I came across the following article “US Soil Could Be Eroding Up to 1,000 Times Faster Than It Should” and candidly was surprised.

Surprised that it is even possible to lose soil at this rate and surprised that the media has not reported on this in greater numbers. I guess that it is easier to see the water disappearing than it is to see topsoil disappearing.

Up to now, I thought the lack of water was the greatest threat to our farming, dairy, and agricultural clients. Now it appears that soil erosion could become an even bigger issue. As we work to solve the lack of water problem, solving the water problem becomes moot if there is no topsoil to water!  Note that this study is confined to the Mid-West United States.

Soil Erosion

The study goes into the scientific methodology used to determine the two different erosion rates (previous and current) and if you want to learn more feel free to follow this link. The conclusion is rather stark. Soil is eroding at a much faster rate than at other times in history.

“This is a worry because, at this rate, America’s topsoil is simply unable to recover; it’s disappearing faster than it can accumulate. As a result, more and more go missing every year.

Previous measurements from agricultural fields adjacent to the native prairies studied show these cultivated areas are losing topsoil at far greater rates – a thousandfold faster at some sites.”

Please check back with us. We will continue to update this topic as more information becomes available.