Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS)

Photo Credit

Courtesy photo by Matt Helmers, Iowa State University

Landscape view of prairie strips integrated into agricultural landscapes. Within the prairie strips there is an increase soil carbon, increase in soil aggregation, and increase in infiltration. These can lead to improved hydrologic functioning and overall improved soil health as well as improve downstream water quality for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment, benefiting the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico.  

 

Reducing sediment and nutrient export from agricultural landscapes is critical to decreasing nonpoint-source pollution in water systems in the Cornbelt region of the United States, where intensively managed rowcrop systems dominate the landscape. Nutrient pollution from the Cornbelt region is also the main cause of hypoxia in the Gulf or Mexico. There is a growing recognition that intensive row crop agriculture as currently practiced in the Upper Midwest lacks both ecological resilience and socioeconomic sustainability.

Active for more than 15 years, the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) study demonstrates an effective management alternative that reduces nonpoint-source pollution while also providing many new ecosystem services with minimal effects on crop yield.

Detailed information about the STRIPS project can be found here: Science-Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (iastate.edu)

Key Findings

• By converting just 10 percent of a crop-field to diverse perennials, farmers can reduce the amount of soil leaving their fields by 90 percent and the amount of nitrogen from surface runoff by 85 percent.
• Strategically implementing prairie strips into agricultural landscapes results in significant decreases in pollution and increases in landscape level diversity.
• STRIPS is an affordable option for farmers that lead to additional ecosystem services such increases in pollinators and beneficial insects, increases in the population and diversity of native birds and game birds, and other fauna such as reptiles and small mammals.
• Cleaner water and more diverse landscapes lead to enhanced environmental quality and socioeconomic vitality.

Photo Credit

Courtesy photos by Matt Helmers/Iowa State University

Erosion following a major rain event. Agricultural watersheds with just 10% prairie strips has a disproportionate benefit on erosion and the movement of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Approach

Research by Forest Service scientists with Iowa State University and other partners is demonstrating how integrating perennial plant communities into row crops can enhance both environmental quality and socioeconomic vitality. The USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station contributed the initial funding for STRIPS; other funding partners include the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

The experiment began in 2008 with 14 small watersheds at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and is designed for demonstration on private farmland. Researchers planted a variety of treatments, ranging from conventional agriculture to mixed systems with prairie conservation strips that cover 10 or 20 percent of the watershed to reconstructed prairies. Members of the research team study how prairie strips reduce soil erosion, decrease nitrate and phosphorus movement, and provide other vital ecosystem services. Recent study results demonstrated benefits for grassland bird and insect populations, water quality, and erosion reduction.

Outcomes

• STRIPS has led to many presentations to farmers, stakeholders, farm-related agencies and agri-businesses, 26 peer-reviewed publications, numerous popular articles including the New York Times and the Washington Post, and a handbook that highlights the benefits and methods of integrating strips into row crops.
• In 2018, the use of prairie strips was approved as a conservation practice in the Farm Bill which was a long-term goal from the beginning of the experiment. Farmers can now use STRIPS and be supported by government programs.
• STRIPS is now in 20 states, protecting 10,000s of acres of land.