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The acceleration of erosion on farms is mainly caused by tillage (plowing), the building of fast farm drainage networks (vs infiltrating water to recharge aquifers), lack of trees to block surface-level winds (vs winrows), and heavy biocide application which kills the plant roots/fungal hyphae/bacterial aggregates that hold soil together.

>wouldn't that ultimately be the same as when mining operations remove whatever minerals they consider waste?

No because soil isn't waste, it's a valuable material.



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