On Friday I got word that my application to the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) EQIP ( Environmental Quality Incentives Program) program has received preliminary approval. This program will help to defer the cost of planting about 50 acres of trees around the farm--including a 50-foot riparian buffer along the entire frontage of the river--and replacing about 50 acres of fescue with native warm season grasses and wildflowers.
The trees won't be planted until next Winter, but we're going to try to get the grasses started this Spring. To do that, we have to spray the fescue with a mix of Roundup and Plateau herbicides in the next few weeks, then use a drill provided by the NRCS to plant the native grass seed during May.
Today, my son and I walked nearly the entire farm to mark the areas where we'll be planting trees and grasses. In general, trees will go on the steep slopes and along the streams, and grasses will go on the ridge tops. Our hope is that trees will help protect from soil erosion on the slopes and stream banks and provide habitat for deer and turkey. The grasses should be a great habitat for turkey, quail, rabbits and other small critters.
Our plan is to plant a mix of Little Bluestem and Side-oats Gramma, along with a variety of wildflowers, in the grass land plots. The trees will include a mix of hardwoods (white and red oaks, hickories, and walnuts) with a border of shrubby trees like dogwoods, redbuds, and plums.
I'll keep you posted as we begin to pray and plant over the coming weeks.
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