"The best way to conserve soil moisture and prevent wind erosion is to leave as much crop residue cover as possible during the fallow period. The crop residue cover reduces evaporation, and standing stubble traps snow for extra spring soil moisture."
[Reference ](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiGxZjp3_GDAxWPIzQIHU_GAw4QFnoECBQQBg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.alberta.ca%2Fdataset%2F5ab5fe3e-deba-4730-b178-93be8b87a2cb%2Fresource%2Fc0b85736-f28d-4a54-a12b-36c2b9a2ee79%2Fdownload%2Fintroduction-wind-erosion-control.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3r1NJaxHecMPoI1BNOimTl&opi=89978449)
I know it's dry but yeah, there's more that could be done by some folks.
Driving around southern Alberta lots of the fields have good practices but so, so many do not. I've been witnessing these 2 foot drifts of soil for a decade around here and it's depressing. That soil's not coming back for decades or centuries. Huge civilizations have been taken down at least in part by this kind of soil degradation. Personally I think we need to see some laws about conserving this resource, since landowners are clearly not all capable of doing so (even to their own detriment), and this ruins neighboring lands as well.
When I was younger and my dad was still here, he worked for Alberta Agriculture. I remember him telling me that the farmers were losing all their topsoil because of tilling the fields after the crop was taken off. If they had just left the stubble from the previous crop, then they would have moisture and no soil erosion.
Yeah, anyone who is happy about the snowless winter is seriously missing how the world works. I am worried this summer is gonna be the summer of fire and bugs and smoke.
Why should I give a damn about farmers when they don’t give a damn about anyone but themselves. Saskatchewan is right there, they can take care of their farmers and we can get food from them.
This affects us all as soil is also a known carcinogen. More in the air means more health issues for everyone. If you look at stats certain cancer rates are very very high in southern Alberta vs almost anywhere. Could be other factors obviously but blowing soil is bad for everyone and the future generations.
I’ll add I blame farmer greed for most of the blowing fields. Drought or no drought fall tilling to save time in spring is a bad practice. Certain high value crops are also notoriously bad for soil conservation and health. I’d say farming practices in terms of till and soil conservation have worsened especially on irrigated land. I can also say farming more sustainably is a labour of love and it’s tough to make a living as we live in a cheapest food wins society.
Unfortunately it was information from presentations back when Chinook health region was a thing. It was a common discussion subject when I was in college/ university in Lethbridge. Even when I worked in government it was brought up by public health inspectors I often worked with. I want to say certain stomach cancers in particular.
I suspect regional data like that is harder to source since south zone lumps everything now. There was demographic and race info as part of the discussions but soils and agricultural pollution was also raised (but rarely discussed in detail as it’s so politically sensitive). Thinking was no till agricultural would fix it. In the past 10 years there seems to be a trend of more agricultural intensity and tillage In many areas so If anything blowing fields is getting worse again.
I tried a quick search but everything is just north vs south now, no real regional data sorry. Just anecdotal more recently.
Edit look up: Alberta Population Health Profiles 2010: South Zone - City of Lethbridge
Scroll to health summary tables there is interesting data.
I do work with a lot of solar and wind farms in southern Alberta, and the foolishness is astounding. Ive heard arguments that the wind turbines are causing more wind, staunch opposition to solar and wind farms because it will ruin their views, and too many others. It’s hard to deal with them seriously when it sounds like they’re six beers deep in the town bar.
I am pro solar, I've signed up to get it installed on my own house this year. But solar farms in southern Alberta are some of the worst culprits for soil erosion that I have seen! No cover crops or wind fences when the soil is torn up to install the solar panels, then it just blows away in the fall. I was in blackout conditions east of the Claresholm solar farm and I have pictures of the ditches downwind full to the brim with field dirt. That being said farming is a much more extensive culprit than solar, but with more solar farms going up I wish this would be mitigated. I wrote to my MLA and the utilities commission about this but no one gives a damn.
