Farming and livestock are very interconnected with erosion. For the first connection, livestock, such as cattle, often graze on plants growing in an area. These plants have root systems that keep the soil in place. Without these root systems, the soil will erode much easier because it has no solid support. Rain or wind could easily scatter this dirt, or carry it to a different location and deposit it there. Farming also leads to erosion because farmers often plant their crops, let them grow, harvest them, then leave their fields barren for a short amount of time. At this time, erosion is extremely prevalent because, again, it has no roots to hold it together. Farmers can, and do, attempt to slow down the forces of erosion. Some farmers try to break the wind with large trees on the borders of their farm. Others plant excess crops, such as grass, in areas that are prone to erosion, such as a low area where water passes through often. This can also be done at certain times when the field does not have a crop growing in it. These "cover crops" absorb any excess water instead of letting it run away with their soil. They also provide a root system, which I said earlier, gives the soil a solid foundation and holds it all together.
Farming and livestock have a lot to do with erosion. When farmers flood there field with water some of the water causes erosion to the soil by carrying away sediments. Livetock also also cause erosion by feeding on the plants and pulling there roots out of the ground, there for leaving sediments for the wind and water to carry in away. Another problem with livestock feeding on plants, is during the winter period. When it rains it leaves the ground muddy and wet. So when the livestock is out on the field, it can lead to soil compaction. Farmers usually build trees round the outer rim of there farm to stop the wind erosion. During, winter farmers will stop planting crops that causes erosion.
I fully agree with you that farmers should plant a root system in the ground to stop erosion, but do you truly believe that farmers would waste there time planting these plants; it would also cost money. Another reason is that the plants might not be in the right soil and could take up all the water.
Some ways farming and livestock are conmnected with erosion are that as you water yyour plants, the soil gets wet which causes it to erode easier. The livestock also graze which loosens the soil and causes it to erode. Farmers could prevent this by leaving roots in the ground instead of burning off the excess.
Farming and livestock are connected quite clearly to the process of erosion. On farms the cause of erosion can be pinpointed to natural causes and human induced causes.
One common problem that farmers face is too much rain. Large amounts of precipitation can loosen soil particles from the land, and the water then erodes the soil away. To reduce the amount of erosion farmers try to plant crops in their fields all year long so that the precipitation hits plants and crops before hitting the soil. The elevation and terrain of your farm can also have a great impact on the amount of erosion it will face. Farms on a slope or hill will allow gravity to increase the erosion process. A climate, which goes through a temporary change, can also see an increase in erosion. One of the best examples is the Dust Bowl era that took place in the late 1930’s. Before the Dust Bowl started, the yearly wet period ceased to exist, allowing factors such as the wind to slowly erode the soil. As the soil was eroded away, it became looser and looser, and soon was picked up by the wind. This was the cause for the dust storms that took place over that period. But a climate does not only have to change its rainfall to have erosion take place. If a climate experiences a change in wind patterns erosion can take place as well. These factors cannot be controlled, but nature is not the only reason for erosion, people are to blame as well. If a piece of land, which contains vegetation, is transformed to a housing development the land looses its cover. If people excessively farm on a piece of land it damages the land permanently preventing any sort of vegetation from growing. This leaves the land vulnerable to natural factors of erosion.
Farming is not only to blame; livestock are a large part in erosion. If livestock are allowed to constantly graze on stream banks severe bank erosion may occur. As livestock graze they release amounts of dirt and soil into water. If they are not stopped enough soil can be loosened to fill up the stream, cutting off water. The same process applies to regular fields too. As livestock graze they break up soil and dirt, which can be washed away.
There are some solutions farmers can implicate to prevent the rapid erosion process. A very common erosion prevention method is to maintain just a few trees and shrubs. Just a handful of vegetation can cut down runoff water by 50% percent. Culverts, which are underground tunnels, can drain excessive runoff preventing erosion. Planting vegetation on hills that slope can also catch excessive runoff. The simplest method which is preferred by most farmers is to place straw or mulch over unused soil.
These processes along with the knowledge of erosion can prevent permanent damage from nature and human induced factors.
In response to Ross's response to Tommy. I would have to agree with Tommy. Farmers make their income off their farms. Anything that can prevent erosion will allow them to plant more crops for a longer time. It pays off and that is why farmers plant roots.
