Stewardship Stories
Stewardship Stories
Dreaming in
Prairie Colors
by Michelle Turner
Twenty-five years ago, my husband and I came to Iowa to attend his high school reunion, and that’s when I fell in love with Iowa.
I envisioned Iowa as having a tabletop topography, with rows of corn that merged into vanishing points on the horizon. Never did I expect to see the crazy-quilt patterns of corn, soybeans, grassland, and timber pieced together around rolling hills and rugged limestone bluffs. I was captivated by the pastoral landscape and decided that I wanted to live in “Heaven.” One year later, we traded our tropical Florida home for a 94-acre farm in Eastern Iowa.
The farm consisted of crop fields, pasture, and grazed timber. I must admit, I had visions of grandeur for our slice of Heaven. I pictured a virtual Garden of Eden, with trails meandering through flowered meadows and canopied bridle paths among the hardwoods. I didn’t realize that it would take years of hard work to attain my dream.
My priority was to ensure our investment in the land would be protected from erosion by implementing a variety of conservation practices. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources provided us with a grant to plant a shelterbelt on the western edge of the property to prevent soil from being blown away. We planted almost 2,000 seedlings of white pine, Norway spruce, cedar, high bush cranberry, wild plum, and several varieties of dogwood. The trees would also provide food and shelter for wildlife. Over the following two decades, nesting long-eared owls, pheasant, turkey, quail, and many other birds have lived in this strip of trees. It is also a popular corridor for deer, coyotes, foxes, and even badgers.
The windbreak was just the first step in creating a comprehensive farm management plan. With the help of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency, we enrolled 30 acres into the Conservation Reserve Program. The row crops were replaced with a mix of cool-season grasses and several acres of pollinator habitat. After 10 years in the program, we weighed our financial options and decided to rent a portion of the crop ground. We worked with our tenant to ensure conservation practices such as grassed waterways, contours, crop rotation, and field borders were well-managed.
The pollinator plantings were kept as a buffer between the farmstead and the crops, and I finally had my dream prairie walk amid colorful, calendar-worthy wildflowers. Maintaining my dream can, however, be a nightmare. Regular maintenance includes fall mowing, occasional burning, and the never-ending battle to control invasive shrubs by spot spraying and cutting.
Invasive multiflora rose and honeysuckle were also taking over the timber and pastures, constantly clouding my dream of harmonious bridal paths. The NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program provided funding for brush management, tree plantings, and the conversion of pasture to prairie.
The physical work of managing the farm can be overwhelming, but just when discouragement sets in, Mother Nature provides surprise rewards, such as beavers and otters playing in the ponds, or spiraling lady tresses appearing where horses and cattle once grazed.
Michelle Turner is a lifelong nature lover who turned her passion into a career. A graduate of Kansas State University with a master’s degree in agriculture education, she worked as a soil conservationist and watershed project coordinator for over 20 years. She is currently Executive Director of Limestone Bluffs Resource Conservation and Development, a non-profit organization that partners with other groups to support healthy environments. When she’s not mowing, planting, or trimming, you might find her kayaking, fishing, or practicing karate.
Every act of stewardship matters, and every voice helps strengthen Iowa’s collective impact. We invite Iowans to share how you’re supporting native plants and wildlife where you live. Visit our contact page to tell your story and join the movement.