Soil Erosion

Soil erosion

Crop Residue Removal: Its Effect on Soil and Water Quality

December 15, 2022
As crop residues provide numerous benefits for soil health and water availability, crop growers should weigh the pros and cons of leaving crop residue in the field — particularly those who farm dryland ground.

Read more

Fire damaged corn field
A corn field affected by fire during the 2022 harvest season in Cedar County. (Photo by Mitiku Mamo)

FAQ for Fire Damage to Unharvested Crops and Harvested Ground

October 28, 2022
Nebraska Extension educators share recommendations for crops impacted by fire damage, highlighting grain and feed options for unharvested corn, what to expect of soil nutrient loss and techniques to avoid soil erosion.

Read more

Using Emergency Tillage to Control Wind Erosion

April 21, 2022
Although soil erosion is best handled with a long-range plan that includes maintaining vegetative ground cover, reducing tillage, reducing field widths, and planting wind breaks, when soil starts moving unexpectedly — or conditions suggest this may occur — emergency control strategies are needed.

Read more

Andrea Basche in a field of cover crop planted into corn stubble
Figure 1. Nebraska’s Andrea Basche and a colleague have found that planting perennials and cover crops may substantially improve the ability of soils to soak up heavy rainfall, potentially alleviating the most severe effects of flooding and drought. (Photo by Greg Nathan, UNL)

Which Farming Practices Help Soils Absorb Heavy Rains?

October 3, 2019
A synthesis of 89 studies across six continents has helped clarify which agricultural practices hold water when it comes to helping soils soak up precipitation — a factor critical to mitigating floods, outlasting drought and stabilizing crop yields.

Read more

Figure 1. A mixture of warm- and cool-season cover crops. (Aaron Hird, NRCS)
Figure 1. A mixture of warm- and cool-season cover crops. (Aaron Hird, NRCS)

Funds Available to Plant Severely Weather-Damaged Acres to Cover Crops

April 17, 2019
To help manage cropland damaged by Nebraska’s severe spring weather, NRCS is providing funds to plant cover crops on cropland acres. Cover crops prevent erosion, improve soil’s physical and biological properties, supply nutrients, and suppress weeds.

Read more

Wet soil compaction

Addressing Harvest Ruts and Erosion Gullies

April 11, 2019
With the wet spring, producers need to evaluate soil moisture conditions before heading to their fields to clean up flood debris and fill in ruts, rills, and gullies.

Read more

Eastern Nebraska field covered with sand in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Lee Valley, Inc.)
Eastern Nebraska field covered with sand in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Lee Valley, Inc.)

Repairing Flood-Damaged Fields

March 25, 2019
Lessons learned from the 2011 Missouri River flood in Nebraska and Iowa offer valuable information for growers initiating recovery measures following the 2019 flood.

Read more

Rye in continuous corn April 19, 2018 at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Education Center near Mead
Rye in continuous corn April 19, 2018 at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Education Center near Mead

How Does Cover Crop Planting Date Affect Soil’s Susceptibility to Water Erosion?

March 11, 2019
This Nebraska student study of how cover crops planted pre- and post-harvest affected soil erodibility found that the amount of water-stable aggregates and biomass production increased with pre-harvest planting.

Read more