STOP GOLLY EROSION: IMPROVE CROP PRODUCTIVITY WITH CONTROL BASINS INSTEAD OF GRASS WATERWAYS

摘要

Year after year, Donnelly, Minn., farmer Dave Liebl would close the gully that formed in one of his fields, only to have it reopen. "I'd dig it, and it would look smooth. Then after a hard rain, there'd be another gully in the same place." The ditch below the field had silt several feet deep. "Our land is washing away," Dave's wife, Karen, says. "This is crazy. Let's do something." The Liebls installed two water-and sediment-control basins in the field to slow the speed of water flowing through the draw. These short, earthen dams bridge the drainage-way, preventing runoff water from cutting a new channel. The dams, which are 3-4 ft. high, are broad enough to be farmed on both banks. Now, the Liebls' soil stays put, and the field - minus the gully -is more farmable. "It works so well, I can't say enough good about it," Dave says.