Editor’s note: The Farm Progress Show is Aug. 27-29 in Boone, Iowa. Visit FarmProgressShow.com.

by Chris Kick

Visitors to this year’s Farm Progress Show will get a chance to visit the prairie — at least in essence.

Prairie plants will be featured inside the exhibit booth operated by Iowa State University, where visitors can wear headsets and listen to the sounds of nature — as recorded from actual prairie strips in Iowa crop fields.

There will also be an opportunity to taste the prairie, by sampling honey produced by bees from some of these same prairie strips.

STRIPS — which stands for Science-based Trials of Row crops Integrated with Prairie Strips — is a federally recognized conservation program that compensates landowners for planting 30 120-foot wide-bands of prairie in the landscape. This is an effort to improve water quality and pollinator habitat, and reduce soil erosion.

The practice got its start at ISU nearly 20 years ago, and today includes more than 22,000 acres of prairie strips in 15 states.

Roots as anchors

Tim Youngquist, STRIPS farmer liaison for ISU, says visitors will see a root display that shows what happens underground where prairie is planted. The plants’ deep roots can extend 10 feet or more, helping to anchor the soil in place and reduce erosion.

Along with improved water quality, prairie strips provide pollinator and wildlife habitat, and are aesthetically pleasing for those who enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.

“People enjoy the common experiences that these strips provide,” Youngquist says. “They provide an excellent conservation opportunity while allowing farmers to continue being productive on the land.”

The goal with strips is to place them strategically, where they will provide the most benefit. Youngquist says where more water is flowing downslope, prairie strips should be wider. Where less water is flowing downslope, the prairie strips can be narrower.

Youngquist says farmers sometimes plant the strips where point rows would otherwise exist, and places where the slope and terrain would make normal farming practices difficult. He says the federal provisions are lenient enough to allow farmers to turn equipment or drive across with equipment to access other parts of their farm.

Making a difference

Research done at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, east of Des Moines, showed that placing the strips at the bottom of fields, where water leaves the property, resulted in:

Youngquist says he hopes the Farm Progress Show display will “give people a taste of the prairie and something they maybe haven’t really thought about before.”

He says he’s looking forward to meeting attendees with an interest in how prairie can promote conservation above and below the surface.

For landowners who want to plant prairie strips, Youngquist will have resources that explain the program in detail, as found in USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program. He also plans to have a farmer with him each day of the show to talk about their experience with prairie strips and how they’ve made a difference.

Strips fit row crop goals

As a row crop farmer, Youngquist says he understands that farmers want to plant crops on as much of their land as they can, which is why strips of prairie are often an ideal solution.

“I think prairie strips is a wonderful idea. For many at the show, this will probably be their first exposure to prairie strips, so we want to inform and answer questions in a way that elevates the many benefits these strips do offer,” he says.

For more information, including farmer testimonials, visit the STRIPS website. Or you can contact Youngquist at [email protected].

Kick is a communications specialist at Iowa State University Extension.