Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 3 · column 4 of 9 · from the scan, no model involved
percent. In combination with other practices, it can do even better." according to Myers.
No-till cropping involves planting without clearing the land of crop residue. By leaving in the stubble, s >il is held in place bv the ri>ot systems and plants themselves. The planter simplv comes through, cuts a small groove for the seed, drops the seed and covers it, all in one quick, efficient operation. Very little soil is disturbed to be washed away by the eroding forces of rain.
Excessive soil erosion caused by water and wind hurt productivity on one of every three cropland acres in the U. S. last year. Annuallv on Virginia's croplands we are losing 6.6 tons of soil per acre and on the pastureland 4.4 tons per acre are being eroded away. For cropland, this amounts to 21.1 million tons. Pastureland is losing 14.3 million tons of soil annually.
Loss of this valuable topsoil costs farmers money, because as the rich nutrients in the soil are washed away, they must be replaced by expensive chemical fertilizers. This cost is borne by the farmer and passed on to the consumer in the form ot higher food prices. Soil that is washed from the land finds its way to streams and is irretrievably lost. Silt clogged streams can cause flooding problems downstream and can affect drinking water supplies as the silt builds up in reservo irj. j. Conservalfoli tillage has been widely used for such crops as coco and soybeans, with winter cotter crops of rve
64.6%