Prairie On Farms
Making Prairie Practical
The Prairie on Farms Program aims to increase the use of prairie as a resilient, multifunctional conservation practice, and to ensure its long-term value in the agricultural landscape.
What we do:
- Staff a Help Desk for rural landowners
- Publish an annually updated list of native seed and service providers
- Disseminate research on cost-effective CRP practices
- Showcase eastern Iowa prairie strips demonstration sites and hold field days
- Increase capacity in the rural community for prescribed fire and management of our rare, ancient remnants
- Give UNI students opportunities to learn
Past and Current Collaborators
Funding: University of Northern Iowa, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Iowa Economic Development Authority, The New York Community Trust, U.S. Department of Agriculture North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Disaster Resilience Grant to Iowa, Sitka Gear Ecosystem Grant, and the Friends of the Tallgrass Prairie Center.
Project Partners: Iowa State University STRIPS, Iowa State University Borlaug Learning Center, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, Monarch Joint Venture, Women Food and Agriculture Network, AmeriCorps Land and Water Stewards, Iowa State University Extension, The Xerces Society, The Sand County Foundation, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Hertz Farm Management, Peoples Company, and Iowa Watershed Approach.
