On-farm erosion prevention strategies

Land must be actively managed to prevent erosion and maintain productivity. Preventing soil erosion means managing soil so that it stays on-site and continues to serve its productive purpose.

Where soil is left unprotected, up to 100 tonnes per hectare of valuable topsoil can be lost each year. (One millimetre of soil over one hectare weighs about 10 tonnes.)

An essential starting point is developing an erosion control plan. The plan should consider:

• land capability
• management systems
• infrastructure location and control measures.

Why erosion prevention is important

Erosion reduces land productivity, damages natural ecosystems and increases sediment in waterways. Preventing erosion protects soil health, water quality and long-term farm viability. It also reduces maintenance costs and improves the resilience of the landscape.

Key management practices

The two most significant farm management practices that influence the risk of soil erosion are:

• the occurrence, intensity and timing of tillage operations, and
• the quantity and nature of surface cover.

Most of the erosion risk is due to cropping practices such as tillage and stubble burning.

Understand land capability 

The Land Capability Classification System groups areas of land into categories. It suggests what each area may be used for without damaging the soil.

Identifying your land capability is the first step toward effective erosion management.

In NSW, the SEED system defines eight land capability classes. Land in classes 5 to 8 is not suited to ploughing or cultivation.

For erosion control planning, you can use a simplified version:

• Land suitable for cultivation and grazing
• Land suitable for grazing only
• Land suitable for timber production
• Land unsuitable for rural production.

Find out about your land and soil capabilities.

Check out the Soils Near Me app.

Management systems for erosion control

Good land management and earthworks should work together to prevent erosion. Effective land management can significantly improve the effectiveness of an earthworks program.

This video outlines the main types of erosion found on NSW properties and simple management practices to reduce the risk of erosion.

videocam 3:18

Management for grazing enterprises

Grazing management plays a major role in reducing erosion risk.

• Strategic pasture management with spelling pastures during critical stages.
• Rotate your activities to rest the land and maintain continuous grass cover in grazing paddocks.
• Keep groundcover as high as possible, especially on steep slopes and riparian zones.
• Aim for close to 100% groundcover in pastures, except when establishing new ones.
• Be aware that runoff increases when groundcover drops below 70% or 50% in semi-arid areas. Low groundcover reduces root development, soil moisture retention and productivity. Low groundcover can also increase weed invasion.
• Control of vermin will reduce competition with stock for pasture and reduce impact on groundcover levels.
• Manage stock access to riparian areas to encourage vegetation cover and bank stabilisation.

Management for cropping enterprises

Cropping enterprises can reduce erosion risk by adjusting cultivation and planting practices.

• Cultivate and plant along contour lines, not up slopes. Don’t cultivate steeply sloping land.
• Minimise linear windrows of soil that divert flows.
• Use conservation tillage by retaining stubble and reducing tillage. This helps maintain or improve soil structure.
• Rotate crops with legumes to improve soil nitrogen and break disease and weed cycles.
• Replace some cultivation with herbicides or grazing for weed control to preserve soil structure. This can also reduce the time that the ground is exposed to the impact of rain.

General property planning

Some erosion prevention practices apply across all types of enterprises.

• Plant windbreaks and establish native plants along creeks and farm roads to help filter out sediment and nutrients.
• Protect and enhance existing native bushland. When choosing plants, consider species that are native to your area.
• Where possible, leave a vegetated strip 10–30 m wide alongside rivers and creeks. This will help slow water runoff, reduce soil loss and maintain bank stability.
• Construct access roads along the contour on gentle slopes wherever possible and avoid wet areas.
• In semi-arid areas, ensure earthworks from roads, fencelines or other linear clearing do not concentrate sheet runoff flows. 

Location of infrastructure 

It is important to place infrastructure such as roads, fences and watering points where they will not cause or worsen erosion. 

Roads and farm tracks

Farm tracks are often bare and compacted, which can divert runoff and concentrate water flow. This can lead to rilling, gullying and further erosion along the track or in adjacent areas.

When planning or maintaining roads and tracks:

• Avoid placing them in natural drainage lines or low-lying areas.
• Where possible, locate tracks along ridge lines or contour positions to improve drainage and reduce erosion.
• Keep grades gentle and include adequate drainage structures like whoa-boys or diversion banks. This will help to manage runoff.
• Cross natural flow lines at right angles and maintain vegetation cover wherever possible.

Fences and gates

• Locate fences along ridge crests where possible, as these areas drain well and are ideal for gates.
• Where that’s not possible, run fences across the slope on the contour or directly up and down.
• Avoid angling fences across slopes, as this can divert water and cause erosion.

Watering points

• Locate troughs where the ground can be drained and won’t become boggy.
• Avoid placing watering points downslope from camps or tracks.
• Manage stock movement to reduce trampling and bare soil around troughs.

Property planning for erosion control

A map and plan of your farm provides a whole-property view. It allows you to make strategic decisions about development, improvements and land use. It helps align land capability, management practices and infrastructure layout.

Use spatial mapping or digital imagery to create your farm plan. You can then add layers of information, like:

• permanent features such as roads, sheds, power lines and boundaries
• natural resources such as soil types and land capability, drainage lines, vegetation
• existing infrastructure such as fencing, water points, pipe lines
• issues such as gully erosion, salinity, water logging, lack of water, access issues, weeds
• improvements and any future projects 

This will allow you to potentially address several issues at once. The plan will also allow you to cost works out such as fence lengths, paddock and vegetation areas.