Practical Farmers of Iowa Petite Prairies

Petite Prairies provides a one-time incentive payment to establish small native prairie on odds-and-ends areas within or adjacent to crop fields. Participants receive a flat payment rate of $400 per acre. Funding is made possible by the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship and the State Soil Conservation & Water Quality Committee.

• Project site must be in Iowa.

• Project site must be within or adjacent to a crop field.

• Project size must be 2 acres or less.

• Native prairie seed mix must contain at least 30 total species and 3 blooming species per season (CRP CP42 seed mix meets this), with seeding rates of at least 40 seeds per square foot.

• If accepted, participant must commit to planting prairie on the farm.

Participation may also require signing a maintenance agreement or contract with a PFI partner such as the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or NRCS.

Apply via the contact form at https://airtable.com/appYU1yQGOdP51NH2/pagIXv8eKYEk8KDQd/form (applications accepted on a rolling basis). Applicants upload a map or photo of the proposed project area and are redirected to schedule a consultation with PFI's habitat systems manager.