Prairie strips are a conservation practice that strategically places native prairie plantings into crops fields with the goal of increasing farm profitability, biodiversity, water quality, and soil health.

The KBS LTER MiSTRIPS program supports farmers in the adoption of this novel conservation practice and we explore what benefits it can provide for Michigan farmers and agricultural landscapes. We connect agencies, stakeholders, farmers, and farm landowners to technical support, resources, and networking opportunities and through a series of prairie strip field days, publications, and meetings. For farmers interested in adding prairie strips, we conduct on farm visits and provide technical and financial support to establish new strops.

We are collaborating with the Iowa State University Science-Based Trails of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) team to increase the adoption of prairie strips on agricultural landscapes across the Midwest. Our team works alongside seven other contributing states to form a regional partnership that delivers programming and networking opportunities to increase the scale and adoption of prairie strips conservation practices on farms. The creation of MiSTRIPS aligns with broader goals of the KBS LTER by connecting long-term research to on-farm practices.

Partial budget analysis

To help navigate the costs, savings, and payments associated with prairie strips, a collaborative team of scientists, economists, outreach specialists, and Extension educators at Michigan State University has come together to develop a new partial budget tool. The tool predicts that prairie strips could save farmers money if planted in areas where crops yield below 50% of the statewide average. These areas, often field borders, low-lying areas, or cumbersome extensions of fields, may cost more to put into production than to restore to prairie. Additionally, if enrolling in the CRP-43 prairie strip program or other incentive programs, the cost-savings of prairie conversion increase.

If you are interested in learning more about the MiSTRIPS project, future MiSTRIPS events, or have questions about prairie strips please contact the program coordinator, Elizabeth Schultheis at schulth5@msu.edu.

Support for the MiSTRIPS program comes from the Kellogg Biological Station Long Term Ecological Research and the following grants: BIA-ECHO Foundation and Iowa State University, Doug and Maria Bayer Initiative (PD 63262), and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Research and Education Grant (LNC23-494).