Measuring progress on controlling soil erosion
Washington Ag Today May 4, 2010 A new National Resources Inventory report, NRI, from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has the latest data on loss of topsoil from wind, rill and water erosion. The new NRI shows that from 1982 to 2007 cropland erosion in the Pacific states declined from 5.2 tons per acre per year to 3.8 tons, though Jan Carlson, Natural Resource Specialist with the Washington state office of the NRCS, says the decrease has been leveling off recently. Carlson: “With the introduction of the Conservation Reserve Program n the mid-80s a lot of the most erosive soil, the soils that are hardest to manage for cultivated crops, was taken out and put into grass, trees, and practices like that. So, that was probably the biggest impact that reduced the soil erosion rate overall.” Carlson says the progress on reducing soil erosion is something to take pride in. Carlson: “I think we can do that. I mean there are always highlights We have different wind events in eastern Washington and the Columbia Basin at times in the spring when residue levels are the lowest. They are kind of spectacular and they make the news more often than not, but those are somewhat rare events. Out of the ordinary events anyways and we are slowly, but surely making progress.” The NRI also showed that conversion of farm and forestland to urban use in Washington continues but at a slower pace. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington At Today on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ?
