New research shows that human-caused erosion in America’s Breadbasket is far greater than previously thought, says the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

On Dec. 11, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced his nomination for Secretary of Agriculture, and in doing so announced his plan to make U.S. agriculture the first in the world to achieve net zero emissions by paying farmers to put their land in conservation and plant cover crops.

A six-legged robot that can climb hills and plod its way across open deserts, collecting data in all kinds of weather, is helping a USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and his colleagues better understand wind erosion, which is a threat to the western U.S. rangelands that beef producers depend on for grazing.

Ada Soil and Water Conservation District shares story of Jason Miller, who adopted a system including cover crops and mob grazing and no-tilled corn in furrow irrigation on his farm near Marsing, Idaho, to reduce soil erosion and improve soil health.

Recent windy conditions in southwest Michigan proved the direct benefit cover crops can have on protecting the soil.

Dave Franzen, soils specialist at North Dakota State University Extension, talks about historic soil losses in the Great Plains, the losses still being seen today, and conservation efforts in place today to help prevent erosion. including tree rows as windbreaks and conservation tillage methods are used across the state to prevent erosion.