Responding to Ross' second comment... I do believe that farmer's plant a crop just to prevent erosion, because I did not just make that up. I found it on a website about farms and erosion. I'm not guaranteeing that this is correct, but it does make sense and I did not just make it up. If you think about it, would you rather spend $100 (for hypothetical purposes) to plant some grass near a low area, or deal with the fact that your farm is slowly being carried away. The soil contains nutrients that the plants need to grow. If the water carries it away, the ditch will get wider and wider until half your farm is gone! (a slight exaggeration, but you catch my drift) Furthermore, wind could easily scatter all the soil in your farm when there are no crops, so all the nutrients would be "Gone with the Wind." Would you rather pay for more soil and possibly lose your farm, or plant a cheap crop to keep your soil grounded?
Farming and raising livestock is conducive to erosion because animals eat a lot of plants which makes less roots to hold the soild in place which will cause rain to be able to wash away more soil than before. Raising crops can deplete the nutrient content of the soil, and when crops are harvested the roots might be burnt off leading to more erosion than before. To prevent erosion farmers could let their fields lie fallow after planting and ranchers can rotate the pastures they use to graze their animals.
Responding to what Tommy said I completely agree with what you say. A farmer makes his living off his crops, if erosion takes all the nutrients out of his livelihood, how will he survive? The farmer in question would become a bankrupt dirty hobo. Therefore farmers know the dangers of erosion, and probably take measures to prevent it.
Responding to Frank's comments... Thank you for agreeing with me. Farmers do make their money from their farm, so I would imagine they would do everything they can to keep it healthy and safe from erosion. I'm not entirely sure I agree with the fact that they will become "bankrupt dirty hobos," but I think I understand where you are going. However, in your first comment, you said they could let their farms remain fallow after planting. I think you meant after harvesting, because fallow is when there are no crops in your field. Furthermore, if it is fallow, the nurtients will replenish, which is good. However, it will not have a root system to hold it in place, so it is more prone to erosion. That is why some farmers leave the roots in their fields, rotate crops in each fields, and plant "cover crops" to keep the soil healthy and stationary. As for rotating pastures in which animals graze, I completely agree. It works along the same principle as rotating crops and allowing fields to lie fallow. That was a good idea.
I agree completely with you that erosion can make farmers bankrupt. I also agree with you on the terms that the farmers should make there crops fallow for part of the year and rotate their pasture.
In response to Ross's second comment, I completly agree with you that planting excess crops to stop erosion is a waste of time and money. Instead, they could just plant norman crops and leave the roots in the groung during the fallow season, that way the plants would decay and add even more nutrients to the already recovering soil.
Responding to Rick's comment. I disagree with you. What do you mean by "normal crops"? Why should farmers not plant excess crops to stop erosion? The roots of those crops would hold the soil in and prevent erosion from occurring. Farmers should be encouraged to practice this, not discouraged.
In response to Franks 3rd comment, what I mean by normal crops are crops that they harvesrt and sell, it makes much more sense to do that then to plant grass or something like that because they dont harvest it, it just sits there. Also, once the plant is harvested, the root should just remain in the ground, that they get money, and stop erosion at the same time. I don't disagree that farmers shouldn't plant excess crops, I just believe that planting grass just doesn't make as much sense as planting crops they can harvest.
Farming and livestock are conected to erosion and actually are probably a main factor that causes erosion. Well, the definition of erosion is the process by which the earth is worn away. Like everyone else on this blog is saying, the crops and plants that grow on earth have roots which are like glue that hold all of the earth together in some form. So I think that farming and livestock have a somewhat positive effect on this matter. However, sometimes when the crops in a certain farm die due to whatever reason, then that farm is having a negative effect on the erosion problem as the glue (the roots) are no longer there.
Erosion is a natural process. Therefore we can slow, stunt, etc. erosion, but we can't put an ABSOLUTE end to it because it is a natural phase and natural earth cycles will take place regardless of whatever brilliant technology we can come up with. But farmers do attempt to STUNT the force of erosion. Most farmers keep there crops healthy for the obvious reason-they want their farm to thrive. But while they are doing this for their own selfish reasons, they do not realize it, (or maybe some do) but they are slowing down erosion because healthy plants=healthy roots which = "erosion glue" for the earth. Also, because wind causes erosion. Sometimes farmers will put up big obstructions near there farms in order to take away some of the winds force, causing less erosion force.
Responding to Tommy. I agree with everything you said. However I do feel like Ross's point is valid. Would farmers really take the time and use their OWN money just to do this world a favor? DO you think that they would really plant extra grass for the well-being of this planet earth. But a good point that you made was that they may be doing it for the well being of their own farm because this excess grass will absorb any unneeded water. so all im trying to say is that I agree with the whole grass planting thing, but I don't think that farmers plant the grass to help the earth-I think they plant the grass to help themselves-but they don't realize that they are actually helping stop erosion!
