Agricultural Soil Conservation Management

Agricultural Conservation & Management

Orr Construction leads the way in the design/build of farmland conservation practices. With nearly five decades of experience coupled with state-of-the-art GPS and laser technologies, you can count on the Orr Advantage to develop and implement farmland conservation plans that:

Maximize crop yields
Minimize impact of excessive wet or dry growing seasons
Enable early spring entry/late fall harvest based on soil types and topography
Preserve precious topsoil from erosion and runoff
Provide shorter construction times attributed to the GPS advantages
Add more dollars to your bottom line

Conservation Practices

There are many recognized conservation practices available to achieve these objectives. Based on Orr's assessment of your property, we may recommend a combination of any of the following practices:

Grass waterway. Naturally occurring or constructed shallow channel planted in grasses or legumes and used to prevent gully formation in farmland.
Field borders. Strips of grasses or legumes along the edges of fields. These borders replace end rows and protect against erosion and runoff.
Contour buffer strips. Permanent strips of grasses or legumes that run contour to the slope of the field and reduce erosion and soil runoff.
Grade (or gully) stabilization structure. Structure (i.e., dam or embankment) built across an outlet or other drainageway that reduces erosion/loss of sediment
Water/sediment control basin. An earthen embankment built to temporarily hold water while it slowly drains through an infiltration pipe or tile line.
Terrace. Earthen embankment along a slope or grade designed to intercept and slow water flow, thereby reducing runoff and erosion.
Diversion. Similar to a terrace but designed to redirect water flow to a path with less erosion.
Riparian buffers. Strips of grasses or legumes planted along streams, ditches, and other surface waterways that reduce or prevent sediment or pesticide runoff. These also help with preventing manure runoff.
Stream crossings. Fords, culverts, or small bridges built to allow livestock, equipment, or people to cross at a controlled location, thereby preventing excessive streambank erosion and water pollution.
Stream Bank stabilization. Cleaning up (i.e., removing trees and other debris), reshaping, and adding rip-rap (or vegetation) to stream banks to prevent erosion.