A narrow ridge of unworked soil left intentionally or accidentally between ploughed furrows. Historically used as boundaries or access paths in open-field systems, they are sometimes maintained to prevent erosion or provide habitat for beneficial insects.
Heard on the job
The tractor slipped on the wet clay and left a wide balk right down the middle of the pass.
Also heard as
- baulk
Related terms
Plough
A heavy farm implement with a blade used to break up soil and cut furrows in preparation for sowing.
Beetle bank
A raised strip of permanent grasses planted across a field to house predatory insects.
Open-field system
A historic agricultural arrangement where large, unfenced village fields were divided into narrow strips.