Field Border (NRCS #386)

Applicable Systems

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About

Field borders¹ consist of strips of permanent vegetation, including grasses, forbs, legumes, or shrubs, that are established around the inside perimeter of a field. They can connect other buffers such as grassed waterways, filter strips, and contour buffer strips within and between fields.

Key aspects and considerations:

Avoid vehicle traffic, or choose resistant species if the border will be used for equipment traffic.
Select plants that create a dense cover to control wind and water erosion, and meet food, nesting and cover needs for wildlife.
Orient plant rows perpendicularly to sheet flow direction to prevent erosion.
Avoid exposing the field border to pesticides and other chemicals.
Do not burn vegetation nor disturb the roots with tillage.

Benefits and Limitations

ACRE Category	Benefits	Limitations
Soil Health	Reduces wind and water erosion along field edges. Stabilizes soil with permanent vegetation. Improves soil organic matter due to permanent cover and lack of soil disturbance.	N/A
Water Management	Improves water infiltration and reduces runoff velocity due to permanent vegetation. Protects water quality by trapping nutrients, sediment and pollutants.	N/A
Nutrient Management	Reduces nutrient loss. Decreases nutrient transport to streams and lakes.	Dissolved nutrients moving through subsurface flow may not be effectively trapped.
Agricultural Production	Impacts on soybean yield can vary from no or little² to increase up to 30 percent in fields that are adjacent to field borders established with pollinator plantings.	Crop yield losses may occur along the edges of fields that are surrounded by woody vegetation because of competition for nutrients and sunlight. May harbor some pest species if not well managed.
Biodiversity and Wildlife	Permanent vegetation provides nesting sites, food, and habitat for wildlife and pollinators. Improves terrestrial and aquatic habitat quality, thus favoring biodiversity. Corridors with native vegetation allow species to move and reach better food and habitat.	Herbivores, birds and insects can depredate the field edges and cause losses³.
GHG Emission	Permanent vegetation around the field edge can reduce gas emissions from vehicle traffic and tillage and store carbon in biomass. Stopping tillage and additional inputs from plant residues increase soil organic carbon.	Maintenance activities may generate minor emissions.
Economics	Federal and state conservation programs provide financial incentives for landowners to manage some cropland field borders for wildlife habitat. Long-term benefits often outweigh establishment costs.	There are some costs associated with the value of the land taken out of production, buffer installation, plant establishment, and maintenance.

Impact on Agricultural Resilience

Water is maintained in the productive system and crops are more resilient to drought conditions.
Provides microclimate regulation by buffering extreme temperatures and wind reduction.
Wildlife travel corridors allow species to move safely between habitats in response to climatic conditions.

Regional Applicability

In Clay and Lowndes counties, Mississippi, experimental field borders were established along agricultural field margins, with an average of 6% of row crop field area converted to field border habitats, to measure summer and winter abundance and diversity of grassland birds relative to field border management practices.
Semi-natural habitats like field borders may act as a source for many natural enemies. In central Illinois, five privately owned USDA certified organic fields with adjacent semi-natural field borders were examined and found to reduce agricultural impacts on the environment and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services⁴.

Resources

Video: The USDA NRCS Field Borders
Video: Field Border Installation: How and Why It Works
Video: How to Edit an Already Created Field Border
University of Missouri Extension. Publication No. G9421: Field Borders for Agronomic, Economic and Wildlife Benefits
University of Missouri Extension: Field Borders Benefit Wildlife on the Farm
USDA Conservation Enhancement Activity: Enhanced Field Borders to Reduce Soil Erosion Along the Edge(s) of a Field

References

USDA-NRCS (2016). Conservation Practice Standard Document, Field Border, Code 386. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/Field_Border_386_CPS.pdf
Stamps, W. T., Dailey, T. V., Gruenhagen, N. M., & Linit, M. J. (2008). Soybean yield and resource conservation field borders. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 124(1-2), 142-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2007.08.004
Barbour, P. J., Martin, S. W., & Burger, W. (2007). Estimating Economic Impact of Conservation Field Borders on Farm Revenue. Crop Management, 6, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1094/CM-2007-0614-01-RS
Clem, C. S., & Harmon-Threatt, A. N. (2021). Field Borders Provide Winter Refuge for Beneficial Predators and Parasitoids: A Case Study on Organic Farms. Journal of Insect Science, 21(3), 2, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieab027
Miller, T.P., Peterson, J.R., Lenhart, C.F., & Nomura, Y. (2012). The Agricultural BMP Handbook for Minnesota. Minnesota Department of Agriculture, p.125-133. https://www.house.mn.gov/comm/docs/AG-BMPHandbookforMN_09_2012.pdf
USDA-NRCS (2016). Conservation Practice Standard Overview, Field Border (Code 386). https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/Field_Border_386_Overview_Sep_2016.pdf

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Field Border photo 1 — Photo 1: Field borders reduce soil erosion and protect the roads.

Iowa NRCS photo by Jason Johnson.

Field Border photo 2 — Photo 2: Pollinator planting used as a field border.

Iowa NRCS photo by Jason Johnson.