Prairie strips are good for the soil and worthy of photos

Most farmers probably don’t receive requests from high school kids wanting to take senior pictures in their soybean fields. But some farmers’ fields are so beautiful that that’s exactly what’s happening.

Beauty is not behind a movement toward prairie strips planted in crop fields, but it’s an excellent side effect. Prairie strips are small buffers of prairie plantings interspersed with row crops, and they are showing disproportional benefits in preventing soil erosion, preserving water quality and promoting biodiversity. And the concept is the brainchild of Wisconsin native Lisa Schulte Moore, who has led a team of researchers employing and studying the practice in Iowa and throughout the Midwest.

In a seven-year study, prairie strips planted in 10% of row crop fields resulted in a 95% reduction in soil loss, 90% reduction in phosphorus runoff and 44% reduction in water runoff with no difference in corn and soybean yields per acre.

Buffer strips are commonly used in agriculture, but prairie strips have some inherent advantages that can provide better performance than other types of buffers. The primary benefit is that prairie plants have extensive roots systems, making them far more efficient collectors of runoff. And, since prairie strips use native plants, they eliminate potential issues with plants that have become invasive, such as reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea). The tall, cool-season grass is excellent for erosion control and nonpoint pollution management as well as livestock forage, but it often clogs wetlands and riparian areas, outcompeting desirable native plants.

Prairie strips, which are included in the 2018 Farm Bill’s conservation program, allowing farmers to receive compensation for enrolling their land, take about three years to establish. Specific seed mixes vary based on location and use but often include such plants as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) and various milkweeds.

Planted in strips from 30 to 120 feet wide, the prairie sections become bright, beautiful rivers among fields of crops. Potential benefits from increased pollinator activity are being studied.

No doubt about it, there seems to be a lot to love about prairie strips, which begs the question of whether the same concept could be applied to rural or even some suburban back yards. Meadows are en vogue but can be intimidating to establish on a large scale. Scaled down prairie strips, on the other hand, might be a more manageable approach to incorporating a native planting area that attracts pollinators, birds and other wildlife, as well as being more palatable to neighbors.

The pastoral views that define parts of Ozaukee County are often quite beautiful, but imagine those views interrupted by occasional strips of beautiful flowers in bloom and waving grasses. That’s not the reason farmers — and homeowners — may want to consider such a planting, but it certainly makes it photo worthy.