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THE SOIL EROSION DILEMMA

          Cultivated land worldwide is being seriously damaged by soil erosion.  Soil erosion reduces and in many cases completely destroys the soil’s production potential.  This movement and loss of soil happens in two ways.  The soil is either carried away by wind, or washed away by water.

          Every farmer has seen soil erosion to some degree happening to his fields.  The question is, how much of a problem is soil erosion on his farm and what can he do about it?  Can it be slowed down, or stopped?  How can he best control it.

          There is no way this problem can be solved unless we look at the underlying cause behind soil erosion.  We know our precious agricultural soils are being carried away by wind and water.  Many different techniques have been used to stop erosion with varying success.  Some techniques are successful, but too expensive to be practical to use on a large scale.

          Wind erosion devastates farmland all over the world.  Dust and sand storms are common forms of wind erosion. In either case, they signify unnatural movement of the soil.  Farmers watch helplessly as their top soil is being blown away by the wind.  Terracing the land, building walls, and planting trees and shrubs for windbreaks has not completely stopped the wind from carrying away our soils.

          Scientists have said that six times more plant nutrients are washed away by rain or irrigation, than are taken out of the soil by growing crops.  This does not even consider the devastating soil losses from wind erosion.

          The soil erosion problem is only going to get worse, unless something is done to prevent it from happening.  Let’s start by seeking out the cause of the problem.  Why is the soil being eroded away?  It is caused by both wind and water.  Let’s consider why this is taking place.  Due to the poor condition of the soil, there is nothing left in the soil to prevent it.

         If we are going to prevent the present soil erosion dilemma, we are going to have to stabilize the soil itself.  We also need to restore the soil to a state that will prevent wind and water erosion.

          When examining virgin soils, several things can be observed.  There will be adequate plant cover to protect the soil from both wind and water erosion.  Plant growth is limited to the amount of vegetation the soil can nourish.  There is a natural balance of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients to maintain plant growth.  Even more importantly, natural processes will be functioning to maintain plant food supplies.  This includes the different types of beneficial soil organisms, humus, etc..  This creates a healthy environment to sustain healthy, vigorous plant growth.  As soon as this virgin soil is put under cultivation, it becomes susceptible to soil erosion.  The degree of soil erosion depends on the farming practices and chemicals used on the soil, as well as soil type.

          Some types of equipment used on our agricultural soils have also increased the rate of soil erosion.  Many farmers today over work their soil.  With new modern equipment, we are able to farm land today that once was thought impossible or too marginal to farm.  Much of this land once put into production becomes extremely susceptible to erosion, by both wind and water.  The overworking of our soils greatly accelerates our soil erosion problem today.

          Overuse of both commercial fertilizers and pesticides over the years have had a devastating effect on our soils.  The overuse of these chemicals have destroyed many of our beneficial microorganisms and earthworms in our soils.  The chemicals we use have greatly increased many harmful soil organisms.  The humus cycle has also been interrupted or destroyed.  This condition is not allowing plant residue to be broken down into organic matter and finally into humus.  Without the beneficial microorganisms and the humus in the soil, erosion proceeds unchecked.

          To control soil erosion in our agricultural soil, we must do the following:

1. Restore humus to the soil.
   
2. Restore beneficial microorganisms and earthworms to the soil.
   
3. Do not overwork the soil.
   
4. Use good soil conservation practices.
   
5. Use pesticides only when necessary, never overuse them.
   
6. Use commercial and natural fertilizers that are not harsh to the soil.
   
7. Use practices that restore and build the soil.

          If we follow the above items, we will not only control erosion, but improve overall crop production.

          Kozgro’s organic fertilizer and plant food, AFB, is an organic product made from organic plant extracts.  It helps to control erosion by building humus, restoring the humus cycle, and creating a conducive environment in the soil for beneficial microorganisms and earthworms to prosper.  This is how the Kozgro Program helps to control erosion.

KOZGRO WORKS WITH THE CAUSE - NOT THE SYMPTOM

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