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Living Mulch Improves Soil Health and Farmer’s Bottom Line
Who doesn’t like a two-for-one deal, or a double-double, win-win?
A team of USDA scientists is working on a double-cropping system that may improve a farmer’s profit margin by growing cattle feed between rows of the cash crop. In the off-season, the second crop acts as a living mulch that prevents soil erosion and improves soil health. For good measure, the second crop – kura clover – improves the soil’s ability to absorb rainfall by as much as 10 times over conventionally planted fields.
Have you ever noticed the numbers on the back of food and drink packages? Those numbers are part of the Nutrition Facts label, which tells you what nutrients are inside of food. Many types of nutrients can be found in the food that you eat. Protein, fat, and carbohydrates give the body energy to help you grow and stay active. Vitamins and minerals help the body function. For example, you can find vitamin D and calcium that help your bones stay strong, and potassium which helps your muscles function.
The label’s percent Daily Value (%DV) section can help you learn how much of each nutrient you are eating and compare what is in different foods. The Nutrition Facts label also provides a suggested serving size, or how much to eat at one time. This helpful information can be used to choose healthy options when cooking and eating.
Use the Nutrition Facts Label to find out how much of certain nutrients are found in foods, and how they can fit into a healthy diet. Try to choose foods with more vitamin D, calcium, and potassium and less added sugars. For example, when buying breakfast cereal, you could use the label to choose a cereal that contains a lower amount of added sugars.
Want more information on the Nutrition Facts label? Learn more using the Food Labels resources on Nutrition.gov.
If you or someone you know has a peanut allergy, you know how scary it can be. Peanut allergy in the United States has tripled in the last 20 years, and the reason isn’t clear. Fortunately, ARS scientists have come up with a very promising treatment.
A significant part of organic farming is the reduction in pesticide use. However, pesticides are still needed to keep pesky, hungry insects off our growing fruits and vegetables. ARS scientists have created a state-of-the-art machine that can reduce pesticide use between 30 and 85 percent! This laser guided “precision sprayer” evaluates the size, space, and density of the plants or trees and only sprays where needed, cutting down the amount of overspray that occurs when farmers apply pesticides to their fields.
Want to know how to eat better and maintain a healthy diet?
Nutrition experts Dr. Patrice Armstrong and Colleen Sideck, from the National Agricultural Library's Food and Human Nutrition Information Center, answer questions and provide tips and resources for eating better and maintaining a healthy diet.
Healthy eating is healthy living! Find fun, healthy eating tips for kids and teens on Nutrition.gov’s Online Tools and Kids’ Corner pages. Use the games, activities, videos, and apps to make learning about nutrition easy, entertaining, and enjoyable.
Fiber that we eat is known as dietary fiber and it comes mostly from plants. It is important to eat fiber even though our bodies are unable to break it all down during digestion. Dietary fiber strengthens the muscles that keep food moving through our bodies and helps move waste out of our body. Foods that include dietary fiber are whole grains such as barley, brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, whole wheat, beans and peas, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and most fruits.
Did you know that starting the day with a healthy breakfast can help you stay focused and energized while learning? Choose snack options with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and protein to maximize the healthy eating benefits. Visit Nutrition.gov for healthy breakfast recipes to enjoy with your family.
Did you know healthy snacks can give you energy when you are hungry between meals? Power up with snacks like low-fat yogurt, baby carrots with hummus (bean dip), fruit and nut trail mix, or sliced banana with peanut butter. Visit the Kids in the Kitchen page on Nutrition.gov for tips and recipes for healthy snacking.
Many people are choosing to eat plant-based meals to compliment a healthy lifestyle. However, not all plant-based foods are healthy choices. With some planning, it is easy to combine plant-based foods throughout the day that contain important nutrients like protein, vitamins, and minerals. Pre-planning your meals can help you meet your daily nutritional needs based on your age, weight, and amount of physical activity. A good way to get started on planning healthy plant-based meals is to visit the Nutrition.gov website: https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/basic-nutrition/eating-vegetarian
