Thanks in part to Iowa State University’s ten years of research, the USDA recently added the prairie strips practice to the Conservation Reserve Program. Iowa State STRIPS team members will share how this practice can improve the abundance, diversity and productivity of pollinators while providing other valuable benefits to the farmer and farmland owner. In addition to explaining new NRCS funding procedures, the team will also tell of their practical experiences working with farmers to install and maintain strips of perennial prairie vegetation in farm landscapes.

Matt O’Neal
• Professor of Entomology at ISU
• STRIPS Pollinator Research Lead
• Exploring way to conserve beneficial insects and manage pests that attack corn and soybeans through focus on the ecology of insects.

Omar de Kok-Mercado
• STRIPS Project Coordinator & Communications Lead for ISU
• Coordinates research and extension activities on prairie strips to measure their impacts on soil, water, wildlife conservation, and farm livelihoods.

Tim Youngquist
• STRIPS Farmer Liaison & Agricultural Specialist II at ISU
• Helps farmers throughout the Midwest design and implement prairie strips.

Register: here