Soil Erosion In Iowa

The implications for future government planning for land degradation include the Soil erosion policy and notices and the contaminated land policy.

Not only is Iowa’s soil rich, but so is it’s history. In 1838 Iowa land offices were set up and land was sold for $1.25 per acre. Claim clubs and improvement societies were set up by Iowans. Speculators provided financing so there were no banks in Iowa until 1858. Though the land may have been cheap it often took 6-8 years of work to get a farm productive. Because of this many bought cleared land for $10 per acre, instead of prairie for

As long as the weave of grass was stitched to the land, the prairie would flourish in dry years and wet. The grass could look brown and dead, but beneath the surface, the roots held the soil in place; it was alive and dormant. The short grass, buffalo and blue grama, had evolved as the perfect fit for the sandy loam of the arid zone. It could hold moisture a foot or more below ground level even during summer droughts, when hot winds robbed the surface of all water-bearing life. In turn, the grass nurtured pin-tailed grouse, prairie chickens, cranes, jackrabbits, snakes, and other creatures that got their water from foraging on the native turf.Through the driest years, the web of life held. When a farmer tore out the sod and then walked away, leaving the land naked, however, that barren patch posed a threat to neighbors. It could not revert to grass, because the roots were gone. It was empty, dead, and transient.

1 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has stepped in to provide restorative practices upon 500,000 acres of heavily degraded public grasslands. This land is suffering from severe soil erosion as well as degradation due to overgrazing. The suppression of natural fires has caused shrubs and invasive weeds to encroach upon the grasslands. A full scale assessment will take place on this land before restoration efforts begin. The first thing that would need to be assessed is the soil, for it is eroding and holding little nutrient value. Samples would be taken of this soil from various parts of the grasslands including the eroded gullies. Each soil sample would be taken from at least 1 foot below the surface, to test for carbon richness below the topsoil. These would then be tested for texture, density, water retention, and chemical composition. Typically, powerful, healthy soil will contain amounts of both Nitrogen and Phosphorous, which are essential nutrients in sustainable plant growth. These samples would also be tested for any build-up of salts, something known as soil salinization. Unhealthy, salinized soil is created over years of over-hydrating and deep plowing. Excess water will suffocate root systems of once-healthy crops, and salinized soils will reduce crop output up to 20% (Withgott &Brennan, 2011). The next assessment would be in the shrubs and invasive weed species on the land. Knowing the volume and location of these plants gives way to a better understanding of

The Southern Plains was a shortgrass prairie that was home to farmers and their livestock, but received little to no rain. John Wesley Powell “determined that 20 inches of rain was the minimum for successful farming” (Doc. E). According to the “Actual Precipitation for Dallam County, Texas” chart, that area in the Southern Plains fell below the recommended rainfall from 1924-1940, with the annual precipitation ranging from 9.78 inches to 15.32 inches (Doc. E). This meant that other areas inside the Southern Plains did not receive much rain as well. Even so, farmers continued to plow their land even though there was barely any rain, or grass. For example, in 1929, 105 million acres were harvested (Doc. D), but during that year, the precipitation

Erosion is a global problem, as we have already seen (umich.edu). Globally, topsoil is eroding faster than it can be replaced over 1/3 of the world's croplands (umich.edu). In the U.S, the loss of topsoil has been estimated to cost $125B per year (umich.edu). As you might imagine, this is a very difficult calculation to perform, since topsoil production rates are so slow, the lost topsoil is essentially irreplaceable (american.edu). This has been increasing within the past for years and corporations are trying to lessen the amount of erosion but it does not seem to be working

Between 1930 and 1940, the southwestern Great Plains region of the United States suffered a severe drought. Once was great farm land for many settlers in the great plains became a desolate wasteland, which became known as the Dust Bowl. To make matters even worse the government passed the “Homestead Act” which helped move farmers and settlers into the central part of the U.S once the Native Americans were removed. Most of the settlers farmed their land or grazed cattle during the time which resulted in the loss of crops and loss of livestock because the horde conditions. Another result of the Dust Bowl was farms farming dry land on the Great Plains which led to the systematic destruction of the prairie grasses in the ranching regions, overgrazing

