Notes from the Field
News from our prairie restoration project
Tract #1 - 70 acres of cropland to grassland
This field produced its final crop of hard red winter wheat, harvested on June 23. A layer of straw residue remains, and a few days later Sudangrass was seeded into the straw.
Baling Sudangrass
Sudangrass is a fast-growing, leafy plant that looks similar to young sugar cane. It will provide forage for Ryan’s cows through the rest of the season. As the cows graze, they’ll also return manure to the soil as fertilizer and their hoof action will help prepare the field for grass establishment.
We plan to seed native prairie grass on December 1. At that time, a local conservation technician will operate a no-till drill to plant an approved mixture of native grasses, forbs, and pollinator-friendly species. Estimated planting costs are about $6,000. For the past 25 years, USDA conservation programs routinely offered technical expertise and cost-share funding for practices like this. These supports were discontinued after the Trump/DOGE funding cuts, leaving landowners to shoulder the full cost of prairie seeding. If you’d like to help us cover these planting costs, you can donate here!
Establishing a prairie takes time and patience. It generally requires 3–4 years to form a permanent stand, and by year 7, native prairie should be the dominant ecosystem in this former cropland. From that point forward, rotational grazing and invasive species management will help keep the prairie in balance.
Tract #2 – 74 Acres of Grass (Seeded 2023)
This tract was seeded to grass last year and is steadily developing. After nearly a century of row cropping, it’s already showing encouraging signs of ecological recovery.
Rainfall Update
The best news came on June 30, when the area received nearly 4 inches of slow, steady rain. This kind of moisture is rare for mid-summer in semi-arid Kansas, where drought is more typical. The rain will replenish soil reserves, support lush summer grazing, and set up excellent conditions for December’s prairie seeding. Both Ryan and his cows will benefit.