However, if you are farming on the contour or across the slope as a method of water erosion control, the water erosion should probably take precedence. Field length can also be modified. Practices that affect field length include windbreak establishment, strip cropping and trap strips. For maximum effect in reducing wind erosion, these control measures should be oriented at nearly a right angle to the prevailing wind. A row of vegetation will protect downwind land for approximately ten times its height.
Trees make the most effective windbreak.
They provide the widest area of protection, so the row spacing can be wider. Strip cropping involves alternating strips of row crops with strips of close-grown crops such as forage or small grain. If this practice is used on land subject to water erosion, the strips should follow the contour of the hill slopes. On nearly level ground, strips should be oriented at a right angle to the prevailing wind for maximum wind erosion protection. A variation on strip cropping is the use of crosswind trap strips.