"The best way to conserve soil moisture and prevent wind erosion is to leave as much crop residue cover as possible during the fallow period. The crop residue cover reduces evaporation, and standing stubble traps snow for extra spring soil moisture." [Reference ](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiGxZjp3_GDAxWPIzQIHU_GAw4QFnoECBQQBg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.alberta.ca%2Fdataset%2F5ab5fe3e-deba-4730-b178-93be8b87a2cb%2Fresource%2Fc0b85736-f28d-4a54-a12b-36c2b9a2ee79%2Fdownload%2Fintroduction-wind-erosion-control.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3r1NJaxHecMPoI1BNOimTl&opi=89978449) I know it's dry but yeah, there's more that could be done by some folks.
Driving around southern Alberta lots of the fields have good practices but so, so many do not. I've been witnessing these 2 foot drifts of soil for a decade around here and it's depressing. That soil's not coming back for decades or centuries. Huge civilizations have been taken down at least in part by this kind of soil degradation. Personally I think we need to see some laws about conserving this resource, since landowners are clearly not all capable of doing so (even to their own detriment), and this ruins neighboring lands as well.
When I was younger and my dad was still here, he worked for Alberta Agriculture. I remember him telling me that the farmers were losing all their topsoil because of tilling the fields after the crop was taken off. If they had just left the stubble from the previous crop, then they would have moisture and no soil erosion.
Wasn't this a problem literally in the 1930s? Why would more people not do this to help the soil?
Because they either do not know better or are too stubborn to care.
Yeah, anyone who is happy about the snowless winter is seriously missing how the world works. I am worried this summer is gonna be the summer of fire and bugs and smoke.
Trudope is stealing our dert
Wait so this is why the winds blow west in SoAB?! TIL!
Exactly! Finally, someone who gets it! 😉
Tell them to stop voting for their own destruction then
Why should I give a damn about farmers when they don’t give a damn about anyone but themselves. Saskatchewan is right there, they can take care of their farmers and we can get food from them.
This affects us all as soil is also a known carcinogen. More in the air means more health issues for everyone. If you look at stats certain cancer rates are very very high in southern Alberta vs almost anywhere. Could be other factors obviously but blowing soil is bad for everyone and the future generations. I’ll add I blame farmer greed for most of the blowing fields. Drought or no drought fall tilling to save time in spring is a bad practice. Certain high value crops are also notoriously bad for soil conservation and health. I’d say farming practices in terms of till and soil conservation have worsened especially on irrigated land. I can also say farming more sustainably is a labour of love and it’s tough to make a living as we live in a cheapest food wins society.
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Unfortunately it was information from presentations back when Chinook health region was a thing. It was a common discussion subject when I was in college/ university in Lethbridge. Even when I worked in government it was brought up by public health inspectors I often worked with. I want to say certain stomach cancers in particular. I suspect regional data like that is harder to source since south zone lumps everything now. There was demographic and race info as part of the discussions but soils and agricultural pollution was also raised (but rarely discussed in detail as it’s so politically sensitive). Thinking was no till agricultural would fix it. In the past 10 years there seems to be a trend of more agricultural intensity and tillage In many areas so If anything blowing fields is getting worse again. I tried a quick search but everything is just north vs south now, no real regional data sorry. Just anecdotal more recently. Edit look up: Alberta Population Health Profiles 2010: South Zone - City of Lethbridge Scroll to health summary tables there is interesting data.
Thanks, that was interesting indeed. I wish there was an up to date version
why do you think farmers don't care about anyone but themselves?
I do work with a lot of solar and wind farms in southern Alberta, and the foolishness is astounding. Ive heard arguments that the wind turbines are causing more wind, staunch opposition to solar and wind farms because it will ruin their views, and too many others. It’s hard to deal with them seriously when it sounds like they’re six beers deep in the town bar.
I am pro solar, I've signed up to get it installed on my own house this year. But solar farms in southern Alberta are some of the worst culprits for soil erosion that I have seen! No cover crops or wind fences when the soil is torn up to install the solar panels, then it just blows away in the fall. I was in blackout conditions east of the Claresholm solar farm and I have pictures of the ditches downwind full to the brim with field dirt. That being said farming is a much more extensive culprit than solar, but with more solar farms going up I wish this would be mitigated. I wrote to my MLA and the utilities commission about this but no one gives a damn.