Cover crop (foreground) at a farm in the Salinas Valley of California, USA. The farm uses rotational crop plantings to control weeds and plant disease. When a plot of land is at rest, a cover crop of barley and rye grass is planted because the roots hold the topsoil reducing erosion of the soil. This farm also switched to using micro irrigation from conventional sprinklers. This has reduced soil erosion, is easier to maintain and captures runoff from seasonal rains. This prevents the runoff from reaching the Salins River and cause flooding. Photographed on the 16th June 2011.