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Plowing Carbon Into the Fields

OzPeter writes "A wheat farmer in Australia has eliminated adding fertilizer to his crop by the simple process of injecting the cooled diesel exhaust of his modified tractor into the ground when the wheat is being sown. In doing so he eliminates releasing carbon into the atmosphere and at the same time saves himself up to $500,000 (AUD) that would have been required to fertilize his 3,900 hectares in the traditional way. Yet his crop yields over the last two years have been at least on par with his best yields since 2001. The technique was developed by a Canadian, Gary Lewis of Bio Agtive, and is currently in trial at 100 farms around the world."

9 of 467 comments (clear)

  1. Resident expert by ZackSchil · · Score: 4, Funny

    Having absolutely no experience with any farming techniques, any real knowledge of the chemical composition of cooled diesel exhaust or even having read the article, I still somehow feel confident enough to give a vague denouncement of this farming technique.

    AHEM.

    This will never work because the gas will escape/it will poison the ground/I am so much smarter than whoever came up with this.

    Thank you, thank you. Love ya Slashdot. Never change.

    1. Re:Resident expert by Barsteward · · Score: 2, Funny

      And you'd have ready salted chips (fries)..... I love being able to write in 2 languages

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      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
  2. Another thing for Mythbusters? by Darkk · · Score: 2, Funny

    What a load of bunk. Let's see if Mythbusters would be willing to bust this myth.

    1. Re:Another thing for Mythbusters? by daveime · · Score: 3, Funny

      They'll just blow up the tractor and use a photo-spectrometer to measure the emissions.

      If it can't be blown up, then it don't belong on Mythbusters.

  3. Re:See you in Court by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The EPA?

    Wrong country dumbass.

  4. Re:Overpopulation by bertoelcon · · Score: 3, Funny

    You could fix overpopulation and starving with exactly the one thing. Cannibalism.

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    Anything can be found funny, from a certain point of view.
  5. BS by tepples · · Score: 4, Funny

    Have you even seen what's in pig, chicken, cow, and sheep manure?

    Bullshit.

  6. Re:What by Alsee · · Score: 2, Funny

    My vague memory of the conclusions were that you breath a lot of diesel exhaust without harmful side effects, although the particulates would keep your pulmonary macrophage in business.

    We can mandate that in our next economic stimulus plan.

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  7. Re:Overpopulation by skroz · · Score: 3, Funny

    While I respect your modest proposal, I've always felt that human flesh to be a bit gamey. Even as a zombie I still prefer chicken.

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    -- Minds are like parachutes... they work best when open.