Soil Conservation
CSREES supports research, outreach, and
education to promote soil conservation and
minimize soil erosion.
The Conservation
Reserve Program was set up to encourage
farmers with highly erodible croplands
and other environmentally sensitive acreages
to adopt practices to reduce soil erosion
and sedimentation in streams and lakes
while improving water quality and protecting
and enhancing wildlife habitat, forests,
and wetland resources.
The major practices to accomplish this are
permanent vegetative cover, such as tame
or native grasses, wildlife plantings, trees,
filter strips, or riparian buffers. Farmers
receive payment for multiyear contracts,
as well as cost sharing, to establish the
vegetation in these sensitive areas. CSREES
supports research and extension activities
to improve, promote, and evaluate these practices
(see the Selected Results and Impacts section
of the Soils
Program page).
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