Erosion

Soil erosion is the movement of topsoil through wind or water. It is a natural process, but erosion rates will depend on the soil type, how hilly the field is, and on the farming practice. For example, a loam soil in Wellington county with a 3% slope over 200 metres can lose 4.9 tonnes/ acre/ year if tilled in the fall, but soil erosion in the same field could be reduced to only 1 tonne/acre/year if no-tilled and if a cover crop is used. Some farmers have success in minimizing erosion on slopes by planting across the slope on contour, instead of up and down. Farmers also avoid erosion by not cropping on floodplain areas.  Wind erosion can be minimized through windbreaks and water erosion is minimized through increasing water infiltration rates (see also organic matter .)

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