Keeping the Earth Safe: Stopping Soil Erosion on Farms

Soil is the farmer’s most important asset which is the basis for all food grown on land. Erosion, is a threat to this valuable resource as this removes the topsoil through wind and water. As a result farms become less productive and the need of fertilizer increases. So, stopping soil erosion is a good business strategy helping farming last for a long time and be ready for bad weather.

Important Ways to Protect the Soil

Putting Down Protective Ground Cover

Keeping protective ground cover all year long is one of the best things farmers can do. The roots of these plants hold the earth together and soak up the rain, keeping soil particles from moving about. No-till or reduced tillage farming is another important method. This method keeps the soil from being disturbed too much by machines. It also leaves crop residue (stubble) on the surface, which protects the soil from wind and water erosion while also making the soil structure better and letting water seep in better.

Using Strategic Field Management

Strategic field management uses landscape elements to limit the flow of water in addition to ground cover. When you contour plow, you till and plant along the curves of the soil instead than straight up and down a hill. This makes little dams that slow down runoff. Farmers either build terraces, that are level ridges, or install grassed canals, being wide and shallow channels. These canals safely move extra surface water away from fields without producing gullying or erosion. This keeps the productive topsoil where it belongs.

Endnotes

Stopping soil erosion is crucial to keep farming in the future. Farmers protect their most important resource through protective ground covers including smart field management strategies. These eco-friendly methods making farms more productive, keeping sedimentation and pollution from harming the environment as a whole and keeping the soil healthy for a long time.