The less passes you make over a field the less the soil is compacted. Spring tillage is less likely to lead to soil erosion than fall tillage. Due to the late harvest of potatoes in P.E.I. , farmers use more mulch than cover crops to protect their fields. Mulch can be made from chopped hay or straw that is spread over the soil after harvest. Farming across the slope creates a series of dams that redirect and slow down the flow of water.
Less soil is lost to erosion.
This practice combines crop rotation with cross-slope farming.