<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracing-wildflowers-prairie-strips-erosion-pollinators>
"Between two corn fields in central Iowa, Lee Tesdell walks through a corridor
of native prairie grasses and wildflowers. Crickets trill as dickcissels, small
brown birds with yellow chests, pop out of the dewy ground cover.
“There’s a lot of life out here, and it’s one of the reasons I like it,
especially in these late summer days,” Tesdell said.
This is a prairie strip. Ranging from 10-40 metres (30-120ft) in width, these
bands of native perennials are placed strategically in a row-crop field, often
in areas with low yields and high runoff. Tesdell has three on his farm.
He points out several native plants – big bluestem, wild quinine, milkweed,
common evening primrose – that came from a 70-species seed mix he planted here
six years ago. These prairie plants help improve the soil while also protecting
his more fertile fields from bursts of heavy rain and severe storms, which are
becoming more frequent.
“To a conventional farmer, this looks like a weed patch with a few pretty
flowers in it, and I admit it looks odd in the corn and soy landscape in
central Iowa. But I do it for several reasons, that I think are good reasons,”
he said. “I’m trying to be more climate-change resilient on my farm.”
Research shows that converting as little as 10% of a corn or soya bean field
into a prairie strip can reduce soil erosion by 95%. Prairie strips also help
reduce nutrient pollution, store excess carbon underground and provide critical
habitat for pollinators and grassland birds. Thanks to federal funding through
the USDA’s conservation reserve programme, they’ve taken off in recent years.
But the idea started two decades ago with Iowa State University researchers and
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge managers. Lisa Schulte Moore, a landscape
ecologist and co-director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University,
who was integral to the research, knows that large patches of restored and
reconstructed prairie are vital, especially for wildlife, but she argues that
integrating small amounts of native habitat back into the two dominant
ecosystems – corn and soya beans – can make a big difference."
Via
Positive.News
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
