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Episode 39 | Are These Tools in Your Toolbox? Prairie Strips by Illinois Extension
The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction podcast explores efforts to reduce nutrients in Illinois waterways from agricultural runoff to municipal wastewater with host Todd Gleason and producers Rachel Curry, Nicole Haverback and Luke Zwilling with University of Illinois Extension.
Read the blog at extension.illinois.edu/nlr/blog.
Episode 39 | Are These Tools in Your Toolbox? Prairie Strips
00:00:06:04 - 00:00:36:25
Todd Gleason
This is the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Podcast, episode 39. Are these tools in your toolbox? Prairie strips. I'm Illinois Extension's Todd Gleason. Today we'll discuss prairie strips and how they're used in an agricultural setting. Paula Hinkson is the assistant state conservationist for easement at the Natural Resources Conservation Service in NRCS, and she's the CRP program manager. I asked her to tell us about Prairie Strips.
00:00:36:27 - 00:01:05:14
Paula Hinkson
Yes. A prairie strip is a conservation practice that protects the soil and water quality, and they provide habitat for wildlife. They are composed of native perennial vegetation. They're placed in the field, on the contour or through the field to reduce the erosion through a field, or they're placed around a field border for also erosion control and habitat diversity. For us, a normal grow crop field.
00:01:05:16 - 00:01:09:06
Todd Gleason
Do they fall under CRP or the conservation reserve program?
00:01:09:11 - 00:01:34:08
Paula Hinkson
Yes. Prairie strips are a practice that are offered as cost share under the CRP program. They, The program allows them to be at least 30ft wide with the maximum of 120ft, and the locations where the practice qualifies are around the perimeter of the field or part of the perimeter of a field.
00:01:34:10 - 00:02:00:15
Paula Hinkson
They can go through the field on the contour. As I mentioned earlier. They can be parallel or perpendicular to a grass waterway, wherever they may need to be around that waterway to help with filtering of the soil, and improve the water quality. It can also be on the gradient of a terrace channel. It can be in front of a, water and sediment control basin.
00:02:00:18 - 00:02:21:13
Paula Hinkson
Any place where they can be filtering out soil and nutrients in order to help clean up the water and provide good water quality. They're also available for private corners and places where people are using, irrigation, where it might be needed to reduce the soil erosion and improve water quality in those locations.
00:02:21:19 - 00:02:25:28
Todd Gleason
Are prairie strips more beneficial for improving soil health?
00:02:26:00 - 00:02:31:11
Todd Gleason
And maybe you can define that and can you compare it to maybe a single grass species?
00:02:31:14 - 00:03:01:11
Paula Hinkson
Yeah, I would say prairie strips are more beneficial than a single grass species. They provide the plant diversity for wildlife and beneficial insects, more so than what a single grass species will provide. And they also provide more diversity below ground for soil health with respect to different root systems and the microbial communities that are associated with those root systems that a single grass species wouldn't provide.
00:03:01:15 - 00:03:07:28
Todd Gleason
Can you talk about some of the other benefits, of using the Prairie Strip, maybe related to soil health or water quality?
00:03:08:01 - 00:03:22:19
Paula Hinkson
Sure. The prairie strips are they're also going to provide that soil erosion reduction and improve the water quality, which also improves the soil health. If you're going to be able to keep your soil in place, you're going to have better soil health.
00:03:22:22 - 00:03:53:06
Paula Hinkson
The grasses and forbs provide that active plant growth, which improves the soil health, and when placed on the contour, the prairie strips are reducing the erosion and the nutrient transport. And then when planting the seed mixes, we're looking to plant two flowering species throughout the growing season. So early in the spring and the summer, and then a little bit later in the fall, so we'll have a minimum of at least ten flowering plants out there throughout the year.
00:03:53:09 - 00:04:02:13
Paula Hinkson
And then that's providing that diversity for the beneficial insects, because you have that flowering going on all through the growing season.
00:04:02:16 - 00:04:12:10
Todd Gleason
Can you tell me a little bit about maybe the cost share opportunities that are available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service at the US government, NRCS?
00:04:12:13 - 00:04:26:15
Paula Hinkson
Yeah. So this particular practice is pretty new. The prairie strips, it, actually has been piloted by the Iowa State University prior to being, opportunities through the Conservation Reserve program.
00:04:26:17 - 00:04:57:19
Paula Hinkson
So currently it's only available for cost share through the Conservation Reserve Program, which is managed by the Farm Service Agency and then the NRCs, Far Side. We provide the technical assistance for seeding those and placing those on the landscape. So through that, the Farm Service Agency and the Conservation Reserve program, the landowners can get those practices established with assistance for the cost of establishing the practice.
