Remove Ecology Remove Industrial Agriculture Remove Plowing
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Illinois Dust Storm Disaster Is a Warning for Agriculture

The Equation

Because like the Dust Bowl of so many decades ago, this tragedy stemmed from a collision of multiple systemic problems—in this case, unchecked climate change layered atop the excesses of industrial agriculture. Preventing soil loss from farms and its damaging consequences is possible, and it starts with keeping farm soils covered.

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Farmers Can Adapt to Alternating Droughts and Floods—Here’s How

The Equation

Industrial agricultural practices such as tillage (plowing) and leaving fields bare between growing seasons degrade soil structure, reduce water infiltration, lower water storage capacity, and increase runoff (the flow of water across the soil’s surface).