Crop Farming and Sustainability

The good and the bad

Crops-Corn, Soybeans, Wheat

The 3 main crops grown in Southern Canada and the U.S are

Why only 3 crops?

Once harvested and properly dried, crops store and transport easily

High demand as they are found within most foods we eat

High yields due to seed engineering meaning farmers make more money

Traditional Crop Tillage Method

Plowing was traditional way of preparing land (called seed beds) for crops

Kills weeds by exposing roots to the sun and dries the soil by aerating

1 horse can plow 1 acre per dayModern plowing

Negatives

Plowing creates soil erosion and “dead pan” –hard infertile soil

Exposed soils are easily moved by wind and rain

Worldwide 25 billion metric tons of annual soil loss

Results in the sediment loading of rivers and lakes Increase in fertilizersto maintain profitability

Water Erosion – Create Rills and Gullies = lose soil

Possible Solutions

Managing Topography – Contour Plowing

Planting perpendicular to water runoff

Strip Farming

Strip Farming

The planting of different kinds of crops in alternating strips along land contours

When one crops is harvested the other is still present to protect the soil

Used in hilly terrain and polyculture farming – multiple crop in the same

Cover Crops -

Planted within harvested crop to provide ground cover

This prevents erosion by roots binding soil together and dissipating energy during rainfall

Keeps moisture in the ground

No till drilling

No – Till Drilling

This type of planting pushes the seed into soil through previous crop residue

Minimal soil disturbance and lower rates of erosion

The introduction of Roundup Ready seeds has increased no-till drilling

No Till Air Drill

Round Up Ready Corn

A few months later

Before Round Up After Round Up

Ridge Tillage

Leaves up to 75 percent of plant debris on the surface between the rows, preventing erosion

The seed is placed in the same row as the previous years plant/root system

Reduces the number of times a farmer will disturbs the soil

Reducing costs for fuel because tillage equipment is only disturbing a specific area, not cultivating the whole field

Low input - Sustainable Agriculture