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12/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/10/2024 13:54

Best Management Practices for Farm-Adjacent Biodiversity

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Blog • 12/11/2024

Best Management Practices for Farm-Adjacent Biodiversity

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A rich variety of pollinators and beneficial insects is important to healthy landscapes and healthy farms. Wild and domesticated bees, butterflies and bats are just a few of the helpful pollinator species that often face population dips due to different factors. Farmers can play an important role in helping maintain these species by managing areas near their farm fields and outbuildings to promote biodiversity.

Many farm-adjacent areas - such as ditches, rights of way and fallow lands - are already part of farmers' land management strategies. By making some adjustments to practices, these lands can become hospitable habitats for pollinators and other desirable species. Here are three steps farmers can take.

1. Establish new habitat that promotes biodiversity

Diverse habitats are home to diverse species. Land near farm outbuildings, underperforming land in farm-adjacent areas and required buffers can become ideal biodiverse habitats. These areas are often not suitable for farming because of poor soil quality, drainage issues or uneven terrain. Put these areas to work for pollinators by planting seed mixes that include native plants and forbs, and flowers that bloom in spring, summer and fall. Consider what plants will be beneficial for key species. Monarchs, for example, depend almost entirely on milkweed. Innovative programs are aiming to make it easier for farmers to plant biodiverse seeds in marginal areas like these. Farmers can also convert land or create habitat through the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP). These programs help introduce native plant species, many of which support pollinators.

2. Follow habitat management practices aligned with biodiversity goals

Small changes in how farmers manage uncultivated or underperforming acres can make important differences in pollinator populations. Considerations for revising practices include:

Schedule mowing and any necessary pesticide applications when pollinators are not feeding, actively pollinating or present as eggs. For example, to avoid disrupting monarch populations in the midwestern United States, limit mowing to May (before monarchs arrive) and after October 10.

Conduct prescribed and rotational burns to promote healthy native vegetation. Planned burns can help manage fire-adapted prairie vegetation and prevent establishment of invasive brush and trees. Burns should always be done with properly trained and well-equipped crews. Promoting growth of native vegetation via burns is not only good for pollinators, it also helps make the landscape more resilient to naturally occurring wildfires.

3. Follow Pesticide Product Labels Carefully

Pesticide labels are the result of rigorous research into how to use products judiciously to help mitigate the potential for off-target movement and protect the environment. In the U.S., these labels are approved by the EPA and outline key practices to help protect non-target organisms, including pollinators, wildlife, aquatic animals and threatened or endangered species. Make sure to choose nozzles and application procedures that reduce the potential for pesticide drift and always follow label recommendations for buffer areas and application time of day. Depending on label guidance, adjusting spray pressure, using nozzles that produce larger droplets and lowering boom height help reduce drift. Avoid application when wind speed is over 10 miles/hour (16 km/hour) or when wind is blowing toward habitats.

Making areas near farms more biodiverse doesn't require drastic actions. In fact, sometimes, they call for doing less - such as reducing mowing. Improving biodiversity on plots as small as a quarter of an acre has benefits for pollinators that spill over into farm benefits. Where landscapes support biodiversity, farms are more likely to thrive.