By Trey Cooke

Grass, other than rice itself, is commonly looked at by rice farmers as a nuisance. Red rice, barnyardgrass, sprangletop and other pesky weeds claim thousands of dollars from rice farmers' weed control budgets each year. But grass can also be beneficial. Farmers and landowners can use grass to do a host of jobs, which benefit the producer's bottom line and the environment.

If managed properly bermuda grass and other native grasses can provide farmers with the tools necessary to minimize erosion, stabilize loose oil and trap sediment before it reaches ditches, streams or lakes.

Grass-covered turn rows have been formerly accepted by most rice producers in Mississippi to protec their land forming investment and reduce erosion. Elevated turn rows are commonly used to define fields, which have been precision land formed. These turn rows are subject to erosion, especially during the first several years. In the beginning of precision land forming, farmers began to plant these elevated turn rows with fescue or rye grass, but they soon found these species creeping into their fields. Other farmers allows native grasses to take control of their turn rows and managed it by clipping. They found that the native grasses did not tolerate flooding and therefore didn't creep into the fields.

Grass=lower maintenance

Nolen Canon, a Tunica, Miss., rice producer, uses bermuda and other native grasses on his turn rows. "Grass is a good feature ot have to keep the integrity of your turn rows and reduce erosion," Canon says. "Grass-covered turn rows are firmer and dry out quicker, allowing us to drive on them almost immediately after a rain."

Native grasses also can be used on ditches and low swags to protect the longevity of drainage. Grass-covered ditches are often referred to as grss waterways and offer significant economic and environmental benefits. Grass roots anchor unstable ditch banks and prevent erosion. This translates into lower maintenance costs.

Additionally, grass waterways can serve as a long, narrow grass filter strip, trapping excess fertilizer, pesticides and sediment before reaching streams and lakes. This translates to better water quality and improved fisheries. And with the onset of TMDLs (total maximum daily loads), grass filters may prove to be the best insurance a farmer can have. Preliminary research shows grass filter strips can reduce potential pollutants from runoff up to 80 percent.

Both Canon and Cleveland, Miss., rice and soybean producer Robert Naron use grass waterways on their farms to prolong the life of their drainage. Native grasses, such as bermuda and johnsongrass anchor their ditch banks and reduce how often they have to dredge. Canon and Naron's effluent water quality has also improved with the grass waterways, but they admit the grass has to be tended.

"Grass turn rows, grass ditches and gras filters must all be maintained by periodic clipping," Naron says. But the cost associated with clipping is minimal compared to dredging ditches and rebuilding turn rows that have eroded.

Trey Cook is executive director of Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management (F.A.R.M.), a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to helping farmers improve their environmental stewardship while reducing costs associated with production agriculture. He can be reached by calling 662-686-3350 in Stoneville, Miss.

Hotlink: National Resource Conservation Service's buffer home page