Harrowing may be necessary to help spread the straw and chaff. The amount of residue buried by various tillage implements is shown in Table 4. The distribution of chopped residue will improve ground cover and reduce the erosion potential. Fall Seeded Cover Crop - Planting an annual cereal after the potato harvest will provide good protection from wind erosion until a new crop is established the next season. Some farmers choose to use wheat, oats or barley as a cover crop because the crop will winter kill and not interfere with future cropping plans.
Some farmers choose to seed rye as a cover crop.
A herbicide is applied the next spring to control the rye or the crop is left to mature. Field Shelterbelts - Fields susceptible to wind erosion can benefit from a systematic planting of shelterbelts. The prevailing winds tend to have the highest velocity and fields have the least amount of protective cover. The width of strips will depend on the size of equipment used in cropping and the erodibility of the soil. Annual Wind Barriers - Annual crops such as corn and sunflowers can be used as wind barriers to protect the soil after harvest.