New research finds massive soil loss across the Midwest, which sends more pollutants into the water, dust into the air, and carbon into the atmosphere. Changing farm practices and improved technology could reverse the trend.
Chances are, if you live in North America, you’ve eaten corn from the Corn Belt, a region in the Midwest that produces 75 percent of U.S. corn.

Scientists have found that around 35 percent of the region has lost its most fertile A-horizon soil, more commonly known as topsoil, since European colonization in the 1600s, resulting in estimated annual economic losses of around $2.8 billion and a 6 percent reduction in crop yields per year. Their findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Using satellites, the researchers were able to compare the color of bare agricultural lands to make estimates about soil loss. This was the first study to use satellites and lidar (a radar-like system that uses lasers instead of radio waves) to estimate the relationship between soil loss and the land’s topography. The estimates were verified using a database of soil samples collected throughout the region, including in places that have never been farmed or plowed, such as native prairies.

Hilltops, they found, are often completely denuded of topsoil, while soil tended to collect in lower-lying areas. Soil loss is due mainly to erosion from flowing water.

One promising front, Basso said, is in the realm of digital agriculture, or “using digital and geospatial technologies to monitor, assess, and manage land.” Using tools like drones and satellites to monitor the productivity of their land over time, farmers can assess which areas are producing high yields and which parts (such as hilltops) are simply washing away.
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