Earth Watch: Fighting Erosion & Building Biodiversity, One Prairie Strip at a Time

Author: Charity Isely

Earth Watch: Fighting Erosion & Building Biodiversity, One Prairie Strip at a Time

Where wildflowers bloom, the honey tastes better, the pheasants cackle, and the farmer’s soil holds its own against erosion! That’s the experience of Iowa farmer Eric Hoien, as he described to BioScience in 2023. Integrating prairie strips—patches of native prairie plants woven between his rows of crops—has brought beauty, biodiversity, and a surprising boost to a neighbor’s honey harvest.¹ But for Hoien, a primary motivation was water quality.^{2 3}

After flying over the Gulf of Mexico and seeing the vast brown sprawl of the “dead zone”—oxygen-starved water where marine life cannot survive—he returned home determined to be part of the solution.^{4 5 6 7}

When rain washes sediment off farm fields, it carries nitrogen and phosphorus from synthetic fertilizers into rivers that eventually feed into the Gulf, fueling the dead zone’s return every summer.⁸ Healthier soil—especially in a region where erosion has long been treated as the cost of doing business—is a key tool for reducing this nutrient pollution.^{9 10 11} Enter the power of native grasses and wildflowers: research from Iowa State University shows that converting just 10 percent of farmland to prairie strips can reduce soil erosion up to 95 percent!¹²

The concept took root in 2003 when Iowa State University researchers teamed up with the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge to test whether reintroducing bands of prairie into corn and soybean fields could help address some of Iowa’s most significant agricultural challenges.^{13 14} With more than 85 percent of the state’s land dedicated to farming, they focused on reducing erosion, improving water quality, while also promoting biodiversity.^{15 16} By 2017, the team had gathered enough field data to confirm what earlier experiments suggested: prairie strips work in real-world conditions. Findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that integrating prairie strips reduced nitrogen runoff by 70 percent, phosphorus by 77 percent, and nitrate loss to groundwater by 72 percent.¹⁷ Combined with the earlier reported 95 percent drop in erosion, the results highlight a powerful tool for strengthening soil health and reducing agricultural nutrient pollution.¹⁸

It’s the long roots of prairie plants that do the heavy lifting.^{19 20} They’ve been described as “mini speed-bumps” during intense rain, slowing runoff and giving the soil more time to absorb moisture. A dense layer of stems and leaves reduces surface flow while the roots anchor soil layers underground, absorbing excess water and nutrients like nitrates and phosphorus.²¹ But the impact also extends to biodiversity. The STRIPS team found that, on average, prairie sites hosted 51 plant species, compared to just 13 in row-crop fields.²² This resurgence of native plants supports a diverse web of life: beneficial predators like ladybugs, 70 native bee species, and North America’s most threatened bird group, grassland birds.^{23 24} Fields with prairie strips had nearly three times more grassland birds than those without and almost double overall bird density.^{25 26}

In 2018, prairie strips became an official part of the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, ranking among the most affordable practices at $24 to $35 per acre.^{27 28} Early results also showed no negative impact on yields and no competition with crops for water or nutrients, as lead researcher Moore explained in an interview for the 2023 BioScience article.²⁹ And farmers are adopting at rapid rates—between 2020 and 2022, acreage had climbed from almost 2,000 to more than 15,000 across 12 states.³⁰ Perhaps most rewarding, are the beyond-functional benefits adopters reported in a 2023 survey. Inspiration, relaxation, connection to nature… this is what farmers are experiencing in their small slices of prairie—listening to the music of summer insects and feasting their eyes on a riot of color.³¹ The diversity of plants and wildlife is bringing back the vibrancy and wonder long muted by endless rows of corn and soy. And sometimes, just maybe, it also brings a delightful gift of honey from a beekeeping neighbor.

So wherever the wildflowers bloom and native grasses sway in warm July breezes, may we take a moment to honor their deep roots. And perhaps we might consider weaving small planet-healing acts of restoration into our daily lives—metaphorical prairie strips, you see.

References

Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
What is the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone? (2019, October 3). Restore the Mississippi River Delta. https://mississippiriverdelta.org/learning/explaining-the-gulf-of-mexic…
Impacts of the dead zone. (n.d.). The Nature Conservancy. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/priority-landscapes…
Nonpoint Source: Agriculture | US EPA. (2025, February 27). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/nps/nonpoint-source-agriculture#:~:text
Soil erosion and degradation. (n.d.). https://www.worldwildlife.org/. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/soil-erosion-and-degradation#:~:t…
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2025, April 21). Natural Resources Conservation Service. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns…
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Research overview. (n.d.). Science-Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated With Prairie Strips. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/content/research-overview
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Research overview. (n.d.). Science-Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated With Prairie Strips. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/content/research-overview
Schulte Moore, L., & Watkins, S. (2014). Restoring the balance. In Small changes, big impacts: Prairie conservation strips. Iowa State University. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/files/page/files/Small%20C…
Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Schulte Moore, L., & Watkins, S. (2014). Restoring the balance. In Small changes, big impacts: Prairie conservation strips. Iowa State University. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/files/page/files/Small%20C…
Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Schulte Moore, L., & Watkins, S. (2014). Restoring the balance. In Small changes, big impacts: Prairie conservation strips. Iowa State University. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/files/page/files/Small%20C…
Schulte Moore, L., & Watkins, S. (2014). Restoring the balance. In Small changes, big impacts: Prairie conservation strips. Iowa State University. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/files/page/files/Small%20C…
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Giese, J. C., Schulte, L. A., & Klaver, R. W. (2024). Bird community response to field-level integration of prairie strips. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 374, 109075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109075
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Cramer, R. (2024, December 26). ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/26/us-farmers-embracin…
Schulte Moore, L., & Watkins, S. (2014). Restoring the balance. In Small changes, big impacts: Prairie conservation strips. Iowa State University. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/files/page/files/Small%20C…
Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Mayer, A. (2023). Farming for solutions: Perennial plants and native prairie show promise for sustainability, climate goals. BioScience, 73(11), 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad061
Arbuckle, J. G., Jr. & Iowa State University Extension Sociology. (2024). STRIPS Collaborator Survey: 2023 results. In Sociology Technical Report (Report No. 1065). Iowa State University Extension Sociology. https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/files/publication/arbuckle…