![]() ![]() “It is not possible to add pesticides to water anywhere without threatening the purity of water everywhere.” -Rachel Carson, Silent SpringĬonservation agriculture is the practice of enhancing biodiversity and natural biological processes in order to increase water and nutrient use efficiency and to improve and sustain crop production. ![]() The OFF program aims to educate the public about the impacts of agricultural and rangeland practices on the health of our watersheds and ocean, create a community of ocean-friendly farmers, be a resource for those wanting to learn about ocean-friendly land practices, and be an ally for those seeking to lead the agricultural movement that promotes conservation practices. This collaboration's overarching goal is to support those who practice ecological farming methods that prevent agricultural pollutants from making their way into our waterways and inevitably our ocean. The Ocean-Friendly Farming (OFF) program is a collaboration between the Inland Ocean Coalition, landowners, farmers, and ranchers to support the health of our watersheds, ocean, and climate by recognizing landowners who use ocean-friendly land practices. The average size of the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico over the past five years has been 5,400 square miles-bigger than the state of Connecticut. When it rains, animal waste, fertilizer, pesticides, and topsoil are washed into tributaries and rivers, and eventually out to sea, harming wildlife, disrupting the balance of nutrients in the ocean, and causing dead zones (areas with excess nutrients that lead to the die-off of marine life, including plants, mammals, fish, and invertebrates, etc.) and toxic algae blooms each spring and summer.
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