News Agriculture

More than 57 billion tons of soil have eroded in the U.S. Midwest

The level of erosion, possibly underestimated by the USDA, may have become unsustainable

photo of a tractor tilling a field

Tilling farmland is a key contributor to erosion and has played a role in the loss of billions of tons of soil in the U.S. Midwest, a new study finds.

Jaren Kane/Getty Images Plus

By Rachel Crowell

With soils rich for cultivation, most land in the Midwestern United States has been converted from tallgrass prairie to agricultural fields.