Editor's note: Following is the first-place winner in the Douglas County Conservation District Essay Contest.
It is written by Sean Swanson, a fifth-grader at Marion Springs Elementary School.
Our planet needs topsoil good topsoil. We get our food from good topsoil. So do the animals. Topsoil is more than just dirt. It has minerals for growing, as well as organic matter. This topsoil is very important to us.
How is this topsoil created? It comes from plants and rocks breaking up. Plant roots break up rocks. Topsoil takes a long time to make, but unfortunately just a short time to blow away. Five tons of topsoil spread over an acre is only about as thick as a dime. If crops don't grow, animals can't eat then humans can't eat. The ecosystem breaks down.
Therefore, soil is one of the basic resources of the earth. How can we save it? Wind and water carry away 193 million tons of soil every year. We can't buy this back, but there are many ways to prevent this from happening.
Making terraces, planting windbreaks, establishing grass waterways, installing underground pipe, rotating crops so that nitrogen remains in the soil, and leaving stubble on the fields from previous crops are only a few of the smart conservation practices used by farmers today.
It is worth the extra effort to SAVE THE SOIL!
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.