L23: Cropping System

Question 1

3 principles of conservation agriculture

Answer 1

minimum mechanical soil disturbance
permanent soil organic cover
species diversification

Question 2

what is required for organic agriculture

Answer 2

certification and production with no GMOs, no synthetic fertilizer, and no pesticides

Question 3

how many organic certification bodies are there in canada

Answer 3

over 30

Question 4

there are ______ acres of organic ag in the prairies in 2019

Answer 4

1.7M

Question 5

how much has organic production profits increased from 2017 to 2020

Answer 5

$5.4 billion in 2017 to $7 billion in 2020

Question 6

marketing in organic ag

Answer 6

premiums and often direct to consumers (CSA)

Question 7

biological controls in organic ag

Answer 7

natural predators and parasitoids; certain products certified for disease and pest control (Bt protein, sulfur)

Question 8

fertilization in organic ag

Answer 8

legumes (green manures, cover crops); natural rock phosphate products; composts

Question 9

what do tillage and crop rotation do in organic ag

Answer 9

help with insect and disease management

Question 10

what is regenerative ag

Answer 10

doesn’t really have a label or definition. is basically a holistic approach to farming that encourages continuous innovation and improvement of the environmental, social, and economic measures

Question 11

factors included in regenerative organic certification

Answer 11

measures for the soil health, animal welfare, and treatment of farm workers

Question 12

types of intercropping

Answer 12

relay intercropping
strip intercropping
row intercropping
mixed intercropping

Question 13

benefits of intercropping

Answer 13

better radiation use efficiency
legume N fixation
decrease foliar disease pressure
benefit pollinators

Question 14

disadvantages of intercropping

Answer 14

mixed grain needs to be sorted
synchronized maturity times can be challenging
possible competition between crops

Question 15

cover crops

Answer 15

semi-permanent cover, shoulder crop, or fallow replacement that can be sole species or mixtures

Question 16

what are some benefits of cover crops

Answer 16

erosion control: water runoff and wind
resource use efficiency

Question 17

agroforestry systems

Answer 17

land use systems and technologies where perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land management unit as agricultural crops or animals, in some forms of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence

Question 18

benefits of agroforestry systems

Answer 18

erosion control
nitrogen fixation
carbon sequestration
firewood
increased biodiversity

Question 19

example of agroforestry system

Answer 19

shelter belts

Question 20

benefits of shelter belts

Answer 20

erosion control
carbon sequestration
preventing salinity issues
aesthetic value
biodiversity

Question 21

permaculture

Answer 21

concept of permanent agriculture that includes green home building, landscape design, minimalism, and green gardening

Question 22

principles for system resiliency in permaculture

Answer 22

each important function is supported by many elements
each element performs many functions
use biological resources over non-renewable
relative location that allows elements to support each other

Question 23

agroecology

Answer 23

farming that centers on food production that makes use of nature’s goods and services while not damaging these resources