Converting all of the cropland from corn to switchgrass over ten years results in 124,084 dry Mg of switchgrass and 23% reduction in nitrogen runoff for the per-ha system and 122,347 dry Mg of switchgrass and 3% reduction for the per-Mg subsidy system.
Little of the natural tallgrass prairie ecosystem remains today; the area is largely composed of cropland with corn, soybeans, and other feed grains, along with small-scale cattle farming.
Agricultural land is total agricultural land including the nine crops under study In the analysis of all six states combined, we found no evidence of a significant linear exposure-response relationship between density of total cropland, barley, corn, hay, or soybeans and any of the cancer outcomes (Table 3).
Brazil, China, and India were considered among the overseas locations where land use change would occur as a result of diverting U.S. corn cropland, and it was assumed that new cropland in each of these regions correspond to different types of forest, savanna or grassland based on the historical proportion of each converted to cultivation in these countries during the 1990s.
Staying to raise a family of his own, he watched the area transform into thriving cropland, rich with corn, soy and wheat.
Results showed that the conversion of coniferous forest to corn cropland leads to a significant increase in CO2 C flux concentration from the soil surface to the atmosphere.
The main objective of this study was to determine if shallow ground water nitrate nitrogen (NO3 N) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4 N) concentrations differed among cropland (hay or corn), restored riparian buffers (grass and Salix-grass), and established forested riparian buffers.
Cornell agricultural scientist David Pimental has commented, "abusing our precious croplands to grow corn for an energy-inefficient process that yields low-grade automobile fuel amounts to unsustainable, subsidized food burning".
Simulated and observed soil erosion in the total catchment area is determined absolutely by soil losses on cropland, mainly covered with corn (average soil loss on cropland: 8.2 t ha−1 year−1, maximum value: 84.8 t ha−1 year−1).
The results indicate that when the irrigation constraints are imposed and food consumption is also fixed, the size of cropland expansion due to corn ethanol production is about 5.2 million hectares, about 0.8 million hectares (or 18.2%) higher than the corresponding case when food consumption is not fixed.
