On acreage with slight or moderate slopes and light to medium weight soils, raised earthen barriers called berms can be constructed to intercept and contain or divert runoff, which will in turn prevent gully formation and soil loss. Berms are also useful at the base of a waterway to slow and divert the flow over a broader area and can be constructed in such a way that they trap runoff sufficiently long that it will percolate into the soil.
Take good care of your farm’s resources to make the most of what you have while leaving something for future generations.
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More on Soil from GRIT
• How to Improve Vegetable Garden Soil
• Grow Your Soil, and the Plants Will Come
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Hank Will raises hair sheep, heritage cattle and many varieties of open-pollinated corn with his wife, Karen, on their rural Osage County, Kansas farm. His home life is a perfect complement to his professional life as editor in chief at GRIT and Capper’s Farmer magazines. Connect with him on Google+.
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