Click on an Article Title to access a pdf. of that article.
Virginia Mercury
Should Solar Panels be Placed on Land That Can Produce Food?
Utility-scale solar projects are essential for us to achieve 100 percent renewable energy but should avoid prime farmland soils. Published on 1/25/21
Growing Climate Solutions Act Gives Farmers a Seat at the Carbon Market Table
This oped on the Growing Climate Solutions Act was published on 9/10/20
U.S. Supreme Court decision on groundwater is a huge win for the environment
Published in the Virginia Mercury on 5/1/20.
Support Cattle Exclusion From Perennial Streams
Cattle exclusion deadline for perennial streams. Published in the Virginia Mercury on 2/11/2020.
The Washington Post
What's Up With WOTUS
This op-ed was first published in the online version of the Washington Post on April 12, 2019, then in the Sunday, April 14, 2019 print edition.
USA Today
Want a Cleaner River? Keep Cow Pies Out, Plant Trees
Native trees and shrubs remove pollution from streams. Distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 3/7/2017. We found a 30.6% reduction in E. coli in Middle River after it flowed through our riparian buffer. USA Today published the article on 3/17/17.
Trump, Torpedoes and the Clean Water Act at 45
The Clean Water Act is 45 years old this week, born in the U.S. Congress on October 18, 1972. Sometime before that day, the river of my childhood — the Roanoke River in southwestern Virginia — had been declared a fire hazard because of pollution.
Distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 10/17/17. Several newspapers ran it including USA Today on 10/19/17.
Shen Valley Magazine
The Alt-country Star Next Door
This is a feature story in the summer edition of the magazine. Scott is a great neighbor and farmer in Swoope.
Love Story on the Middle River
This story was adapted from my book Swoope Almanac and was published in issue 2 of Shen Valley magazine.
Shen Valley Magazine
What Exactly is the Shenandoah Valley? This piece was published in the premier edition of Shen Valley Magazine. Issue 1, Winter 2018.
The online version can be found here.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation:
This is a collection of success stories about farmers implementing Best Management Practices I’ve written for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Feel free to download and use these articles.
Glenn and Arlene Reid in Broadway, Virginia
Glenn and Arlene Reid fenced their cows out of a stream to prevent calf losses and for ease of herd movement.
George Coyner, farmer, South Fork of the Shenandoah River
“I could drink the water leaving our farm”.
Dr. Scott Nordstrom, DVM
Dr. Scott Nordstrom recommends fencing livestock out of streams for bio-security reasons.
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Scott C Plein, owner of three farms in the Shenandoah Valley
Scott Plein: proving everyday that working farmers can be great producers and great conservationists.
Gerald Garber - Dairy Farmer in the North River Watershed
He did a lot of livestock exclusion on his own…many miles of it.
Bay Journal News Service: Oped Pieces
A blind crustacean, at least for now, is stronger than Dominion's drive for a gas pipeline
First published in August 2019 by the News-Leader in Staunton, VA, this op-ed was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service and published in several news outlets.
Trump, Torpedoes and the Clean Water Act at 45
The Clean Water Act is 45 years old this week, born in the U.S. Congress on October 18, 1972. Sometime before that day, the river of my childhood — the Roanoke River in southwestern Virginia — had been declared a fire hazard because of pollution.
Distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 10/17/17. Several newspapers ran it including USA Today on 10/19/17.
Want a Cleaner River? Keep Cow Pies Out, Plant Trees
Native trees and shrubs remove pollution from streams. Distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 3/7/2017. We found a 30.6% reduction in E. coli in Middle River after it flowed through our riparian buffer. USA Today published the article on 3/17/17.
Waste Not: Selling Carbon-Rich Crop Residue Will Short Change Soil
Removing crop residues from the land leaves it vulnerable to the effects of weather. This oped piece was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 1/25/2017.
Save the Farm, Save the Bay
This award-winning op-ed piece was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 4/19/2016.
