Peak News and Blog

Soil moisture monitoring: more important than you think Soil moisture monitoring improves agriculture, both ecologically and economically. Then, I’ll examine some of soil moisture monitoring’s less widely known—yet still extremely important—use cases. Finally, to aid you in your soil moisture monitoring goals, I’ll also investigate several different options for soil moisture monitoring. The California Almond…

What’s great about green infrastructure? We hear a lot about infrastructure these days as our government debates economic stimulus spending. Green infrastructure is smart! It can entail green parking, green roofs, bioswales, rain gardens, rainwater harvesting, urban tree canopies, and permeable pavements. “Green infrastructure” is a catch-all term that refers to using plant-based infrastructure to…

The Pacific Northwest is baking in a record-breaking heat wave, with an all-time high of 108 degrees Fahrenheit reported Saturday in Portland, Oregon. The previous record was set in 1981 (107 degrees) and 1965. Seattle hit 102 degrees on June 27 and is expected to smash the record today. Along the West Coast, more than…

Hottest on record in the Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest is baking in a record-breaking heat wave, with an all-time high of 108 degrees Fahrenheit reported Saturday in Portland, Oregon. The previous record was set in 1981 (107 degrees) and 1965. Seattle hit 102 degrees on June 27 and is expected to smash the record…

Farmers Believe In Climate Change But Don’t Think Humans Are The Cause, New Poll Shows A new poll shows American farmers overwhelmingly believe climate change is real and will create significant weather problems. …but they do not think it’s caused by human actions. 80% of farmers* believe climate change is occurring, and more than half are concerned…

How Do Farmers Think about Climate Risk? *In this study, Vermont farmers identified many site-specific risks that they associate with extreme weather and climate change. From their standpoint, these risks are not new. Rather, they represent familiar risks that are being intensified by recent climate changes.What do farmers worry about? Flooding and erosion. They were especially…