Contour Farm Fields of southwest Wisconsin's Driftless region

Contour Farming is a conservation practice that involves performing farming operations across a field's slope, as close to the contour as possible. This includes tilling, planting, and cultivation. Contour farming is most effective for reducing soil erosion.
The Phoenicians first developed contour farming and spread it throughout the Mediterranean. The US Soil Conservation Service promoted contour farming in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl.