What are examples of on-site and off-site effects of agriculture?

How are soils affected by agricultural production?

How can we reduce soil erosion?

How does agriculture affect soil fertility and when do plant nutrients pose an environmental problem?

What are some of the environmental effects of grazing?

What is desertification and how can it be prevented?

How are pests and weeds controlled in modern agricultural practices?

What are some of the environmental effects of pesticide usage?

What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

• The Food and Agriculture Organization is an agency of the United Nations. Explore this web site for international issues pertaining to agriculture and the environment.
  
  
• This is the U.S. Department of Agriculture home page. Read about this federal agency or search for key words within the USDA web.
  
  
• This is the Conservation Technology Information Center. See the Farm Resources Management subsection.
  
  
• This is the National Resources Conservation Service home page. Go to the discussion of the 1996 Farm Bill and its discussion of programs designed to assist farmers, ranchers, and landowners in their conservation efforts.
  
  
• The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leases federal lands in the western United States to ranchers for the purpose of livestock grazing. Read about this agency and its programs at their home page.
  
  
• Results of study examining soil erosion in grassed and bare soil plots.
  
  
• This site provides a discussion of the problem of pesticide resistance.
  
  
• The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides a listing of the health and environmental effects of certain pesticides and other toxic substances, including DDT. Also see the "Science Corner" for interesting information and links.
  
  
• This site provides a discussion of the basic concepts of sustainable agriculture.
  
  
• The growth of the hog industry in North Carolina is detailed in this Pulitzer Prize winning series in the Raleigh, NC, News and Observer entitled "Boss Hog":
  
  
• This is the National Pork Producers home page. Go to "Especially for Producers" link, "Most Commonly Asked Questions About Pork Production and the Environment"
  
  
• Read policy recommendations regarding the North Carolina hog industry that have been developed by students at Duke University. Go to: Policy Recommendations for Management.

   

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