By Sheldon Krause
Capital News Service
A new report about combining solar power and farming practices has advocates saying the practice could take hold in Michigan, boosting productivity while providing much needed refuge for bees and other pollinators.
The report from The Counter, a news organization covering in-depth stories on food in America, discusses the rising prevalence of “agrivoltaics,” the practice of growing crops underneath solar panels.
The process appears to be a win-win for crops such as tomatoes and jalapenos that respond well to lower light levels, the report said.
That’s because the crop’s natural photosynthesis can provide a slight cooling effect for the solar panels, allowing them to run 1-3% more efficiently.
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Weather affects many businesses and in this area, farmers especially.
Unseasonably warm temperature came as early as February, following closely on the heels of a few weeks of unseasonably cold weather.
The back-and-forth weather pattern isn’t unusual for this part of Michigan. But what is unusual is the lack of rain this spring.
“Soil conditions are very dry for this time of year with some areas having as much as a four inch soil moisture deficit,” said Eric Anderson, field crops educator at Michigan State University Extension.
Because it has been unusually dry, farmers were in the field earlier. Many crops have been planted.
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Water up and irrigate in for a successful growing season
Aggressive cover crop growth and sometimes lack of timely spring rain may leave fields lacking moisture for optimum planting or seedling germination.
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Water up and irrigate in for a successful growing season
Aggressive cover crop growth and sometimes lack of timely spring rain may leave fields lacking moisture for optimum planting or seedling germination.
Check out this story on FarmersAdvance.com: https://www.farmersadvance.com/story/news/2021/05/12/water-up-and-irrigate-successful-growing-season/4978097001/
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