Prairie Strips Provide Habitat and Help Save Farmland

By Joel Patenaude

Convincing Midwest farmers to plant tall-grass prairie where they could grow more cash crops has been, well, a hard row to hoe.

Yet, decades of research has shown that setting aside 10 percent of a farm field for wildlife habitat is beneficial for both the environment and agricultural production long term.

“Farmers are looking for a way to help keep their soil in place, add some habitat and filter water,” Tim Youngquist, an Iowa farmer and agricultural specialist in the Iowa State University Agronomy Department, said on WPR’s “The Larry Meiller Show.”

“If we are going to clean up the water that’s coming off of farmland, practices like prairie strips can really help. They can improve the overall quality of life on that farm in the community,” he said.