00:04:57:21 - 00:05:23:03
Paula Hinkson
And then they get a rental payment for those acres where the practice is established for up to ten years. And then we, as a national resource conservation service, give them the seeding recommendations, help them work, put them on the landscape or locate them on the landscape. And then throughout the course of that ten years, we're working with them to make sure that the practice is establishing well and being managed properly.
00:05:23:06 - 00:05:24:12
Todd Gleason
What does that entail?
00:05:24:14 - 00:06:00:05
Paula Hinkson
So that for the most part, that entails, keeping the invasive species out, some of the noxious weeds, keeping those out. And then as you get through the lifecycle of these scans, you may need to do some light strip disking. Maybe burning something to keep the weeds and shrubs out of the seeding that you don't want, and also that helps the the seed expand and be more, vigorous so it can continue to be very useful throughout the ten years.
00:06:00:05 - 00:06:19:27
Paula Hinkson
Otherwise you'll get some of the plants dying out. And, the stand is not as good. So midway through that ten year timeframe, you need to do a little something to keep the plants vigorously growing and expanding and, and, providing that good habitat and soil health that they're designed to do.
00:06:20:00 - 00:06:22:20
Todd Gleason
Where might you've purchased seed for a prairie strip?
00:06:22:28 - 00:06:51:08
Paula Hinkson
So most of the local seed vendors will be able to get the seed that they need. We provide the landowners with a seeding recommendation, which lists all the different species of seeds that they need, along with the pounds of seed that they need to purchase. So they can usually take that to the, their local FS equity. Other seed suppliers that I know are around in local locations, and they'll be able to get the seeds for them.
00:06:51:11 - 00:06:54:12
Paula Hinkson
They may need to order some of them, but they'll be able to get them
00:06:54:14 - 00:06:58:01
Todd Gleason
Pheasants forever, I take it as another opportunity to purchase seed from.
00:06:58:07 - 00:07:11:28
Paula Hinkson
Yeah. You bet. Pheasants forever is a good source. There's. Sometimes the soil and water conservation districts in the county offices will have a listing of those people that offer that they can purchase the seed from.
00:07:11:28 - 00:07:16:28
Paula Hinkson
So that's another good place to go to get information about where to purchase the seed.
00:07:17:01 - 00:07:19:25
Todd Gleason
Finally, any advice for producers and landowners?
00:07:19:27 - 00:07:31:08
Paula Hinkson
Well, I think the prairie strips are like I said, they're a new practice, but they're, very beneficial to the landscape, especially when you have a field that has a little bit of a slope to it.
00:07:31:10 - 00:07:59:06
Paula Hinkson
Maybe you haven't thought about planting on the contour before, but if you do plant on the contour, these prairie strips can help just break up that crop rotation, provide some diversity for the wildlife and the beneficial insects, and slow that erosion down that might be taking place. Improving the water quality. They're also really good for border practices. Sometimes landowners are fighting trees encroaching on their fields, getting into their equipment.
00:07:59:08 - 00:08:34:22
Paula Hinkson
These prairie strips can be a buffer around the edge of your field, where you don't have to fight some of that as much as well as then again, you're providing that habitat that you wouldn't have had in the past with just a real crop field right up against the timber. So they have a lot of benefits, and especially in these times when we think about fewer weeds in the fields, these provide those beneficial plants, forbs and native species of grass that the beneficial insects need and the pollinators need.
00:08:34:22 - 00:08:42:06
Paula Hinkson
So I think it really provides a good environmental benefit in addition to the soil health benefits that the practices provide.
00:08:42:09 - 00:09:00:20
Todd Gleason
So a prairie strip, as NRCS’s Paula Hinkson just told us, is simply native species of prairie that are placed in a strip where farmers and landowners and in this case, NRCs, believe they can do the best job of controlling erosion or some other field issue.
00:09:00:21 - 00:09:18:17
Todd Gleason
Now Dallas Glazik is with Pheasants Forever, and that's one of the organizations where farmers and others can purchase seed for a prairie strip. I asked him to tell me why it is that his agency supports the use of prairie strips in an agricultural setting.
00:09:18:20 - 00:09:31:26
Dallas Glazik
Yeah. So I've, actually been fortunate enough to install, some prairie strips. Right here and in east central Illinois, as both with other farmers and as well on my own farms.
00:09:31:29 - 00:10:06:25
Dallas Glazik
And I've noticed a lot of benefits, when it comes to the prairie strips. One farmer, out of Gibson City, Illinois, within the first year of establishment, had a, large rain event. Got six inches, with one event. And there was, a conventional farmed neighbor, and that first strip slowed the water down enough and sediment it out, about eight inches of soil, that ran from the neighbor and now became part of his property.
