as well, making this one of our most popular stories of the year: https://scim.ag/4jl9F1w
The unusual vaccination strategy shows promise in mice, and the public seems intrigued as well, making this one of our most popular stories of the year: https://scim.ag/4jl9F1w
December 31, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Graduate Student: Here's the latest draft of my proposal, I've been working really hard-
Associate Professor: I'm gonna need you to floss all of these mice
Associate Professor: I'm gonna need you to floss all of these mice
"These geochemical and microbial metrics drive a lot of variability, and we haven’t included them adequately in previous modeling work" www.futurity.org/soil-carbon-...
Dirt discovery could lead to better climate change projections
New research shows soil carbon decomposition varies widely. The finding has implications for climate change models.
www.futurity.org
December 29, 2025 at 10:32 PM
"These geochemical and microbial metrics drive a lot of variability, and we haven’t included them adequately in previous modeling work" www.futurity.org/soil-carbon-...
Falcons reduce pre‐harvest food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds | Journal of Applied Ecology doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Falcons reduce pre‐harvest food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds
In the absence of American kestrels, there are more birds in orchards. This leads to increased crop damage and more bird faecal contamination.
doi.org
December 22, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Falcons reduce pre‐harvest food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds | Journal of Applied Ecology doi.org/10.1111/1365...
"Efforts to boost oil and natural gas production and suppress renewable energy in the U.S., although accounting for just a sliver of global CO2 output, were enough to postpone [peak carbon emissions]...” www.science.org/content/arti...
Global carbon emissions will soon flatten or decline
With China’s surge in renewable energy, greenhouse gases are reaching a turning point
www.science.org
December 22, 2025 at 9:06 PM
"Efforts to boost oil and natural gas production and suppress renewable energy in the U.S., although accounting for just a sliver of global CO2 output, were enough to postpone [peak carbon emissions]...” www.science.org/content/arti...
Enjoyed some (unseasonable) warmth this afternoon, following an exceptionally cold start to December
December 18, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Enjoyed some (unseasonable) warmth this afternoon, following an exceptionally cold start to December
"Reliance on plastic is an unfortunate reality of modern farming. One September 2025 study estimated that US farmers account for 2.7% of the country’s plastic use, going through nearly 1.6 million tons every year" ambrook.com/offrange/sus...
The Farmers Trying to Ditch Plastic - Offrange
Solving agriculture’s plastic problem isn’t easy — particularly for organic farmers — but some growers are finding ways to be less wasteful.
ambrook.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:58 PM
"Reliance on plastic is an unfortunate reality of modern farming. One September 2025 study estimated that US farmers account for 2.7% of the country’s plastic use, going through nearly 1.6 million tons every year" ambrook.com/offrange/sus...
Reposted by Steve
🌱From NeoBiota: Common garden tests show invasive grasses do not consistently grow faster or reproduce more in new ranges, challenging simple trait based explanations of invasion success. (Jennifer L. Funk)
▶️ neobiota.pensoft.net/article/1628...
#PlantScience
▶️ neobiota.pensoft.net/article/1628...
#PlantScience
Invasive grasses do not always exhibit superior and faster plant life-history traits in the introduced range than in the native range
Many invasive plants are larger, and produce more seeds in populations from the introduced range compared to those from their native range. Annual invasive plants might also benefit in their introduce...
neobiota.pensoft.net
December 16, 2025 at 7:03 PM
🌱From NeoBiota: Common garden tests show invasive grasses do not consistently grow faster or reproduce more in new ranges, challenging simple trait based explanations of invasion success. (Jennifer L. Funk)
▶️ neobiota.pensoft.net/article/1628...
#PlantScience
▶️ neobiota.pensoft.net/article/1628...
#PlantScience
Reposted by Steve
The entire glyphosate (Roundup herbicide) saga is an appalling example of politicized science and motivated reasoning. Now key anti-Roundup papers AND key pro-Roundup papers have been retracted. Worse, I'd be willing to take odds that partisans of both sides will be completely unbothered by this.
December 3, 2025 at 4:25 PM
The entire glyphosate (Roundup herbicide) saga is an appalling example of politicized science and motivated reasoning. Now key anti-Roundup papers AND key pro-Roundup papers have been retracted. Worse, I'd be willing to take odds that partisans of both sides will be completely unbothered by this.
pretty interesting to see a retraction after 2+ decades and 1000+ citations. Journal pulled it b/c of ethical concerns (undisclosed contributions from the manufacturer), apparently not b/c of new data or research - though they do cite relevant unpublished studies that were available but not included
Boy, retraction is the thing these days. After years of critique, a foundational 25-year old paper on the safety of glyphosate herbicide has been pulled. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 1/2
December 3, 2025 at 4:51 PM
pretty interesting to see a retraction after 2+ decades and 1000+ citations. Journal pulled it b/c of ethical concerns (undisclosed contributions from the manufacturer), apparently not b/c of new data or research - though they do cite relevant unpublished studies that were available but not included