Farming and raising livestock definitely play a part in erosion. First off, the livestock tend to graze on the vegetation in the area for food. This causes the vegetation to be uprooted and the soil becomes much loser and easier to move around. Becoming vulnerable to erosion.
Also, when farmers plant their crop and then harvest. Afterwards, give the soil on their land time to gain its nutrients back. During this time the land is, as I said before, very vulnerable to erosion because there is no vegetation to hold the soil in place.
In order to slow down this process I read on the internet that you can grow shrubs or trees, you can design culverts and drainage structures to take care of any extra, or cover your land with mulch or straw.
Although your comment wasn't directed towards me, I would just like to say that I completely think that farmers would devote their time and/or money into slowing down the process of erosion. I think this because when erosion occurs it takes with it the top layers of the soil...layer by layer by layer. Slowly but surely, farmers notice that there will be a lack of nutrition in their soil because the top layers are filled with nutrients. Not enough nutrition in their soil could cause in their crops lacking the excellence they had the year before
Since it affects their business, I would think that they would put some time into preventing erosion form occurring as much.
Responding to Elisa. That is not what I was saying at all. I was trying to make a point that some farmers are stopping erosion by running their farms as they would normally. I was not talking about soil erosion, I was talking about the planting of extra grass to absorb the extra nutrients in the soil. And in response to your comment, are you sure that the top layers are the ones that are filled with nutrients? I think not. The nutrients in the soil come from within the ground, the under layers, not the top layers, like you said. Actully, removing the top layers could be somewhat of a benefit to farmers because then the earth would be doing their dirty work for them the earth would be cleaning up the Earht (as in soil) for them.
Farming and raising livestock can lead to erosion. When farmers pull up plants they are taking away roots that keeps the soil from eroding quiker. Also when farmers water down there fields loose soil will become eroded and carried away. Livestock causes erosion by feeding on plants and pulling up roots. This loosens the soil leaving sediments for the wind to carry away. Farmers try to slow erosion by planting trees around their farms which slows wind erosion. Also they plant extra crops in areas that can have more erosion. This prevents soil from being carried away by water.
Farming and raising livestock play large roles in erosion. Plants erode the soil when they suck up the nutrients contained in the soil. Their roots hold the soil together. When the plants are removed (for example, by livestock grazing on them), the soil becomes very loose and erodes.
In order to slow this erosion process, farmers and ranchers employ many different methods. They plant large trees around their farm in order to reduce the amount of wind that can erode the soil on the farm. They also plant cover crops, which are excess crops that are planted to slow erosion. These plants suck up water that could erode the soil, in addition to holding the soil together with their roots.
@Brandon: I agree with you that rain, elevation, climate, and wind patterns all have large influences on erosion. However, I don't believe that these are directly related to how farming and raising livestock lead to erosion. The rapid erosion caused by farming and livestock pertains only to the erosion caused by crops and livestock that eat these crops and other plants.
It is evident that farming and raising livestock lead to rapid erosion. When farmers pick their crops, the soil is no longer held together by the roots. As a result, the soil is extremely loose and grainy, which means that it could be transported elsewhere by wind, water, and other means of movement. As for livestock, when they consume the crops or plants which hold the dirt (for the most part) together and keep it relatively stable, the soil is, as it is after harvest, loosened. The methods that farmers and ranchers use to prevent erosion from occurring are the planting of trees or shrubs (which are sturdy and would not be pulled out so they would hold the soil together) and the planting of extra crops. The extra crops are called “cover crops” and their purpose is to protect soil from erosion in addition to adding nutrients to improve the soil. Although farming and livestock have the ability to cause erosion, certain methods to stop this do exist.
Responding to Rick’s first comment. I found it fascinating when you said that by watering your crops, it is contributing to erosion. I never thought of that and I completely agree that the water, even though it is necessary for the plant to thrive, is in fact eroding the soil.
Responding to Brandon’s last comment to Ross. I completely agree with you that fallowing makes the soil, not only obsolete, but subject to erosion by wind and water. Therefore, fallowing will cause erosion, which will then lead to less soil than there was before to plant crops. As a result, fallowing will not prevent erosion, nor will it slow the process.
@Lauren: I disagree with you and Brandon on your view of fallowing and erosion. Fallowing does not lead to erosion - it does exactly the opposite. Farmers generally leave dead plants in the soil when the soil is fallow, allowing their roots to hold the soil together. While fallow, the soil regains nutrients.
