We’re proud of our ability to produce corn and soybeans at a high level in the state of Iowa, but one of the unintended consequences of growing those dominant row crops is the effect they have on the soil. Erosion, fertilizer runoff, and greenhouse gas emissions are all things that farmers are constantly trying to counteract. One solution is to strategically plant perennial grass throughout corn and soybean fields. Lisa Schulte Moore, a professor at Iowa State University, led a research team to study how they can make the conversion of portions of farmland back to prairie make financial sense for farmers.
We know that having roots in the ground year-round is beneficial for the soil, but it has to make financial sense. Schulte Moore said the anaerobic digesters around the city of Ames could provide market pull for farmers, as they can take the grass and use it to make biogas to help power the city.
Schulte Moore said there are three sets of environmental payments that farmers can receive to make this practice profitable.
Converting portions of farmland back to prairie is a systematic change, so farmers will want to think carefully about which fields to convert while also staying in contact with the city of Ames to make sure they are eligible for those environmental payments.
Once the plan for making those changes is ready, Schulte Moore said farmers will also want to consider how they will harvest and transport that grass.
For more information, visit news.iastate.edu.
