Viewing Conservation Practices on the Byways

11/27/2023

Prairie strip

As you drive one of western Iowa's scenic byways, you may be curious about the various modifications to the land that you see from the comfort of your car. If you grew up around agriculture, they might be familiar to you, however, if you are a city dweller you may be curious about the landscapes you encounter along the byways. The rolling hills along the Glacial Trail and Western Skies scenic byways, along with the rugged terrain of the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway, present various challenges to landowners as they seek to prevent soil erosion and improve water quality.

Golden Hills RC&D is partnering with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service on the Regional Conservation Partnership Program for the West Nishnabotna Water Quality and Infrastructure Partnership. The project will provide cost-share to landowners within the West Nishnabotna watershed to implement conservation practices that impact erosion and water quality issues.

Below are short descriptions with photos of a variety of conservation practices that you can see while driving the Glacial Trail Scenic Byway, Loess Hills National Scenic Byway, or the Western Skies Scenic Byway. The RCPP program is designed to help landowners implement these conservation practices to improve water quality and prevent soil erosion. If you are a landowner within the West Nishnabotna watershed, consider attending one of several upcoming public information meetings about the program.

Terraces

Terraces are one of the most common conservation practices you can see while driving any of the three scenic byways in western Iowa. A terrace is an earth embankment or an upslope channel across the slope of a row crop field, usually built as part of a series of terraces.

Terracing reduces soil erosion and slows down or stops runoff, thus increasing water infiltration in the soil.

A terraced field in winter

Backslope after harvest

Terrace

Soybean field with terracing in the distance

Terracing on the contour

Prairie Strips

Prairie strips are a conservation practice that protects soil and water while providing habitat for wildlife. A prairie strip is a small amount of prairie strategically located in row crop fields in the form of an in-field contour buffer strip or edge-of-field filter strip. Prairie strips provide disproportionate benefits to a greater degree than other perennial vegetation types because of the diversity of native plant species incorporated, their deep and multilayered root systems, and their stiff-stems that hold up in a driving rain.

Research shows that by converting 10% of a crop-field to diverse, native perennial vegetation, farmers and landowners can reduce sediment movement off their field by 95 percent and total phosphorous and nitrogen lost through runoff by 90 and 85 percent, respectively. Prairie strips provide a win-win scenario for farmers and wildlife.

(Source: What Are Prairie Strips? by Iowa State University)

Prairie strips protect soil and water while also providing valuable wildlife habitat

Prairie strip in a bean field

Contour buffer strips are similar to prairie strips but are usually of a fixed width, whereas prairie strips vary in width based on the amount of water they intercept

Grassed Waterways

Grassed waterways are constructed graded channels that are seeded to grass or other suitable vegetation. The vegetation slows the water and the grassed waterway conveys the water to a stable outlet at a non-erosive velocity.

Grass or permanent vegetation established in waterways protects the soil from concentrated flows. Grassed waterways significantly reduce gully erosion.

The most common areas for grassed waterways are in draws between hills, and other low lying areas on slopes where water concentrates as it runs off a field. Grassed waterways may also be used to convey runoff from terraces, diversions, or other sources of water concentrations to a stable outlet.

A newly constructed grassed waterway in winter

Grassed waterway

Cover Crops

Cover crops, planted in the fall between harvest and planting of spring crops, reduce soil erosion, limit nitrogen leaching, suppress weeds, increase soil organic matter and improve overall soil quality. Small grain cover crops increase surface cover, anchor corn and soybean residues, increase water infiltration and reduce erosion.

Common cover crops used in Iowa include winter hardy plants like rye and wheat. Other less common, but also effective, cover crops include oats, spring wheat, hairy vetch, red clover, sweet clover, turnips, rapeseed, radishes and triticale.

Water and Sediment Control Basins

Water and sediment control basins may look like ponds, but they are earth embankments built across a slope and minor waterways to trap sediment and temporarily retain water. Runoff is released through an underground conduit. Water and sediment control basins are designed to capture runoff during storms and slowly discharge that water through a stable outlet. This eliminates erosion while also removing pollutants.