Grasses or other permanent vegetation planted along waterways help to contain soil, pesticides and nutrients that might reach a body of water.

Filter strips and buffers are not new conservation practices, but were revived in the 1996 Farm Bill with attractive financial incentives.

Because the strips act as barriers and filters to help control surface water runoff, fish and aquatic life in and around ponds, streams and rivers are protected from potential contaminants.

Iowa State University research shows a native grass strip just 10 feet wide captures 60 percent of the sediment. A 20-foot strip retains 80 percent of the sediment. Nitrate moving from field edge to stream edge through the buffer is reduced by more than 90 percent.

The 1996 Farm Bill provided for year-round Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up to help landowners use buffer practices to achieve conservation goals on non-highly-erodible bottomland.

The illustration below shows how the filter-strip continuous CRP program works and the related financial incentives.

Land can be enrolled at any time without having to go through the process of submitting a competitive bid offer.

If the land and filter strip practice requirements are met, they will be accepted at the maximum rental for comparable land in the county. The better the offered land, the bigger the payment.

The rent is based on the land’s corn suitability rating. The annual rental payments for 10 to 15 years are made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture directly to the landowner soon after Oct. 1 each year. Up to 50 percent cost sharing is available for planting permanent vegetation.

Like any government program, signup takes some paperwork. The process is relatively simple and painless, and may be assisted by the renter of the land.

Filter strips add to the beauty of the countryside, showcase your commitment to protecting soil and water, and provide habitat for nesting birds and many species of wildlife.

Similar conservation practices to protect fragile soil and water resources include contour buffer strips, riparian forest buffers, field borders, windbreaks and new grassed waterways. Where flooding has occurred, the scour erosion program or easements have been used to remove parcels of land from row crop production.

For more information on these practices and for rental rates for land on your farm, contact your county Natural Resources Conservation Service or Farm Service Agency office.

	Volney	Dorchester
Rental rate	$75	$155
20% incentive	15	31
Maintenance	5	5
Total annual rent	$95	$191