Letter to the Editor: Use prairie strips on farm fields

(PHoto courtesy of Iowa State University)

(The following Letter to the Editor has been submitted by John Beard of Decorah):

We owe the incredible productivity of our Iowa soils to the prairie ecosystem that created it. That's why it makes sense to put strips of that prairie ecosystem back into what is now a row crop landscape to make it more resilient and sustainably productive. We can no longer afford continued major soil and nutrient loss, flood damage, degraded water quality, and the loss of habitat for animals that bring us economic and quality of life benefits. The efficiency and resilience of the prairie has been perfected over millions of years of climate extremes, fire, drought and flood. Our present landscape is extremely vulnerable and makes us vulnerable in turn.

We have lost half of our soil since the prairie sod was first broken and most of that loss has been in the last 50 years. These soil loss rates alone should motivate us to act.                                                             

Of the states whose nutrient losses create the huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico we are a top contributor. Hard working shrimpers and fishermen see their multibillion dollar fishery damaged by our wasteful ways ways.

The floods of 2008 not only caused unbelievable soil losses but billions of dollars in property damage to towns and cities. Our second most economically important city, Cedar Rapids, has still not fully recovered from an estimated 6-8 billion dollars in damage. Our capital city of Des Moines has finally and reluctantly brought suit against three Iowa counties whose runoff pollutes its water supply. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so why should the city spend millions in additional treatment equipment when the problem could be more appropriately addressed at its source? The economic benefits of beneficial insects, birds and other wildlife may be harder to quantify but these animals, especially pollinators and predators of crop pests are essential to a healthy and productive landscape.

Here's the good news. Scientists from the STRIPS research team (Science –based Trials of Row –crops Integrated with Prairie Strips) have been conducting tests at the Neal Smith national Wildlife Refuge since 2007. Those tests demonstrate that we don't need to choose between production and conservation. The tests "have shown that by strategically converting as little as 10 percent of a row-cropped field to perennial prairie--in narrow patches along contours and foot slopes—farmers and landowners can reduce sediment movement off their field by 95 percent, and total phosphorus loss by 90 percent, and total nitrogen loss by nearly 85 percent." The result are very exciting because they show an affordable way to make the landscape more diverse, resilient and more productive in many ways that benefit all of us.

This is yet another example of how a better understanding of natural designs processes and system allows us to live more harmoniously with the natural world we depend upon.  I was very pleased to see the positive audience response at the screening of a film produced by STRIPS at the Oneota film Festival. I was also pleased to see important endorsements by the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Soybean Association because we should always be trying to do better. Find out more at www.prairiestrips.org.