@ Lauren and Brandon: I would have to agree with ajay that fallowing helps prevent erosion. allowing the roots to hold the soil together while it gains nutrients helps the soil stay grounded. However on your other points Lauren I do agree with. Such as the fact that farmers plant trees and shrubs to prevent wind erosion.
@ Ross: In your first comment you said that the water erodes the land. You are absolutly right. The water farmers use for their plants erodes the soil a little bit. The plants take up most of the water into their roots so they do not leave that much, but still enough to help with erosion.
Farming and livestock go hand in hand with erosion. Livestock like horses or cattle feed off crops in fields, when the livestock eat the whole plant including the root. When the roots a plant are pulled up it loosens the soil around it making it easier to erode. Farmers plant fairly large trees around the outer edge of their farms to prevent some of the wind eroding the loose soil.
You said water carries the sediments from the soil away or erosion. You are right but farmers are very carful not to use to much water so that excess water does not carry sediments away. And one more thing farmers don't build trees, they plant them.
a) Some ways farming and raising livestock lead to rapid erosion are... When you plant plants in a large number (farming) their roots grow, which moves the siol that it it growing in. And if enough plants are moving the soil then that wilpl lead to the ground eroding faster. One way livestock can lead to rapid erosion is that they are eating the plants which makes the siol erode, becasue the roots are being moved. b) Some meathods farmers and ranchers could use to slow or even stop erosion is to harvest thier plants as soon as they are done growing, and plant them, when it is first possible.
andy- What you are saying about the plant being taken out of the ground, even the root, speeds up erosion totally makes sence. Becasue the ground needs the root of that plant to help hold it together, becasue the soil has adapted itself around the root, so when the root is taken out, the soil will erode. ALso the fact that farmers plant large trees around their feilds to prevent wind from eroding the groud, greatly helps the soil.
a. the irrigation systems could quickly erode the land by washing everything away. also this type of damage can be repaired if necessary, but the process is very expensive.
b. the farmers could simply try and cut down on water use and keep it to a minimum, and they could also try to disrupt the environment as little as possible.
responding to Elisa, although you can put structures in place that help to slow erosion, couldn't these structures become eroded. also, would they have a positive or negative effect on the surrounding environment?
Farming and livestock have a large relationship with erosion.
Livestock roam grounds and land across the World sometimes cause the ground to erode. Also livestock can eat away at plants exposing the dirt underneath which in turn exposes it to wind, rain, snow, frost, etc.
Farming has to do with erosion because when growing plants farmers can ofter slow the process of erosion down. Farmers can slow the process down by plants trees and such around the crops blocking wind from eroding the dirt and soil. Then again farmers also increase th eamount of erosion because when they are done harvestiung the crops they leave theme bare, exposing the to the damages of weather erosion.
Responding to Andys comment- I agree with you on this topic. When you say that farmers plant trees around th eborder of the crop, this is true to try and reduce the process of erosion. I also agree with you when you say that livestock speed up the process of erosion.
mackenzie- I hand not though of how the wind would erode the groud while it was barren. But i really don't think there is anything farmers can do about that. Becasue they have to leave the feild barren when its not planting season. Maybe one thing the could do is cover the ground with a tarp, but i dont think that would help very much.
Farming and raising livestock can lead to erosion for many reasons. First of all, raising livestock can cause erosion because in order to feed the livestock the earth/soil must be eroded. Crops are being pulled from the soil to be used as food. Farmers can cause erosion for similar reasons. Their cros, etc. are being grown into the ground which also erodes the soil of the earth. Farmers and ranchers can slow or stop erosion by maybe planting larger crops around their fields so that water will not run under ground to cause more erosion then there is already being made.
Aaryn- In response to your first comment, I agree with your statement about the roots of plants being a factor to erosion. The growth of the roots under ground can cause a movement (erosion) of the soil. In addition, I agree with your statement about how farmers and ranchers can slow erosion, however, I believe that there are other alternatives as well.
In response to MacKenzie's first comment- I agree that plants and trees can slow or stop erosion. The roots of these plants can soak up more water so that the water will not erode other areas of soil.
I completely agree with you on this topic. Farmers plant large trees around the borders of their property to slow the process of wind erosion. Which is a major problem in farming
I totally and completly agree with you on this topic. I agree with you when you say that farmers plant trees to help ;imit the amount of erison on the fields. I agree with your whole opinion on this interesting topic. :)
44 comments:
Farming and livestock are very interconnected with erosion. For the first connection, livestock, such as cattle, often graze on plants growing in an area. These plants have root systems that keep the soil in place. Without these root systems, the soil will erode much easier because it has no solid support. Rain or wind could easily scatter this dirt, or carry it to a different location and deposit it there. Farming also leads to erosion because farmers often plant their crops, let them grow, harvest them, then leave their fields barren for a short amount of time. At this time, erosion is extremely prevalent because, again, it has no roots to hold it together.
