How to Manage Farmland.
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Every year Georgia farmers raise peanuts, cotton, grains, fruit and many other crops. Because of this states rich soil and warm climate many crops grow well here. To insure strong harvests every year farmers and the state government work hard to manage lands wisely. Their work helps feed and clothe people in Georgia and around the world. Soil is a natural resource that is made up of minerals and small rocks, water, gases, and organic matter. The minerals in the small rocks are weathered bedrock. The organic matter called humus, is decayed plant and animal matter. Soil is affected by many factors. Among them are climate, the type of rock that form the soil, and the community of plants and animals that the soil supports. One property of soil is its texture which relates to the size of its particles. Rocky soil has a coarse rough texture. Sandy soil is made of smaller, finer pieces and it holds water poorly. Georgia has many different types of soil. Soil forms distinct layers as it ages. Topsoil is the surface layer. Topsoil is rich in nutrients that plants need. Earthworms and soil insects live in this soil. Below the topsoil are one or more layers of subsoil. Although water washes down some nutrients and some organic matter, subsoil is less rich than topsoil. Some plant roots reach into this layer to tap its water. Soil erosion is a problem especially on hillsides. Both flowing water and gravity can erode topsoil downward. An ancient practice called terrace farming is one solution to this problem. In terrace farming crops are planted in level sections called terraces. Rainwater sinks into each terrace preserving the soil. New buildings and highways are another source of soil erosion. Many states, including Georgia, require builders to meet strict standards designed to protect soil. Today Georgia farms are very productive. The state is a leading producer of peanuts, cotton, peaches, and many other crops. Yet Georgia once suffered from very poor management. In the years after the Civil War sharecroppers farmed much of the land. Landowners treated them poorly and they struggled to make a living. They worked hard to plant and harvest as much crop as they could, with little reason to conserve soil for the future.