Does human activity cause all soil erosion?
Soil erosion happens naturally, whether or not humans are present. Water, weather and animals impact erosion as well. The Grand Canyon is a great example of natural erosion caused by water! Human activity can increase or decrease soil erosion. Farmers and ranchers know the importance of soil. Topsoil contains important nutrients that allow crops to grow. To prevent erosion, many farmers use conservation practices like planting cover crops in the winter or using conservation tillage practices. Conservation tillage was used on roughly 70% of soybean (2012), 65% of corn (2016), 67% of wheat (2017), and 40% of cotton (2015) acres.
