Resources and Case Studies for Implementing Prairie Strips Across the Midwest

Compared to other Conservation Reserve Program practices, prairie strips (CP43) offer many advantages. Prairie strips can be placed both within fields and along their edges. Planting 10% of fields to prairie strips can reduce sediment and nutrient loss. The practice is flexible, with the option of driving on strips when needed for farm operations. And converting marginal land can even improve overall farm profitability. However, it's a process and there is a learning curve.

From 2019-2023, the Tallgrass Prairie Center received a grant from SARE to work with landowners, farm operators and farm managers in Iowa and Minnesota, documenting their experiences as they planned and implemented prairie strips on six farms.

The Cost of Prairie Strips handout is designed to help an on-farm decision-maker understand the costs of establishing and maintaining prairie strips. Costs include seed, planting, field preparation, maintenance (haying and prescribed fire), and opportunity costs.

On-Farm Prairie Strip Case Studies

These case studies were designed to help professional farm managers and conservation planners gain greater knowledge, skills and confidence in the strategic use of prairie for soil and water conservation, and to effectively address profitability and environmental sustainability concerns. With greater adoption of prairie strips, corn-soybean cropping systems and local communities can benefit from the increased biodiversity that diverse native vegetation provides.

Want more information? See the related SARE grant:

Towards widespread adoption of prairie conservation strips: case studies increase expertise of professional farm managers, landowners and farmers (LNC19-425)

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.