MASON CITY – The landscape of North Iowa is bustling with activity as farmers are working hard to collect this year’s bounty of corn and soybeans. At the same time, the Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) staff of the Cerro Gordo County Conservation Board is busy with a harvest of their own. During the months of September and October, somewhere between 800 and 1,000 pounds of native prairie seed will be collected from seed production plots and roadside prairie restorations.
The Cerro Gordo County IRVM program is responsible for the vegetation management within over 900 miles of county right-of-way. This includes seeding areas that experience disturbance due to activities such as road construction and removal of siltation. The use of native vegetation has been proven an effective means by which to discourage erosion and the growth of noxious weeds. At the same time, the native grasses and wildflowers will improve biological diversity, water infiltration, and snow deposition in the ditches. Not to mention, the brilliant colors and textures of a restored prairie are an unmatched natural beauty.
To minimize the costs of establishing native prairie in the roadsides, 10 acres of native grasses have been established in seed production plots located at Lime Creek Conservation Area with the idea of developing a continuous, low-cost seed source. Each year the IRVM staff collects the seed from 6 native grass species including Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Sideoats Grama, and Canada Wild Rye with the use of a mechanical seed stripper.
To add to the diversity of the seed mix, native flower seed from species such as Blazing Star, Butterfly Milkweed, Compass Plant, and Pale Purple Coneflower is also collected from seed production areas and roadside prairie restorations. The majority of this seed is collected by hand or with the assistance of a hand-held mechanical seed stripper. On any given year, up to 25 flower species may be represented in a seed mix.
After collection, the seed must be completely dried and processed to remove unwanted materials such as leaves and stems that were inadvertently collected. The seed is then bagged and stored for future use.
It is important to note that harvesting this seed is an essential part of Cerro Gordo County’s IRVM plan. In order to ensure that future plantings will be developed and sustained, only employees of the Conservation Board may harvest seed from land managed by the Conservation Board. This includes parks, wildlife areas, and right of ways. It is illegal for any person to collect or destroy plants or seeds from these areas.
