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‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of The Guardian (One of the UK's Leading Newspapers)
Posted: February 7th, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farme...
Lee Tesdell walks through a corridor of native prairie grasses and wildflowers. 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. 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. Farmer Eric Hoien says he first heard about the conservation practice a decade ago, right around the time he was becoming more concerned about water issues in Iowa. Hoien says prairie strips offer other benefits close to home. Neighbours often tell him they appreciate the wildflowers and hearing the “cackle” of pheasants. He also enjoys hunting in the prairie strips and spotting insects he’s never seen before. The strips are hugely beneficial for pollinator populations.
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