Man in prairie

Program Overview

Receive incentive payments to establish prairies or trees on your corn or soybean field. This incentive payment program can be stacked with any publicly funded cost-share programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program or Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Program Highlights

There are two incentive payment rates:

Rate 1: Only enrolling in PFI's Row Crops to Prairies and Trees program

  • $2,000 per acre, split over 3 years
  • Year 1: $1,000 per acre
  • Year 2 & 3: $500 per acre

Rate 2: Stacking with publicly funded cost-share program

  • $1,000 per acre, split over 3 years
  • Year 1: $500 per acre
  • Year 2 & 3: $250 per acre

Key Benefits

  • Participants must farm in Iowa.
  • Participants can enroll up to 5% of the non-organic corn or soybean fields.
  • The program is stackable with any publicly funded cost-share programs.

Check back in spring 2026 for enrollment.

Eligibility

  • Participants must farm in Iowa.
  • Participant must establish native prairie or non-commercial trees on a field where corn or soybean was grown in the preceding year.
  • Acres must be conventionally managed; certified organic acres are not eligible.
  • Acres can overlap with any publicly funded cost-share programs on a county, state, or federal level (ex. CRP, EQIP, etc.).
  • Acres cannot overlap with any privately funded cost-share program, such as a carbon market (ex. Indigo, SWOF, TruCarbon, ADM re:generations, etc.).

Program Requirements

Native prairie seed mix requirement:

  • Seed mix must have a minimum of 20 species, with at least 10 forb species
  • Seeding rates must be at least 40 seeds per square foot.
  • For both native prairie and non-commercial trees, establishment must be completed by December 31 for 2025 enrollment.
  • For spring establishment, check back for 2026 enrollment period. Established prairie or non-commercial trees must be maintained for at least 3 years.

Participant must provide the following production information:

  • FSA tract map and 578 certifications
  • Tillage type and number of passes
  • Total Nitrogen and/or manure application
  • Yield of the field where the prairie or non-commercial trees will be established

How to Apply

Check back in spring 2026 for enrollment.

Frequently Asked Questions

No – the program funders are food and beverage companies that purchase corn and soybeans, so to be eligible, the field must be growing corn and soybeans at the time of the enrollment and throughout the participating years.

Once the prairie is established, it can be grazed occasionally in the fall and winter while the livestock is grazing on the crop residue as long as the prairie is not grazed intensively as a primary source of feed that might cause permanent damage.

Mowing is required during the first growing season to ensure successful prairie establishment. Documentation of this establishment mowing will be required for the 2nd payment. Prescribed burning is not required for this program since this program's commitment is for 3 years but it takes prairies about 3 years to establish and there likely won't be enough biomass to burn. However, prescribed burning is one of the most effective methods to combat undesirable species and manage prairies. Read about prescribed burning for on-farm habitat management here.