Ridge Farming for Soil and Water Control

A system of land management which provides year around protection of the soil from the ravages of water and wind erosion is constantly being sought by agricultural scientists. Strip cropping, terracing, contour planting, mulch tillage and contour listing are systems of land management which have been tested in Iowa. Some of these systems were found to be practical in certain areas of the state. Research by Browning and Norton (9)* (at the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station) demonstrated the soil-and-water-conserving value of contour listing. They found that, except in the deep loess soils common to western Iowa, the plant count and yield were generally below that for conventionally farmed corn, that is, plowing, double disking, harrowing, and surface planting