Mark Shepard: Farm & Ranch Water Management: Keylines, Contours and Swales, Oh My!

Whether your land is flat or hilly, there are sophisticated, yet simple options for optimizing water distribution and management based on keyline design and other principles. This Wisconsin farmer will explain the various techniques as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Learn the benefits and shortfalls of traditional contour farming, grassy waterways, and USDA terraces as compared to Keyline Design and the presenter’s own Master Line System. Mark Shepard, author of Restoration Agriculture, will show how shaping land on his own farm has continually increased topsoil depth, increased soil organic matter, and improved drought resistance for two decades.

(29.76 MB) (1 hour, 26 minutes, 40 seconds) Recorded at the 2017 Acres U.S.A. Conference, Columbus, Ohio, Friday, December 8, 2017.