The Church’s Missouri farm originally consisted of 120 acres, all in production. Now, all 120 acres have been dedicated to conservation, with 35 in CRP, 20 acres in meadow and native prairie grasses and the remaining 65 in timber. The Church’s have also installed four ponds over the last ten years.
Trees as Multifunctional Buffers
The Church farm in Missouri is nearly half timber now, and Randy is delighted by that, but acknowledges that most farmers are not going to want to put half their land out of production. Luckily you don’t have to in order to see benefits from keeping some trees on a working farm, the first being that trees are a natural habitat for wildlife and pollinators. Many of the pollinators we depend on use trees, or more specifically, the bark, notches and holes in the trees, as overwintering habitat, as well as early spring nectar sources. This is especially true for maples and many species of willow. Birds, squirrels, raccoons and deer also use trees as foraging sources and shelter.
Using Native Grasses as Habitat and to Improve Soil and Water Quality
Alongside the 65 acres that Randy has dedicated to timber, he has 20 acres that has been seeded with native prairie grasses. “I put in mostly CP 42 prairie mix in the open areas. Right now, half of it is taller than me, and in a few more years, the rest of the fields will be the same way. Its absolutely beautiful in the summer months when all the grasses out here are flowering, and it’s full of butterflies.”
Click here to see more...