Partnership Provides Native Grass Seed to Landowners Through a partnership, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Missouri Department of Conservation, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Hickory County Soil and Water Conservation District are working to make planting native warm season grasses more feasible for landowners in Hickory County Missouri. The group purchased a seed harvester to collect native grass seeds for donation to landowners wanting to enhance their property for wildlife. "We're trying to improve the availability of locally adapted warm season grass seed so landowners will be able to restore their property back to native grasses," said David Wright, NRCS agent in Hickory County. In order to obtain seed, landowners must donate harvested seed from their land back to the program for use on other property. Currently, five landowners have participated in the program with others waiting for their opportunity. After donating back their allotted seed, landowners can then sell their remaining seed to commercial seed dealers. "This program eliminates a lot of the impediments to planting native warm season grasses," said John Burk, NWTF regional biologist for Missouri. "And, landowners can recoup other costs of restoring native grasses such as herbicide application by selling their surplus seed. It's a win-win situation for wildlife and landowners." When managed correctly, native warm season grasses provide excellent food and cover for wildlife, especially to young birds such as wild turkey and quail poults, which rely on insects found in prairie grasses as a major source of protein throughout summer months. Livestock also flourish on warm season grass, which makes excellent hay for winter feeding. "The Missouri prairies were productive systems abounded with warm season grasses until they were replaced with invasive grasses, such as fescue," Burk said. "Today more and more landowners are putting wildlife first and the Hickory County seed loan program is there to help them achieve their goals." To learn more about wildlife management and programs offered by the NWTF, call 800-THE-NWTF. |