Iowa’s wetlands are a large part of Iowa history and an important part of our current society that have been almost wiped out. The restoration of wetlands not only affects the ecosystem on a small scale, but also the nation as a whole, and society itself. It provides a source of recreation, a benefit to the economy, and improves certain aspects of farming. Wetland restoration is a difficult task that often requires many levels of planning, management, and monitoring. But once finished, the benefits that it can bring are almost countless, just a few being protection of native wildlife, flora and fauna, improving water quality naturally, and preserving a sense of Iowa history and heritage. There are many

As lack of water and a particularly dry climate out competes shrubs, trees, and grasslands across Colorado, erosion rates increase reducing the infiltration of moisture into the soil. Causation is believed to have come from heavy livestock grazing, fire suppression, and the introduction of exotic annual plants. Habitat problems for animals and communities that rely on ranching and hunting have been directly affected by these desertification effects. Desertification has had large ecological impacts on the state of Colorado. Vegetation and ecosystems are among the most crucially impacted by the effects of desertification. While Colorado continues its dry drought like climate, restoration of soil becomes one of the major solutions to fight off desertification. Because of the overuse of our land in past generations, we are continuing to see the harmful effects due to desertification. The overall impact on humans produced by desertification is best noticed by a diminishing food production as well as a wealth of water sources becoming dry. People in affected areas are likely to experience poor water quality, dust storms, and pollution. More importantly, as soil loses its nutrients, it no longer becomes farmable; thus, impacting local businesses, livestock, and the many people in that community. If desertification continues in Colorado, an increase of lost farmlands and livestock will pose an economic decease within agriculture markets, farmers will be forced to move to find better

With an ever-shrinking base and the increase in their resource need, it is imperative that the nation focus our attention on conserving our rangelands for the future. This concern has become evident in recent years, and there is a pressing need to relay public concern for conservation of our natural resources into the establishment of national policy. The health of our nation is held in our soil and water resources found on rangelands. Their conservation is the responsibility of both public and private landowners. We, as a nation, must recognize that there is ultimately a cost for the conservation. But this cost is minimal in comparison to the damage to our environment if rangelands are not conserved. Therefore, as a nation, we must be willing to help the land user establish and apply long-term conservation management. There should also be consider of long-term, low-interest loans for conservation treatments and tax incentives for conservation practices (Hayenga). The USDA must adopt policies that will provide economic incentives rather than economic penalties to range conservation efforts by private land owners and

Every year the Wildlife Bureau of the DNR purchases land for public use and wildlife habitats. The restoration of Iowa’s prairie land is considered important because it can restore the natural ecosystem, benefit water quality, and reduces soil erosion caused by runoff. Other farming practices such as having buffer strips near streams and cover crops have helped manage the soil erosion in Iowa, but since 1850 we have lost nearly 14 inches in topsoil depth and growing.

Erosion is extremely costly for developing countries. Besides the damage to infrastructure, fisheries, and property, erosion of precious topsoils costs tens of billions of dollars worldwide each year. For example, in the late 1980s the Indonesian island of Java was losing 770 million metric tons of topsoil every year at an estimated cost of 1.5 million tons of rice, enough to fulfill the needs of 11.5-15 million people.

The Conservation Reserve Program and Conservation Security Program are controlled by the USDA and aim to steady production. The reserve program pays farmers to replace crops with ground cover on an acre basis. The security program works to limit the production on the excess land freed up because of the controls on cash crop production. These are considered to be the most controversial government programs because they technically off-set issues caused directly by agricultural subsidies.

It takes up to three hundred years for one inch of agricultural topsoil to form so soil that is lost is essentially irreplaceable. The consequences for long-term crop yields have not been sufficiently measured. The amount of erosion varies from one field to another. This depends on the type of soil, the slope of the field, the drainage patterns and the crop management practices. The effects of the erosion vary also. The areas that are better able to sustain erosion without loss of productivity are areas with deep organic loams. This is more sustainable than the areas where topsoil’s are shallower.

Significantly, desertification also cause soil erosion, which means soil surface is worn by wind and water. Desertification makes soil easy to erode by water or wind, as soil is exposed and soil structure is instable without forest. LaI R(2003) says that ““Land area globally affected by erosion is 1094 million ha (Mha) by water erosion, of which 751 Mha is severely affected, and 549 Mha by wind erosion, of which 296 Mha is severely affected.” To control soil erosion, an obvious way is virescence, enlarging forest cover, which can protect the soil far from exposing to strong wind. Also, the roots of plants under ground play a role as a framework, as they are obstructions to soil movement,