Prairie strips are taking root as a new agricultural conservation practice across the Midwest. These strips of native perennial vegetation, generally 30 feet or more in width, are placed along the contour within a farm field or at the field edge to retain rainfall and capture soil and nutrient runoff.

For farmers and crop advisors reviewing yield data this winter, a seeding of native perennial grasses and forbs can provide stable cover for underperforming crop acres along field borders or trouble spots. Portions of fields can now be enrolled in the new Prairie Strips CP-43 practice under the Conservation Reserve Program.