High Prices Sow Seeds of Erosion, The New York Times, 2011

Rising corn and soybean prices in Iowa have prompted farmers to expand planting onto steep and marginal lands, raising the risk and rate of soil erosion well beyond government projections. Aggressive land conversion and changing weather patterns, especially more frequent and intense storms, mean that erosion in some townships is happening 10 to 50 times faster than soil is forming. While many farmers use conservation practices like terracing and no-till methods, enforcement of erosion control policies has weakened, and budget cuts threaten further progress. The Iowa Daily Erosion Project tracks this trend, showing that severe storms can cause single-day erosion losses far above sustainable levels, negatively impacting water quality and long-term crop productivity.