08/14/2026
Interested in improving waterways or non-cropped areas on your farm? Native mixes are an option.
There’s a reason we’re big believers in using native seed mixes in waterways and in areas that aren’t actively being cropped.
On a cropped farm, some of the best places for natives are the acres or strips that aren’t consistently making money. You can integrate them without taking good productive ground out of corn, soybeans, wheat, etc.
Good locations include:
* Field borders and edges – Native grasses and wildflowers can stabilize the edge, provide pollinator habitat, and create wildlife cover without interfering much with production.
* Odd corners and point rows – Small triangles, irregular corners, and places that are difficult to plant, spray, or harvest can be converted to natives rather than continually cropped.
* Wet or chronically unproductive spots – Areas that regularly drown out or have poor yields may be better suited to moisture-tolerant native species.
* Highly erodible slopes – Native perennial grasses can provide permanent cover where erosion makes annual cropping difficult.
* Around grassed waterways – Keep the center designed to safely carry water, but establish more diverse native grasses and flowering plants along the margins.
* Buffer strips along creeks, ditches and ponds – Native vegetation can intercept sediment and nutrients before runoff reaches the water.
* Around drainage outlets – Strategically placed perennial vegetation can help stabilize areas around outlets and other erosion-prone locations.
* Terrace backs and other difficult-to-farm strips – Depending on the farm layout and conservation plan, natives can turn awkward areas into permanent habitat.
* Along woods and fence lines – Native grasses and forbs can create a transition between the crop and wooded habitat instead of having crops planted right against the tree line.
* Pollinator strips within or beside fields – Strategically placed strips of flowering natives provide season-long resources for beneficial insects and pollinators.
* Around farmsteads and equipment areas – Areas that don’t need to remain turf can become low-maintenance native plantings.
* CRP acres – Of course, larger blocks can be established specifically for pollinators, wildlife, erosion control, water quality, or multiple objectives.
“Don’t take your best acres out of production. Find the acres that aren’t paying you and make them work another way.”
Those marginal acres can start working for erosion control, water quality, pollinators, beneficial insects, wildlife and conservation goals instead.
Native plants put down deep roots that help hold soil in place, slow down runoff and reduce erosion. They can also help keep sediment and nutrients from leaving the field and ending up in our creeks and streams.
But the benefits don’t stop with the soil.
A good native mix creates habitat for quail, turkey and other wildlife while providing much-needed food and habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
And because these plants are native to our area, they’re made to handle our weather and growing conditions.
The important part is choosing the right mix for the job. What works best in a waterway isn’t necessarily what we’d recommend for a CRP wildlife or pollinator planting.
That’s why we like to start with the land and the goal, then build the mix around it.
Better soil. Cleaner water. More wildlife. More pollinators. And a planting that will keep work for your farm for years to come.
