Penn State Rainfall Simulator - in-House Demo of Tillage Effects On Soil Erosion.

Because less than 1% of the population of the United States is growing the food that 100% of the population depends on, it is often difficult for the 99% non-producers to appreciate the importance of conservation practices on soil and water quality. Additionally, only a few intensive storms produce most erosion and runoff in the field. It is rare for people to be in the field to experience these events and see how soil management affects runoff and erosion. To address this issue we constructed the Penn State Rainfall Simulator. It has some unique features, which include portability (fits in pickup truck), ability to set up in any room (no dirt or water splash), and soil monoliths taken from a long-term tillage study. Among others, the exhibit allowed us to demonstrate soil erosion and runoff in the Capitol Building in the Pennsylvania Capital.