2
The rain drop on impact with the soil throws small particles into the air. Flowing water then picks these soil particles up and carries them away.

3
An unprotected crop field severely eroded after a rain storm. Much of the good top soil has washed to the bottom of the field. Other amounts have washed down into an adjacent stream.

4
With wind erosion, dry soil particles are dislodged by other blowing soil particles. The 1930's photo depicts a town soon to be enveloped by a giant dust storm.

5
Severe soil erosion from wind in the 1930's was a result of drought coupled with unsound farming practices. Millions were impoverished. The photo on the right though, was taken at 10:00 AM, March 13, 1991 in downtown Topeka, Kansas, looking into the sun. There was so much soil in the air it darkened the sky. So the problem is not just something of the past.

6
Two of the best conservation practices to protect the soil is crop rotation and leaving crop residue on the soil after harvest. At least one legume (a nitrogen fixing plant) such as soybeans or red clover in a good crop rotation with other crops breaks weed, insect and disease cycles. A tremendous amount of tillage and chemicals is used each year trying to battle these problems which could simply be reduced through crop rotation. Less tillage would leave more crop residue. The rain drops hit plant material, not bare ground. The plant material also shields the ground from wind. The soil stays in place.

7
During heavy rain storms terraces catch water and lead it slowly off the field. Slowing down the speed of flowing water reduces soil erosion.

8
Grassed waterways are used to provide a place for large amounts of storm water to flow without causing erosion. Grassed waterways are also good at filtering nutrients and pesticides from the water.

9
Contour farming (planting crops along the slope of the land) and contour strip cropping (alternating different crops in the same field) reduces soil erosion. Traps soil on the field.

10
In areas prone to wind erosion, alternating strips of different crops are planted perpendicular to the prevailing wind to reduce soil from blowing away.

11
No-till, is high residue farming. The soil is not tilled between each year's crops. This keeps the soil covered all year round protecting it from both wind and water erosion. No-till farming also improves soil tilth and organic matter levels.

12
Trees planted in windbreaks protect homes from cold winds. When planted along crop fields, trees protects soil from being blown by the wind.

13
Sometimes the best conservation alternative is to return cropland back to grass or trees.