Farmers can, and do, attempt to slow down the forces of erosion. Some farmers try to break the wind with large trees on the borders of their farm. Others plant excess crops, such as grass, in areas that are prone to erosion, such as a low area where water passes through often. This can also be done at certain times when the field does not have a crop growing in it. These "cover crops" absorb any excess water instead of letting it run away with their soil. They also provide a root system, which I said earlier, gives the soil a solid foundation and holds it all together.
Farming and livestock have a lot to do with erosion. When farmers flood there field with water some of the water causes erosion to the soil by carrying away sediments. Livetock also also cause erosion by feeding on the plants and pulling there roots out of the ground, there for leaving sediments for the wind and water to carry in away. Another problem with livestock feeding on plants, is during the winter period. When it rains it leaves the ground muddy and wet. So when the livestock is out on the field, it can lead to soil compaction.
Farmers usually build trees round the outer rim of there farm to stop the wind erosion. During, winter farmers will stop planting crops that causes erosion.
Response to Tommy:
I fully agree with you that farmers should plant a root system in the ground to stop erosion, but do you truly believe that farmers would waste there time planting these plants; it would also cost money. Another reason is that the plants might not be in the right soil and could take up all the water.
Some ways farming and livestock are conmnected with erosion are that as you water yyour plants, the soil gets wet which causes it to erode easier. The livestock also graze which loosens the soil and causes it to erode. Farmers could prevent this by leaving roots in the ground instead of burning off the excess.
Farming and livestock are connected quite clearly to the process of erosion. On farms the cause of erosion can be pinpointed to natural causes and human induced causes.
One common problem that farmers face is too much rain. Large amounts of precipitation can loosen soil particles from the land, and the water then erodes the soil away. To reduce the amount of erosion farmers try to plant crops in their fields all year long so that the precipitation hits plants and crops before hitting the soil. The elevation and terrain of your farm can also have a great impact on the amount of erosion it will face. Farms on a slope or hill will allow gravity to increase the erosion process. A climate, which goes through a temporary change, can also see an increase in erosion. One of the best examples is the Dust Bowl era that took place in the late 1930’s. Before the Dust Bowl started, the yearly wet period ceased to exist, allowing factors such as the wind to slowly erode the soil. As the soil was eroded away, it became looser and looser, and soon was picked up by the wind. This was the cause for the dust storms that took place over that period. But a climate does not only have to change its rainfall to have erosion take place. If a climate experiences a change in wind patterns erosion can take place as well. These factors cannot be controlled, but nature is not the only reason for erosion, people are to blame as well. If a piece of land, which contains vegetation, is transformed to a housing development the land looses its cover. If people excessively farm on a piece of land it damages the land permanently preventing any sort of vegetation from growing. This leaves the land vulnerable to natural factors of erosion.
Farming is not only to blame; livestock are a large part in erosion. If livestock are allowed to constantly graze on stream banks severe bank erosion may occur. As livestock graze they release amounts of dirt and soil into water. If they are not stopped enough soil can be loosened to fill up the stream, cutting off water. The same process applies to regular fields too. As livestock graze they break up soil and dirt, which can be washed away.
There are some solutions farmers can implicate to prevent the rapid erosion process. A very common erosion prevention method is to maintain just a few trees and shrubs. Just a handful of vegetation can cut down runoff water by 50% percent. Culverts, which are underground tunnels, can drain excessive runoff preventing erosion. Planting vegetation on hills that slope can also catch excessive runoff. The simplest method which is preferred by most farmers is to place straw or mulch over unused soil.
These processes along with the knowledge of erosion can prevent permanent damage from nature and human induced factors.
In response to Ross's response to Tommy. I would have to agree with Tommy. Farmers make their income off their farms. Anything that can prevent erosion will allow them to plant more crops for a longer time. It pays off and that is why farmers plant roots.
Responding to Ross' second comment...
I do believe that farmer's plant a crop just to prevent erosion, because I did not just make that up. I found it on a website about farms and erosion. I'm not guaranteeing that this is correct, but it does make sense and I did not just make it up. If you think about it, would you rather spend $100 (for hypothetical purposes) to plant some grass near a low area, or deal with the fact that your farm is slowly being carried away. The soil contains nutrients that the plants need to grow. If the water carries it away, the ditch will get wider and wider until half your farm is gone! (a slight exaggeration, but you catch my drift) Furthermore, wind could easily scatter all the soil in your farm when there are no crops, so all the nutrients would be "Gone with the Wind." Would you rather pay for more soil and possibly lose your farm, or plant a cheap crop to keep your soil grounded?
