1990 Farm Bill Forum 



Proceedings 



Bob Lane 



President 



Montana Association of 



Conservation Districts 



Soil Erosion in IVIontana 



I've been asked to address the problem of soil 

 erosion in Montana and how the Food Security 

 Act of 1985 is working to lessen the impact of 

 erosion on our soil resource and water quality. 



Part of the problem lies in our perception of 

 erosion. Of over 1,100 producers surveyed last 

 winter by John Saltiel of Montana State Univer- 

 sity, only 25 percent thought agricultural activi- 

 ties contributed to erosion. Like myself, most 

 said it was their neighbors that were causing 

 the problems. Only 10 percent said their 

 farming practices were contributing to the 

 problem. 



I believe part of the misconception is the mental 

 image most of us have of erosion. We tend to 

 think of gullies five or ten feet deep cutting 

 through fields or drifting dirt covering fences 

 four or five feet deep. That is erosion, but so is 

 the loss of five tons/acre, be it caused from 

 wind or water. It is a serious problem and can 

 be nearly imperceptible at times. 



There are several factors that cause erosion, or 

 contribute to the problem in some manner: 



• Fickle Mother Nature — no rain or too much 

 rain and snow. 



• Government programs and policies — (let it 

 burn, fence row to fence row). 



• Poor planning on producers' part — not 

 taking a holistic look at practices and thinking 

 about cause and effect. Forgetting that basic law 

 of physics — equal and opposite reaction. 



• Financial problems. 



• Plain old greed — converting fragile range to 

 cropland. 



In 1980, Congress directed the Soil Conserva- 

 tion Service to conduct a national resource 

 inventory as part of the Resource Conservation 

 Act. The inventory showed wind is the primary 

 cause of erosion in Montana. SCS inventories in 

 1982 and 1987 bring to light some disturbing 

 trends. Erosion rates had risen from 7 tons/acre 

 in 82 to 8 tons/acrc/ycar in 87. 



Five tons/acre is the maximum tolerable loss 

 ("T") for cropland to maintain productivity. 

 The NRI survey shows that 9.3 million acres 

 eroded at greater than "T" in 1987, or 52 percent 

 of Montana's 18 million acres of cropland. 



Montana must be unique in that 75 px^rcent of 

 that 18 million acres is classified as highly 

 erodible and the NRI survey reinforces that 

 classification. 



We need to keep in mind that climatic condi- 

 tions were not the best in large portions of 

 Montana to get adequate stubble to keep soil 

 from blowing in 1987, and that was also before 

 most of the 14,000 Food Security Act plans were 

 written or implemented. We need to remember 

 implementation isn't mandatory until 1990 and 

 producers have until 1995 to have their plans 

 fully implemented. 



The NRI preliminary data shows that approxi- 

 mately 140 million tons of soil were lost in 

 Montana. 



All of us — producers. Congress, SCS, Extension 

 Service, and Conservation Districts — have a big 

 job ahead. Congress has to keep the program 

 funded adequately to see the implementation 

 part of FSA completed. Congress is faced with 

 fiscal constraints, but the money spent on 

 erosion control and improving water quality 

 will bring a greater benefit to all our citizens 

 than programs like American Heritage Trust 

 Fund. 



Education of producers in conservation tillage 

 and residue management is the only solution 

 available to control erosion problems on crop- 

 land at this time. Residue management is the 

 primary practice in Montana's FSA plans. No 

 till and minimum till are options that some pro- 

 ducers wish to use, but it is not mandated in 

 anyone's plan that I'm aware of. 



We must not overlook our range resource in 

 this process. The headwaters for every river 

 basin in this state is in rangeland and the 

 condition of that range can have a significant 

 impact on water quality and quantity. Montana 

 has 67 million acres of rangeland and 35-40 

 million of those acres arc private lands. Sixty 



Montana Chapter, Soil and Water Conservation Society 



August 28,1988 



