The Rural Voice, 1983-05, Page 12The
Dynamics
of
Terracing
by Gregor Campbell
It was once five fields with fences
between. But since John and Hugo
Maaskant of RR 2 Clinton bought, then
began farming them in the mid-1970s,
the fences have been torn down and dug
out, and now it is just one big field in
Colborne Township, 110 acres and
shaped like a quarter saucer.
That's a problem.
Because like a saucer, if water hits the
lip it will race to the middle carrying
crumbs and whatnot with it. But in the
case of a field the water is whisking away
something much more valuable - topsoil.
It's erosion.
The Maaskants have now decided to
take the bull by the horns and tackle this
problem at its source by using a practice
relatively rare in Ontario - terracing.
The terraces won't eliminate erosion
completely says Hugo, nothing can do
that, but hopefully they will slow it down
significantly. He explains the dynamics
—allows farming over the whole terrace
—may be built on slopes up to 8 percent
—construction results in steeper land slope
—highest cost, more soil moved in construction
PG. 10 THE RURAL VOICE, MAY 1983