Strategically placed buffer strips in agricultural landscapes can effectively mitigate the movement of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides within farm fields and from farm fields.
Buffers are only one part of a farm management system.
When coupled with crop residue, nutrient, and integrated pest management technologies, buffer strips help landowners achieve economic and environmental sustainability. Buffer strips can also enhance wildlife habitat and protect biodiversity. Buffers can reduce up to 80 percent of sediment. Buffers remove a significant amount of nitrate and store it in plant material. Up to 60 percent of pathogens are removed from runoff when buffers are in place.