Farming and raising livestock is conducive to erosion because animals eat a lot of plants which makes less roots to hold the soild in place which will cause rain to be able to wash away more soil than before. Raising crops can deplete the nutrient content of the soil, and when crops are harvested the roots might be burnt off leading to more erosion than before. To prevent erosion farmers could let their fields lie fallow after planting and ranchers can rotate the pastures they use to graze their animals.
Responding to what Tommy said I completely agree with what you say. A farmer makes his living off his crops, if erosion takes all the nutrients out of his livelihood, how will he survive? The farmer in question would become a bankrupt dirty hobo. Therefore farmers know the dangers of erosion, and probably take measures to prevent it.
Responding to Frank's comments...
Thank you for agreeing with me. Farmers do make their money from their farm, so I would imagine they would do everything they can to keep it healthy and safe from erosion. I'm not entirely sure I agree with the fact that they will become "bankrupt dirty hobos," but I think I understand where you are going. However, in your first comment, you said they could let their farms remain fallow after planting. I think you meant after harvesting, because fallow is when there are no crops in your field. Furthermore, if it is fallow, the nurtients will replenish, which is good. However, it will not have a root system to hold it in place, so it is more prone to erosion. That is why some farmers leave the roots in their fields, rotate crops in each fields, and plant "cover crops" to keep the soil healthy and stationary.
As for rotating pastures in which animals graze, I completely agree. It works along the same principle as rotating crops and allowing fields to lie fallow. That was a good idea.
In Response to Frank:
I agree completely with you that erosion can make farmers bankrupt. I also agree with you on the terms that the farmers should make there crops fallow for part of the year and rotate their pasture.
In response to Ross's comment.
Actually fallowing can cause erosion. If all plants and roots are pulled up after a harvest for the land to fallow the soil can loose its support.
In response to Ross's second comment, I completly agree with you that planting excess crops to stop erosion is a waste of time and money. Instead, they could just plant norman crops and leave the roots in the groung during the fallow season, that way the plants would decay and add even more nutrients to the already recovering soil.
Responding to Rick's comment. I disagree with you. What do you mean by "normal crops"? Why should farmers not plant excess crops to stop erosion? The roots of those crops would hold the soil in and prevent erosion from occurring. Farmers should be encouraged to practice this, not discouraged.
In response to Franks 3rd comment, what I mean by normal crops are crops that they harvesrt and sell, it makes much more sense to do that then to plant grass or something like that because they dont harvest it, it just sits there. Also, once the plant is harvested, the root should just remain in the ground, that they get money, and stop erosion at the same time. I don't disagree that farmers shouldn't plant excess crops, I just believe that planting grass just doesn't make as much sense as planting crops they can harvest.
Farming and livestock are conected to erosion and actually are probably a main factor that causes erosion. Well, the definition of erosion is the process by which the earth is worn away. Like everyone else on this blog is saying, the crops and plants that grow on earth have roots which are like glue that hold all of the earth together in some form. So I think that farming and livestock have a somewhat positive effect on this matter. However, sometimes when the crops in a certain farm die due to whatever reason, then that farm is having a negative effect on the erosion problem as the glue (the roots) are no longer there.
Erosion is a natural process. Therefore we can slow, stunt, etc. erosion, but we can't put an ABSOLUTE end to it because it is a natural phase and natural earth cycles will take place regardless of whatever brilliant technology we can come up with. But farmers do attempt to STUNT the force of erosion. Most farmers keep there crops healthy for the obvious reason-they want their farm to thrive. But while they are doing this for their own selfish reasons, they do not realize it, (or maybe some do) but they are slowing down erosion because healthy plants=healthy roots which = "erosion glue" for the earth. Also, because wind causes erosion. Sometimes farmers will put up big obstructions near there farms in order to take away some of the winds force, causing less erosion force.
Responding to Tommy. I agree with everything you said. However I do feel like Ross's point is valid. Would farmers really take the time and use their OWN money just to do this world a favor? DO you think that they would really plant extra grass for the well-being of this planet earth. But a good point that you made was that they may be doing it for the well being of their own farm because this excess grass will absorb any unneeded water. so all im trying to say is that I agree with the whole grass planting thing, but I don't think that farmers plant the grass to help the earth-I think they plant the grass to help themselves-but they don't realize that they are actually helping stop erosion!
