Lab grown meat could revolutionize agriculture and reduce environmental impact. Learn what Iowa farmers need to know about this emerging technology.

what we recommend to put in your native pasture mix for your chickens.

Wondering what is the best way to pasture your chickens? A native prairie and wildflower approach benefits your birds, your land, and the local ecosystem.

But what if your pasture didn't just survive the summer, but thrived in it? What if it could also build your soil, protect your land from drought, and slash your input costs? This isn't a fantasy; it's the reality of grazing on a pasture built with native prairie species.

Dr. Larry Weber, co-founder of the Iowa Flood Center and Director at IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering. He made it clear that we are on the eve of a water quality crisis, one that requires us to look honestly at how we manage and farm our land.

Management for both the deer and the ecosystem as a whole is the answer. This shift in goals still means forest management, but it might not include hinge cutting for better fawn recruitment and winter survival of deer that leads to inflated populations. This new objective also will mean more food on the landscape for pollinating species, but less forage crop food plots that congregate deer, increasing opportunities for disease transmission. 

The prairie, as ethnobotanist Kelly Kindscher documents in his works, is a treasure trove of multi-purpose plants. For thousands of years, Indigenous people thrived in this landscape, understanding the intricate connections between flora, fauna, and themselves. By intentionally selecting the right native species for your farmstead, you can create a vibrant ecosystem that nourishes both wildlife and your family.

According to extensive research by experts like Dr. Michael J. Chamberlain at the University of Georgia, for the first four weeks of life, a turkey poult's diet must consist of nearly 90% insects. Without this massive, constant source of protein, poults simply cannot grow fast enough to fly, evade predators, and survive.

This is where your wildflower field becomes a lifesaving "bugging ground." A native prairie field is teeming with the grasshoppers, beetles, and spiders essential for poult survival.

Planting native prairie grass and wildflowers is a direct investment in the firefly life cycle. Native grasses like Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Eastern Gamagrass, Sideoats Grama, Indiangrass, and Switchgrass create the perfect environment for adult fireflies. By day, they provide crucial shelter from predators and the hot summer sun. By night, these tall stalks become the stage for their luminous courtship rituals, offering prime locations for males to perch and flash their signals to awaiting females.

Want to avoid using chemicals, but still need to eliminate some foliage? We have you covered.