dry farming

dry farming, farming system adopted in areas having an annual rainfall of approximately 15 to 20 in. (38.1-50.8 cm)—with much of the rainfall in the spring and early summer—where irrigation is impractical. Seeding rates are used that correspond to the soil water supply; management practices that minimize water loss and soil erosion are also utilized. The land is often summer-fallowed (not used for crops) in alternate years to conserve moisture. Dry-land crops must be either drought-resistant or drought-evasive, i.e., maturing in late spring or fall; special varieties of crops such as wheat, barley, corn, sorghum, and rye are often used.

For the Medieval practice of strip farming, see open field system.

Strip farming is a method of farming used when a slope is too steep or too long, or when other types of farming may not prevent soil erosion. Strip farming alternates strips of closely sown crops such as hay, wheat, or other small grains with strips of row crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, or sugar beets. It is also known as strip cropping.

Strip Farming helps to stop soil erosion by creating natural dams for water, helping to preserve the strength of the soil. Certain layers of plants will absorb minerals and water from the soil more effectively than others. When water reaches the weaker soil that lacks the minerals needed to make it stronger, it normally washes it away. When strips of soil are strong enough to slow down water from moving through them, the weaker soil can't wash away like it normally would. Because of this, farmland stays fertile much longer.

The term strip farming also refers to a method of dry farming sometimes used in areas including parts of the Great Plains of the United States and the Prairies of Canada. To accumulate moisture in these dry areas, cropland is periodically left fallow. Typically, the fallow and planted areas are organized in parallel long, narrow strips that are oriented normal to the prevailing winds, in order to minimize the erosion of soil from the bare fields.