| Scope and Method of Research. This research determined the relationship between the soil conservation ethic of farmers and soil erosion in Deer Creek Watershed in Caddo, Custer, Blaine, and Dewey Counties in Oklahoma. Research data for the soil conservation ethic were obtained through interviews with forty-five randomly selected farmers, and the physical soil data needed to determine soil erosion were obtained by direct field observation and measurements of an area on a farm managed by each of the sample farmers. The data were analyzed using correlation, analysis of variance and chi-square statistical procedures. The F statistic, t-test, and Duncan's Multiple Range procedures were used to determine the statistical significance of the analyses.Findings and Conclusions. The research indicates there is a strong soil conservation ethic among farmers in the watershed. Sample farmers response to the statements in the Interview Schedule relating to ethics per se was so consistent that it was impossible to identify statistically a "degree" of ethics among respondents. Analysis indicated that an ethic could be prescribed. The research also indicated that an ethic could be prescribed. The research also indicated the average annual soil loss through erosion is well below the levels that have been established as tolerable. A soil conservation ethic is real and exerts a potent influence for soil conservation in the study area. There is a strong positive relationship between the soil conservation ethic held by farmers and the care and protection provided the soil. This ethic should be recognized and nourished as an imperative for soil conservation in the future. |
