What is being lost when we have blowing soil?
(Photo from Jasper County)
Remember before the rain at the end of April? When it was dry and the wind was really blowing hard and it was quite warm? It is a time I will remember. Throughout that couple weeks I was driving around the county on various job duties and saw many “dust storm clouds”. As I got closer I realized it was blowing soil!
Wind erosion is a significant problem for Indiana soils having a sand, loamy-sand, sandy-loam, or muck-surface texture. This description includes most of Jasper County soils, especially, the northern half of the county with large areas of sandy deposits from glacial outwash.
I was talking to someone just a couple months ago about soil erosion in Jasper County and they said, “Soil erosion isn’t a problem in Jasper County; we don’t have the steep slopes.” I agree, we don’t have the steep slopes, but we do have soils and conditions that can lead to soil erosion due to wind. I had to close my windows several times as I drove north to avoid my truck cab being dirtied by soil and getting dust in my eyes. It was dangerous.
Wind erosion also reduces soil quality. It does so by removing finer particles from the soil. Clay and organic matter, the finest and lightest particles, hold on to nutrients and are important for holding moisture. That was what was getting in my eyes and my truck cab and perhaps yours as well if you were outside on that day or had your windows open.
I was talking to several long-time Jasper County residents and farmers and they could recall many springs over the years where “soil storms” had lowered crop yields and reduced the productivity of the soil. In addition, they had experienced damage to standing crops by a process called "sand blasting." The corn was literally sheared off at the soil by blowing sand! Are those days coming again!
Researchers have shown that the windblown sediments can contain twice as much nitrogen and phosphorus and 20% more potassium than the soil left in place. That fertility is lost and can be replaced over time, but the loss of moisture retention due to removal of finer particles is permanent. The ability to hold moisture, even half an inch in August, can be a 20-40 bushel an acre loss in crop yield! In a drought year it could be the difference between a good crop year and a crop failure.
Wind erosion can help fill roadside and drainage ditches, which is one of the most costly aspects of wind erosion to the general public. The fewer the windbreaks, or other traps, the more likely wind-blown sediments are to end up in ditches.
I wonder, is it just the soil type that leads to wind erosion? No, I discovered several other factors can influence the severity of wind erosion. Some farming methods increase the risk of wind erosion on susceptible soils, especially intensive cropping systems, including tillage methods that leave less than 30% residue cover. The failure to use cover crops or crop rotations can leave a field subject to long-term damage.
Another problem is increased field size. Removal of fences and similar windbreaks during the last 20 to 30 years to make for more efficient field operations has left many areas less protected. However, the most damaging practice is spring and fall tillage with a chisel plow that leaves little surface residue in the field. These wind-erodible soils remain unprotected until crop development late in the following spring.
Do I have an answer to the problem of wind erosion? One tool that will help is cover crops. Come learn more about cover crops, whether you are a farmer or just have a home garden by calling, emailing or stopping in and talking about soil health on your farm or garden land. Check out this website to see why cover crops are important: http://www.theindychannel.com/video/30950038/index.html | 