Brook Trout - Our Environmental Refugees
This op-ed piece, “Brook Trout – Our Environmental Refugees” was distributed on 11/10/2015
Let's Not Tax Well-Managed Farmland; it Already Pays its Way
Well-managed farmland builds soil health, produces clean water and provides many other ecosystem services. This piece was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 6/30/2015.
The Queen Bean, Tofu and Dead Zones
Soil erosion from annual crop fields in the Mississippi watershed is the leading cause for the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico which is the second largest in the world and still growing. This piece was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 4/21/2015
It's time to get down to Earth on fighting phosphorus pollution - Use A Soil Test
Newly elected Maryland governor Larry Hogan. One of his first acts was to repeal the Phosphorus Management Tool regulation. It made me gnash my teeth. Read my oped piece here. Distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 2/3/2015.
"Want Clean Rivers? Plant Trees."
This is Dr. Bern Sweeney of Stroud Water Research Center beside one of their “water flumes”. Differing species of macroinvertebrates prefer different species of leaves. This article is about the importance of leaves along streams. This was published on 10/14/14.
Here's an OPED piece about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
The pipeline should not be built because of our Karst topography. This was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service on 9/23/2014.
Toxic Algae Bloom in Lake Erie 2014
This was published on 8/8/2014. Photo by Peter Essick of National Geographic
Virginia Wildlife Magazine
Poague Run: Restoring Trout, Restoring Hope
Watershed restoration. This article was published in the March/April 2016 issue of Virginia Wildlife magazine.
"Fish Need Leaves" article published in Virginia Wildlife Magazine
This award-winning article, “Fish Need Leaves” was published in the Jan/Feb 2015 issue of Virginia Wildlife Magazine. It was recognized by the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association with their Excellence in Craft award for Feature Article.
Save the Bay Magazine “Reflections” article, winter 2014, page 14
News Leader
Atmospheric CO2 Highest in Three Million Years
On June 7, Scripps and NOAA reported our atmospheric CO2 level had reached 419ppm. Published on 6/22/2021
Round Hill Solar Project Good for Augusta County
The Round Hill Solar project will be built on highly erosive soil. Published on 1/15/21
It Was More Than a Pipeline We Defeated
This oped was published in the News-Leader online on 7/16/20 and in the Sunday print edition on 7/19/20
The Edenville Dam Failed. Are Our Local Dams Safe?
Are Our Local Headwaters Dams Safe? Published on 5/31/20.
I Spent a Night In Line Awaiting 'Equal Justice' on a Sidewalk in D.C.
Published in the online edition on February 27, 2020, and in the print edition on 3/1/20.
A blind crustacean, at least for now, is stronger than Dominion's drive for a gas pipeline
First published in August 2019 by the News-Leader in Staunton, VA, this op-ed was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service and published in several news outlets.
Cows, Calves, and Cranes: Celebrating March
This blog post was published in the Staunton News Leader on 3/20/2018.
Sinkholes Show How Deep We'd Be In it With Pipeline
This op-ed was published in the News Leader on 11/16/2018.
Celebrate Improved Water Quality in Middle River
A twenty-three-mile segment of Middle River De-listed from Virginia’s Dirty Water List. Published in the News Leader eEdition on 5/25/2018 and hard copy on 5/27/2018.
Governor Northam, These Pipelines Are Not Being Done 'Right'
This award-winning op-ed was published in the News-Leader on 7/12/2018 and in the Roanoke Times on 7/19/2018. It received the Best Conservation Writing award from Appalachian Mountain Advocates in 2018.
The online version from the Roanoke Times can be found here.
Pipeline can't help but bring mayhem to Virginia's environment
This was published in the online addition of the News Leader of Staunton, Virginia on 8/15/2017
What Really Happened At Our FERC Meeting
This is an OPED piece about what really happened at our FERC scoping meeting about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. It was published in the News Leader on 3/24/2015.
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“I read every one of Bobby’s blog posts. They keep me informed on everything from their cattle farm operation to their best management practices in action. His blog always features relevant information on keeping our waters clean, our soil out of the runoff, and other environmental issues of our time.”
