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Grass Buffer Strips – A Conservation Alternative

Submitted by Rich Edlund, District Conservationist, Spokane 

Now that grain prices on the Palouse are finally above break-even level and producers are rewarded for planting every available acre, how does the partnership sell conservation? The temptation to say “forgetaboutit” to reduced tillage practices for erosion control in the face of $9 wheat is real and understandable.  Crop prices finally allow the family to upgrade equipment and encourage the next generation to stay on the land.

High crop prices make a major shift in the grower’s risk-reward decision for production after years of emphasis on the “saving soil-toil- and-oil” benefits of No-Till and Mulch-Till reduced tillage practices. Despite the benefits of reduced tillage there’s an uncertainty about yields and the temptation is to apply more tillage to gain a yield bonus.  Fortunately there are proven conservation alternatives in the Palouse, a key one being Grass Buffer Strips. Grass Buffer Strips (GBS) are zones of permanent vegetation on the typically steeper (read:most erodible) part of the hillside that break up the cumulative erosive power of runoff. That part of the hillside is a natural choice to leave out of production since it is often less-fertile exposed subsoil.

Most Palouse use of GBS comes through the Continuous Signup Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) with meaty incentives highly supported by FSA county committees and local conservation districts. CCRP focuses on the most critical and sensitive places on the landscape including riparian areas, isolated wetlands, windy spots, and steep hillslopes, so with relatively little land reduction a producer can have a big benefit on natural resources. One fun fact about filters and buffers is that land coming out of regular CRP contracts has been able to roll over into CCRP contracts simply by leaving the required width of established vegetation in place!  With rollover-contract GBS and a good reduced-tillage program on the productive lower slopes the producer was HEL-compliant, eligible for CCRP rent payments, and devoting inputs and management to the land best suited for production. Win-Win.

Other selling points for use of GBS are the reduced headaches from imprecise placement of seed and pest and fertilizer on those steep slopes.  Not only would the equipment operator all but have to drive with his feet on the side door to remain upright on steep land the equipment could not quite achieve optimal placement of seed and nutrients.  Poorly-placed seed died on the surface and excess nutrients would be lost to runoff or the atmosphere.

Although planning and layout of GBS has always been complex; depending on equipment width, crop rotation, terrain, and an interim NRCS practice standard, the fact is adoption in recent years exceeded staff capability to keep up with signups! It’s no stretch to say that the future is bright for GBS so long as NRCS standards account for real-world landscapes and technical and financial assistance is available.

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