Please direct all questions and comments to Dr. Christian De Kimpe Land management Because soil and water degradation are closely linked, many practices that now show some potential to reduce agricultural contamination from nonpoint sources were first developed to conserve soil, particularly to control runoff and soil erosion. Crop rotations that include forages effectively reduce runoff, erosion, and nutrient losses.
Forages also help to improve soil structure .
Better-structured soils are less vulnerable to runoff and erosion. The longer the time under forages, the more they improve. This effect persists for some years after annual crops are reintroduced. On average, the corn rotation generated less runoff and soil loss than continuous corn. As well, compared with monoculture, growing corn in rotation reduced nutrient loss.