Miller, Gerald A.; Amemiya, Minoru; Jolly, Robert W.; Melvin, Stewart W.; Nowak, Peter J.

ISU Extension: Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa- PM-1056, (1982)

This publication describes alternatives
that landowners and operators can use
to meet goals of the Iowa Soil 2000
Program.
Soil erosion is a natural process. Most
forms of agriculture practiced on
sloping landscapes increase the erosion
potential, which is commonly called
accelerated or excessive erosion.
Soil properties found in a soil profile
are a result of the parent material the
soil was formed in and the weathering
environment present during soil
development. Thus, provided a stable
environment and sufficient time, soils
have the ability to renew their properties.
When a soil is experiencing
accelerated erosion, however, removal
of renewed soil properties occurs faster
than renewal rates. In Iowa, it takes
approximately 30 years or more to
develop 1 inch of topsoil under ideal
conditions where erosion is very low.
This would be the equal to about 165
tons per acre. Therefore, tolerable soil
losses range from 2 to 5 tons per acre
per year for different soils.

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