Strip cropping is a way to farm a hillside without losing the soil. Instead of planting one crop up and down the slope, the field is planted in strips that run across it, alternating a row crop like corn with bands of hay or grass.
When a hard rain comes, water running downhill hits a thick band of hay or grass and slows down. The soil it was carrying settles there instead of washing to the bottom of the hill or into the creek. On hilly ground, that makes a real difference, and farmers have been using it for generations.
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