What’s in a Name? Pollinator v. Buffer Strips

You may have heard about pollinator strips, buffer strips, prairie strips, etc. What’s the difference, and how could you have one on your farm?

Buffer strips tend to be on the outlying areas and edges of the main growing space. They also tend to feature less varieties of plants but do their job of reducing runoff & erosion. Yay, less soil is lost to rain!

Pollinator strips also reduce erosion, but they are placed within production areas. I’ve seen pollinator strips between hoop houses, orchard blocks, and all kinds of nooks & crannies on the farm in between growing plants. They also host more plant varieties and create habitat for (beneficial) insects, mammals, and birds.

If you are interested in adding an area like this to your operation, there are plenty of resources to get you started:

• Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) MiStrips Program

• Rachel Drobnak at KBS with MSU (drobnakr@msu.edu)

• Christine Charles, Field Crops and Regenerative Ag MSUE Educator (Cell: 973-255-6097/ charl122@msu.edu)

• Your local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) office may be able to provide funding for this practice

• Leading at the Edge, The Nature Conservancy