Evening star., 1946-10-20
The Soil Conservation Story
45.Year Loss From Erosion Is Halted
By Modern Methods of Protection
By Huoh H. Bennett

ted Stotes Department of Agriculture
understand the great need for world
wide soil conservation.
Fortunately, we still have enough
productive land left in the United
States. But We don't have single
acre to spare. Yet, according to our
best estimates, we are still losing
about 100000 acres of land every
year to the destructive forces of
erosion. There is no longer any real
excuse for this fragrant soil wastage.
Since the national soil conservation
program was begun 13 years ago,
we have conducted thousands of re-
search studies and applied conserva-
ton practices on millions of acres.
We now know how to control erosion.
We have learned how to treat each
acre according to its individual needs
and capabilities.
Excellent Beginning Made.
But the picture is not entirely
gloomy. We have made an excellent
beginning. Last year, for example,
the Soil Conservation Service, work
ing comparatively with farmers in
soil conservation districts, made
complete conservation plans on TO-
100000 acres and put soil conserva-
ton practices into effect on 12,500,-
600 acres. In other words, in one
year the land was stabilized and
safeguarded for permanent, maxi
mum production on an area twice
the size of Maryland.
That was a good record. But we
are not satisfied. This year we are
striving to double our 1945 record,
and prospects are good for reaching
this goal.
We know from thousands of re-
ports that soil conservation farm
ing will increase yields from 20 to
40 per cent or more Nearly 10000
typical American farmers who keep
careful check on their operations
recently reported an average per
acre increase of So per cent for all
major crops after soil conservation
practices had been put into effect.
The Story in Illinois.
Only a few days ago, I received
a report of a study made in Jeffer-
son County, Illinois. The State Ag-
ricultural College and the Soil Con-
servation Service chose 26 farms
where conservation is practiced.
Then they selected another 26 farms,
of nearly the same size and kind OF
land. The second group of farms
had carried out relatively little con-
servation work.
The average income from each
conservation treated farm was 81 400
a year greater than the income from
the comparable nonconservation
farm. Furthermore. each conserva-
ton farm produced sufficient crops
and livestock to feed 63 adults full
diet for one year, whereas the non
conservation farm would support
only Al people for the same length
OF time.
/ Maryland farmers have reported
that proper drainage of their fields
doubled crop production. A five
year study of so potato farms In
New Jersey revealed that land hav-
ing little or no erosion produced an
average of ,252 bushels of potatoes
per acre, as compared with only
203 bushels on eroded land.
All States Have Programs.
Since August 4, 1887, when the
first soil conservation district was
organized in North Carolina, nearly
1,7OO districts have been established
by the farmers OF the United States.
All 48 States and Puerto Rico now
have soil conservation district laws,
or similar legislation. These dis
tricts embrace 100000, 900 acres and
more than 100000 farms-two out
of every three farms in the Nation.
Soil conservation districts are ere
ated democratically by majority vote
of landowners. District leaders,
called supervisors, are elected by
the farm and ranch operators resid-
ing in the district. Today, more
than 5000 public spirited farmers
and ranchers are serving as, district
supervisors.
These supervisors are not paid for
their work They are not obligated
to any organization, Federal or
therwise-only to their neighbors
whom they represent. They choose
their own conservation program and
then call on Federal and State agen-
cies, such as the Soil Conservation
Service, for technical assistance.
Every one in this Nation-city
dweller and farmer alike-has
stake in soil conservation. Nearly
all of the food that We eat and most
of the clothing that we wear comes
from the land. Anything that hurts
the land-that ruins it for cultiva-
ton or lowers it's yields-will ulti-
mately harm all of the people of the
United States. 1t is an inescapable
fact.