Minimising soil erosion by wind
- Wind erosion of soil occurs when bare, sandy land with a fine tilth is exposed to wind of over 30mph
- About one third of the arable land on Abbey Farm is prone to wind erosion. This is the area with Barrow Series soils
- Hedges and belts of trees help reduce wind speed at ground level so can help protect soil. Unfortunately, the largest fields on Abbey Farm (30-35 hectares) are in the area with the lightest, sandiest soil. The widely spaced hedges round these large fields do not protect the field centres from wind erosion
- We try to reduce erosion risk through:
- crop choice. For example, peas need a fine tilth, so we do not grow these on the Barrow Series fields
- dividing up the largest fields with beetle banks, grassy strips and blocks of different crops
- cultivation techniques. For example, drilling sugar beet straight into land that has been ploughed with a press has greatly reduced wind erosion
Wind erosion on a field of recently drilled spring wheat
Eroded soil blown onto a hedge bank
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