Farming and raising livestock definitely play a part in erosion. First off, the livestock tend to graze on the vegetation in the area for food. This causes the vegetation to be uprooted and the soil becomes much loser and easier to move around. Becoming vulnerable to erosion.
Also, when farmers plant their crop and then harvest. Afterwards, give the soil on their land time to gain its nutrients back. During this time the land is, as I said before, very vulnerable to erosion because there is no vegetation to hold the soil in place.
In order to slow down this process I read on the internet that you can grow shrubs or trees, you can design culverts and drainage structures to take care of any extra, or cover your land with mulch or straw.
Responding to Priya's comment:
Although your comment wasn't directed towards me, I would just like to say that I completely think that farmers would devote their time and/or money into slowing down the process of erosion. I think this because when erosion occurs it takes with it the top layers of the soil...layer by layer by layer. Slowly but surely, farmers notice that there will be a lack of nutrition in their soil because the top layers are filled with nutrients. Not enough nutrition in their soil could cause in their crops lacking the excellence they had the year before
Since it affects their business, I would think that they would put some time into preventing erosion form occurring as much.
Responding to Elisa. That is not what I was saying at all. I was trying to make a point that some farmers are stopping erosion by running their farms as they would normally. I was not talking about soil erosion, I was talking about the planting of extra grass to absorb the extra nutrients in the soil. And in response to your comment, are you sure that the top layers are the ones that are filled with nutrients? I think not. The nutrients in the soil come from within the ground, the under layers, not the top layers, like you said. Actully, removing the top layers could be somewhat of a benefit to farmers because then the earth would be doing their dirty work for them the earth would be cleaning up the Earht (as in soil) for them.
Farming and raising livestock can lead to erosion. When farmers pull up plants they are taking away roots that keeps the soil from eroding quiker. Also when farmers water down there fields loose soil will become eroded and carried away. Livestock causes erosion by feeding on plants and pulling up roots. This loosens the soil leaving sediments for the wind to carry away.
Farmers try to slow erosion by planting trees around their farms which slows wind erosion. Also they plant extra crops in areas that can have more erosion. This prevents soil from being carried away by water.
Farming and raising livestock play large roles in erosion. Plants erode the soil when they suck up the nutrients contained in the soil. Their roots hold the soil together. When the plants are removed (for example, by livestock grazing on them), the soil becomes very loose and erodes.
In order to slow this erosion process, farmers and ranchers employ many different methods. They plant large trees around their farm in order to reduce the amount of wind that can erode the soil on the farm. They also plant cover crops, which are excess crops that are planted to slow erosion. These plants suck up water that could erode the soil, in addition to holding the soil together with their roots.
@Brandon: I agree with you that rain, elevation, climate, and wind patterns all have large influences on erosion. However, I don't believe that these are directly related to how farming and raising livestock lead to erosion. The rapid erosion caused by farming and livestock pertains only to the erosion caused by crops and livestock that eat these crops and other plants.
It is evident that farming and raising livestock lead to rapid erosion. When farmers pick their crops, the soil is no longer held together by the roots. As a result, the soil is extremely loose and grainy, which means that it could be transported elsewhere by wind, water, and other means of movement. As for livestock, when they consume the crops or plants which hold the dirt (for the most part) together and keep it relatively stable, the soil is, as it is after harvest, loosened. The methods that farmers and ranchers use to prevent erosion from occurring are the planting of trees or shrubs (which are sturdy and would not be pulled out so they would hold the soil together) and the planting of extra crops. The extra crops are called “cover crops” and their purpose is to protect soil from erosion in addition to adding nutrients to improve the soil. Although farming and livestock have the ability to cause erosion, certain methods to stop this do exist.
Responding to Rick’s first comment. I found it fascinating when you said that by watering your crops, it is contributing to erosion. I never thought of that and I completely agree that the water, even though it is necessary for the plant to thrive, is in fact eroding the soil.
Responding to Brandon’s last comment to Ross. I completely agree with you that fallowing makes the soil, not only obsolete, but subject to erosion by wind and water. Therefore, fallowing will cause erosion, which will then lead to less soil than there was before to plant crops. As a result, fallowing will not prevent erosion, nor will it slow the process.
@Lauren: I disagree with you and Brandon on your view of fallowing and erosion. Fallowing does not lead to erosion - it does exactly the opposite. Farmers generally leave dead plants in the soil when the soil is fallow, allowing their roots to hold the soil together. While fallow, the soil regains nutrients.
