Prairie Strips

Water >> In-Field Practices >> Prairie Strips

Prairie Strips

Restore 10% of your crop fields to diverse, native prairie.

Benefits of Prairie Strips

Reduce soil erosion

Prevent 95% of soil from leaving fields*
Less costly alternative to terraces

Improve water quality

Reduce nitrogen running off of your field by 70% in surface runoff and 72% in groundwater*
Cut phosphorus losses in surface runoff by 77%*

Provide forage and habitat for wildlife

Wildflowers and grasses feed and shelter native wildlife
Support 2.1 – 3.5x more pollinators and birds, in both species richness and abundance**

An aerial view of prairie strips in an Iowa crop field. Photo by Tim Youngquist.

“Coupling strips with no-till, there has been virtually no erosion on our field, and ahh, the beauty!”

Gary Guthrie

Nevada, Iowa

Prudenterra can help you implement each step in the process

Design and layout
Seeding and seed mix selection
Prescribed burning, mowing, and spraying
Access financial assistance

Learn More

*In STRIPS watersheds, compared to all-crop watersheds. Data source.

**Article: Prairie strips improve biodiversity and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services from corn–soybean croplands

Reviewed by the STRIPS science team at Iowa State University for science/economic content related to prairie strips on April 3rd, 2018.

Black-eyed susans bloom adjacent to corn.

Enhance Your Farm with Prairie Strips