Edge-of-field conservation practices aren’t complicated, but they are highly effective at improving water quality. These can be as simple as a grass waterway or a buffer strip beside a small creek, or they can be much more intensive, like a bioreactor at the end of a tile line or a constructed wetland. Catherine DeLong, water quality program manager for Iowa State University Extension, said the goal of these edge-of-field practices is to remove nitrates.
Still, those edge-of-field practices can be expensive to build. DeLong said landowners- farmer or absentee- have options to help pay for them.
The first place to start when considering edge-of-field practices on your farm is at the local NRCS office or online at NRCS.USDA.gov.
