Page 28 - 2019 Ag Mag

28 Integrated Pest Management
KMAland 2019

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

IS IMPORTANT

for Conservation

(about 175 acres/hour) ter contributes to soil corn is pollinating! On
were converted from water-holding capac- average, Iowa soils
farmland to urban uses. ity, fertility, and po- have lost about 50%
There are other sober- tentially productivity. of their original soil
ing numbers on the The USDA Natural Re- organic matter from
food front. According sources Conservation erosion and tillage.
to the National Acad- Service estimates that Most soils, especially
Marty Adkins emy of Sciences, fresh- a 1% increase in soil on southwest Iowa and
Assistant State water limitations in organic matter can in- northwest Missouri
Conservationist – Partnerships
USDA Natural Resources some heavily irrigated crease water-holding hillsides, would benefit
Conservation Service regions could result in capacity by 20,000 gal- from stabilizing and
Des Moines, Iowa 49-148 million acres lons per acre – think building soil organic
T United Na- from irrigated to dry- mean in a dry July when is soil aggregate stabil-
of cropland converting about what that could matter levels.
The second indicator
The
tion projects that the land production in the
world’s population will future. Practices like ity. Most people aren’t
reach 9.7 billion hu- This all means that familiar with this term,
mans by the year 2050. future farmers will need no-till, cover so here are a few soil
That is a lot of mouths to produce more food crops and crop basics. Plants do best
to feed! on fewer acres with less rotations do in a soil that is about
At the same time, irrigation water avail- 25% air, 25% water,
farmland conversion to able. Conserving and the four things 45% mineral (sand, silt
urban development is building soils is more listed above and clay), and about
resulting in fewer acres important than ever! that build soil 5% organic matter. A
for farming. Accord- But what does it mean aggregate soil like this gives living
ing to the American to build soils? Two in- roots the oxygen, wa-
Farmland Trust, from dicators are especially stability and ter and nutrients they
1992 to 2012 nearly important. organic matter. need. In a healthy soil,
31 million acres of land Soil organic mat- individual sand, silt,