Farmer's work benefits the public and environment

Most Lincoln County residents have driven along US Highway 2 extending from Reardan to Almira and passing through Davenport, Creston and Wilbur. Some people notice that all of Highway 2 is bordered by agricultural fields. What people don’t always notice are the field borders that farmers install along their fields.

How does the public benefit from what the farmers are doing in their fields? Field borders in particular provide cleaner and better structured roadsides. The established grasses create a stronger ground structure to better hold the pavement. During windstorms, field borders lessen the amount of soil drifting across the roadways by catching the drifting soil. Field borders can also protect roads from drifting snow.

What are the benefits of field borders for the farmer? They can help keep soil in the field, catch unwanted weeds that might attempt to tumble into the field, and also keep trash from reaching the field.

If you would like more information on field borders, please contact the Lincoln County Conservation District.