A tractor in a field plows the ground at dawn (Getty stock photo)

Putting Topsoil Back Where It Belongs

Hilly farms lose topsoil from upper slopes and accumulate it downslope, causing big yield differences. Researchers at Integrated Cropping Systems Research Unit in Brookings, SD, tested moving 6–8 inches of rich soil from lower slopes back to eroded upper areas. The added soil greatly improved nutrients, water availability, and boosted corn and soybean yield by up to roughly 50%.  Learn more...

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.