Conservation tillage impacts on wildlife

Excerpt

FROM the time pioneers began turning prairie sod, the face of North American agriculture has been changing. The changes typically have occurred with little consideration for their impacts on wildlife. The perception that wildlife is a by-product of agriculture remains widespread even today.

In its early stages, farming benefited many native wildlife species because it increased the food base and diversified existing habitats. Agriculture also set the stage for successful introductions of exotic game species, such as the gray partridge and ring-necked pheasant.

Despite favorable responses to farming initially, most native wildlife species declined as the expansion of cultivation reduced habitat. By the 1930s, prairie habitat was sufficiently degraded by cultivation and overgrazing that many species were unable to withstand the adversity created by the drought of that period. The greater prairie chicken and other species disappeared from much of their range.

Those species that were sufficiently adaptable emerged to form a group now collectively referred to as “farm wildlife.” Foremost among these is the ring-necked pheasant, which found wheat stubble in the semiarid plains to its liking. In the North Central Plains, diverse farming practices, a variety of abundant nesting habitats, and good winter cover contributed …