00:10:06:25 - 00:10:31:13
Dallas Glazik
So, all that nutrients that, came with it are now, now his the farm and and, he was having a gully form through there as well. Just as the natural water was, was flowing through that draw. And we're now on year three of these strips, and that gully is essentially removed now. They're they're just great.
00:10:31:15 - 00:11:02:10
Dallas Glazik
When it comes to, erosion control. And then his other big purpose was bringing in, beneficial insects. So he's actually working with the University of Illinois and some, entomologist studies to figure out how many, beneficial insects are, are on, his, his property and what, what these, prairie strips are bringing in. I know, Doctor Jonathan Ludgren out in south to, South Dakota.
00:11:02:13 - 00:11:30:16
Dallas Glazik
Found that 97% of insects found in a standard ag system are beneficial or non harming, and only 3% are pests. So by bringing in those beneficial predatory insects, within, the first year and now, up to years three, he has actually, removed all of his insecticide from his operation and, is saving him greatly, on finances.
00:11:30:19 - 00:11:34:07
Todd Gleason
What does, managing a prairie strip entail?
00:11:34:09 - 00:12:24:02
Dallas Glazik
Yeah. So these prairie strips are actually, fairly easy to manage, with CRP, and other government programs. You get to choose your, your management from the options that they have, such as, there's prescribed fire, which is extremely effective at controlling woody vegetation and other invasives and as well as stimulating, the native forbs that are there, there is interceding. Interceding is really good when it comes to, an invasive species coming in, and choking out a lot of your forbs by by, destroying that invasive species and interceding, you can revitalize, that strip in that area there is, light
00:12:24:02 - 00:12:49:04
Dallas Glazik
disking, and that's disking, real lightly, one third of the strips at a time. You're only talking about half inch, of depth of that disc. And what that does is you're you're breaking up that sod layer, bringing in some of that soil to the surface, so the sunlight can regerminate the seed bank, that's fully reforms.
00:12:49:04 - 00:13:15:04
Dallas Glazik
And then you can see some stimulation that way. And then as well, there's chemical control and chemical control. Control is really, really effective for controlling cool season grasses, and woody species is those, those invasives that really come in and, choke out the area and make it, less desirable for, pollen insects and as well, for the forbs to, to flourish.
00:13:15:04 - 00:13:45:18
Dallas Glazik
And so those are the top managements for, CRP programs and, a farmer can actually pick whichever one they're wanting, then as well, they're, they are adjustable. Come your bid contract management. So depending on how the site is, those can be adjusted whenever it comes to, strips that are done outside of CRP in which, the particular farmer in Gibson City, that's what he did.
00:13:45:20 - 00:14:14:14
Dallas Glazik
He's actually using, prescribed grazing and rotational grazing for a lot of his, his management control. So, he's going to be having, grazing and pasture pork, coming through and, be consuming a lot of your and uprooting your large weed species such as giant ragweed and, dandelions that are going to have that larger taproot that the hogs prefer.
00:14:14:16 - 00:15:01:09
Dallas Glazik
And then as well as as eating on the grasses and lessening lessen the impact of those invasives and, woody species that way. So whenever you utilize, these practices on your own, you get a lot more range of options to choose from. The ones that I would avoid using, especially depending on the time of year, are haying and mowing, usually whenever the biomass is set for haying, within that strip is actually as well, whenever your best species are in full bloom and you're within nesting season of of birds.
00:15:01:12 - 00:15:23:22
Dallas Glazik
And some critical points for the insects. So by, bringing in haying and mowing and destroying the vegetation within that site, you you can detrimental, hit your prairie strip. So I would avoid those, those options. But those other managements are easy, easy to utilize, easy to work with and, really applicable for, appreciators.
00:15:23:24 - 00:15:26:25
Todd Gleason
How does the wildlife change within the prairie strip?
00:15:26:27 - 00:15:52:24
Dallas Glazik
Yeah, the wildlife does change with the prairie strip. Within first year, seeing a prairie strip, you will see a increase in, in wildlife, notably, you'll see more, bird species coming in which that's actually a good thing by bringing in, a healthy bird species, bird population, farmers can see about a 33% reduction in pest insects.
00:15:52:27 - 00:16:19:02
Dallas Glazik
And now, if you recall, that's only 3% of the insects. And, and so by bringing in these beneficial birds, they're not really particular about which insects they're, they're consuming, and they will, consume everything and still reduce the pest by 33%. I mean, one barn swallow will consume 850 insects per day. So it is it is amazing.
