Natural Resources Conservation Service

Plant Materials Program

United States Department of Agriculture

Battling Soil Erosion on Sloping Cropland with Narrow, Vegetative Strips

Vegetative barriers are a type of conservation buffer practice consisting of narrow strips of perennial vegetation, typically warm or cool season grasses. Plant Materials Centers developed a partial list of warm and cool season perennial grasses suitable for your vegetative barriers.

A vegetative barrier planted to 'Alamo' switchgrass in a cotton field.

Cover Crop Calculator - A Tool for Conservation Planners and Producers

A new tool created by the Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center helps conservation planners and producers in the mid-South to estimate seed cost and seeding rates for cover crop mixes.

Multi-species cover crop mix that contains 50% cereal rye, 25% crimson clover, and 25% daikon radish.

Milkweeds for Monarch Butterfly Habitat in the Southwestern U.S.

Milkweeds are an iconic pollinator plant, with seventy-three native species that can be found in most habitats across the United States. The Southwestern Plant Materials Centers have conducted studies and developed publications to enhance milkweed conservation in their respective areas.

A monarch butterfly on narrow leaf milkweed

Native Bamboos - Culturally Significant Plants for Conserving Natural Resources

Native bamboos, such as giant cane, once covered large areas of the eastern United States. Including giant cane in restoration projects benefits multiple natural resource concerns and restores historical landscapes.

Giant cane is one species of native bamboo that once covered large areas in the eastern US

Optimizing cover crop plantings in the Central Region

NRCS Plant Materials Centers in the Central Region recently completed studies comparing seeding dates and planting rates of cover crops to learn how to get the most out of their plantings in their areas.