@ Lauren and Brandon: I would have to agree with ajay that fallowing helps prevent erosion. allowing the roots to hold the soil together while it gains nutrients helps the soil stay grounded. However on your other points Lauren I do agree with. Such as the fact that farmers plant trees and shrubs to prevent wind erosion.
@ Ross:
In your first comment you said that the water erodes the land. You are absolutly right. The water farmers use for their plants erodes the soil a little bit. The plants take up most of the water into their roots so they do not leave that much, but still enough to help with erosion.
Farming and livestock go hand in hand with erosion. Livestock like horses or cattle feed off crops in fields, when the livestock eat the whole plant including the root. When the roots a plant are pulled up it loosens the soil around it making it easier to erode.
Farmers plant fairly large trees around the outer edge of their farms to prevent some of the wind eroding the loose soil.
In response to Ross:
You said water carries the sediments from the soil away or erosion. You are right but farmers are very carful not to use to much water so that excess water does not carry sediments away. And one more thing farmers don't build trees, they plant them.
a) Some ways farming and raising livestock lead to rapid erosion are... When you plant plants in a large number (farming) their roots grow, which moves the siol that it it growing in. And if enough plants are moving the soil then that wilpl lead to the ground eroding faster. One way livestock can lead to rapid erosion is that they are eating the plants which makes the siol erode, becasue the roots are being moved.
b) Some meathods farmers and ranchers could use to slow or even stop erosion is to harvest thier plants as soon as they are done growing, and plant them, when it is first possible.
andy-
What you are saying about the plant being taken out of the ground, even the root, speeds up erosion totally makes sence. Becasue the ground needs the root of that plant to help hold it together, becasue the soil has adapted itself around the root, so when the root is taken out, the soil will erode. ALso the fact that farmers plant large trees around their feilds to prevent wind from eroding the groud, greatly helps the soil.
a. the irrigation systems could quickly erode the land by washing everything away. also this type of damage can be repaired if necessary, but the process is very expensive.
b. the farmers could simply try and cut down on water use and keep it to a minimum, and they could also try to disrupt the environment as little as possible.
I agree with tommy. by planting large trees, wind erosion can be prevented. Also, the root systems to indeed allow for the prevention of erosion.
responding to Elisa, although you can put structures in place that help to slow erosion, couldn't these structures become eroded. also, would they have a positive or negative effect on the surrounding environment?
Farming and livestock have a large relationship with erosion.
Livestock roam grounds and land across the World sometimes cause the ground to erode. Also livestock can eat away at plants exposing the dirt underneath which in turn exposes it to wind, rain, snow, frost, etc.
Farming has to do with erosion because when growing plants farmers can ofter slow the process of erosion down. Farmers can slow the process down by plants trees and such around the crops blocking wind from eroding the dirt and soil. Then again farmers also increase th eamount of erosion because when they are done harvestiung the crops they leave theme bare, exposing the to the damages of weather erosion.
Responding to Andys comment-
I agree with you on this topic. When you say that farmers plant trees around th eborder of the crop, this is true to try and reduce the process of erosion. I also agree with you when you say that livestock speed up the process of erosion.
mackenzie-
I hand not though of how the wind would erode the groud while it was barren. But i really don't think there is anything farmers can do about that. Becasue they have to leave the feild barren when its not planting season. Maybe one thing the could do is cover the ground with a tarp, but i dont think that would help very much.
Farming and raising livestock can lead to erosion for many reasons. First of all, raising livestock can cause erosion because in order to feed the livestock the earth/soil must be eroded. Crops are being pulled from the soil to be used as food. Farmers can cause erosion for similar reasons. Their cros, etc. are being grown into the ground which also erodes the soil of the earth. Farmers and ranchers can slow or stop erosion by maybe planting larger crops around their fields so that water will not run under ground to cause more erosion then there is already being made.
Aaryn-
In response to your first comment, I agree with your statement about the roots of plants being a factor to erosion. The growth of the roots under ground can cause a movement (erosion) of the soil. In addition, I agree with your statement about how farmers and ranchers can slow erosion, however, I believe that there are other alternatives as well.
In response to MacKenzie's first comment- I agree that plants and trees can slow or stop erosion. The roots of these plants can soak up more water so that the water will not erode other areas of soil.
In response to Tommy:
I completely agree with you on this topic. Farmers plant large trees around the borders of their property to slow the process of wind erosion. Which is a major problem in farming
In responce to Hannahs first comment-
I totally and completly agree with you on this topic. I agree with you when you say that farmers plant trees to help ;imit the amount of erison on the fields. I agree with your whole opinion on this interesting topic. :)
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