00:16:19:02 - 00:16:47:01
Dallas Glazik
Whenever, you bring in, the, the, the native bird populations and, they love these strips, you'll see things like, eastern meadowlark start moving in, some gixxer will move in. Of course, Redwing blackbirds, will utilize these, prairie strips. And then you will see a big growth of insects, and other arthropods come into this, into the sites.
00:16:47:01 - 00:17:16:13
Dallas Glazik
So been seen on the prairie strips installed a lot more rise of, your predatory beetles, hoverflies, which, as well are predatory for larva on aphids. They're annoying during this time of year, you know, in the July early August because they, fly around you. A lot of people call them sweat bees because there's, sitting there looking the sweat off you, but their larva are actually beneficial.
00:17:16:15 - 00:17:37:00
Dallas Glazik
And so you'll see a large increase in that. And by having these strips within 200ft, you actually allow those predatory insects such as beetles to be able to, move back and forth, between them and, reduce both pest, insect pests and weed pressure, within, within your field.
00:17:37:02 - 00:17:43:19
Todd Gleason
Can you tell me about the plant species that make up the prairie strips that Pheasants Forever puts together as a seed mix?
00:17:43:22 - 00:18:08:27
Dallas Glazik
Yeah, yeah. So actually, did help create those mixes. And the mixes of, that Pheasants Forever has on are available on a website geared towards prairie strips. Is fit and designed for the CRP standard. However, if installed on your own, that mix can vary. But the big key that you're looking for is diversity of wildflowers.
00:18:08:27 - 00:18:36:03
Dallas Glazik
By bringing in, a lot of species of, different blooming wildflowers. You want, to hit your three bloom periods. So you want to hit an early summer, late spring, Some flowers bloom, and you want to hit mid-summer. Flowers blooming. Then you want to hit into summer, start of fall, of flowers blooming. And that is where you're going to get the most impact from bringing in the wildlife species.
00:18:36:05 - 00:19:07:22
Dallas Glazik
That can beneficially affect your field. And then as well, by having some, some grass components and these deep rooted forbs, that's as well, where you get a lot of your water, infiltration and soil erosion control, without having to adjust the level, like a terrace would, through a field by having those deep rooted plants, you can get similar effect of, erosion and water control, without having to do the expensive, engineering and land management.
00:19:07:28 - 00:19:13:17
Todd Gleason
Any advice for farmers and landowners that are thinking about adding a prairie strip to a piece of land?
00:19:13:20 - 00:19:50:06
Dallas Glazik
Yeah. Big advice if you're going to be adding prairie strips, start thinking about a minimum 10%, of of that field size, within strips. And, there's been a lot of studies from U of I, Iowa State University that shows that that 10% is kind of that critical point when it comes to nutrient reduction, and as well as wildlife, benefit, of course, going more than that, you're going to see a greater, greater benefit of the strips, crp caps at 25% of, of the field size.
00:19:50:08 - 00:20:16:02
Dallas Glazik
So if you're within that 10 to 25% of the field, you will see a good benefit of, of the prairie strips. And then, some other advice I would have is, yeah. Reaching out to, myself and other fellow biologists that are familiar with the species, because these are within an ag system. So I get asked a lot about, about weed pressure and stuff like that.
00:20:16:02 - 00:20:45:21
Dallas Glazik
And by having the most diverse mix, plopped in there, you're filling a lot of the niches, which then will slow the, the growth of weeds, within the strip and into the ag field. And then thinking about where they're going to go, the strips that I have installed are, planned out with a farmer's GPS system so that they follow the same lines as, as the equipment, as the tractor.
00:20:45:23 - 00:21:08:28
Dallas Glazik
So you're not having to, create a half round or a, point row or something like that. So really think about the layout of those strips. That's going to make it easy to manage your, your crop field and the strips as strips themselves. And with modern technology such as and whatnot, it just makes it really, really simple and easy.
00:21:08:28 - 00:21:19:23
Dallas Glazik
So those are those are definitely the things that I would start thinking about as a farmer. Getting into, into prairie strips is where you want to go. And, and and then diversity.
00:21:19:26 - 00:21:32:21
Todd Gleason
That was Dallas Glazik from Pheasants Forever. He and Paula Hinkson from Illinois, NRCS joined us for this episode 39 of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Podcast. Are these tools in your toolbox?
00:21:32:27 - 00:21:43:04
Todd Gleason
Prairie strips. The program was produced in conjunction with the Illinois Extension Watershed Outreach Associates, Jennifer Jones and Rachel Curry. I'm Illinois Extension's Todd Gleason.