Wildlife Management: Field Borders

Field borders are trees, grasses or shrubs placed in around agricultural fields that provide food and habitat to many animal species including bobwhite quail. They also protect the field from erosion and human elements such as the runoff of herbicides. The publications below provide information on the types of field borders, their benefits and cost effective management techniques

These resources have been compiled from various resources and agencies and are provided here for educational purposes only. Please if you find information that needs to be updated, broken links, or if you have an additional resource you feel is pertinent.

• Economic impact of conservation field borders on farm operations.
  Barbour, P.J., S.W. Martin, L.W. Burger Jr. 2008. Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station Bulletin 1167
  A study to determine the financial effects of conservation buffers in the growth of corn and soy beans took place in central Mississippi from 1999 to 2003. This publication discusses how that study was conducted and its results.
• What Makes Some Field Border Habitats Better Than Others? - North Carolina State University
• Mississippi's Conservation Reserve Program CP33 - Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds: Mississippi Bird Monitoring and Evaluation Plan 2006 Annual Report
  Mississippi State University, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, USDA Farm Service Agency, Forest and Wildlife Research Center. CP33 field borders or habitat buffers are designed to benefit quail and other grassland bird populations. A research program was initiated in 2006 to study the effects of CP33 native grass habitat buffers on bird populations in Mississippi. The results of this study are presented in this report.
• Grassland Bird Response to Agricultural Field Borders
  MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Research performed at Mississippi State University the use of agricultural field border management practices and the impact on grassland bird species. "Within intensive agricultural landscapes, field borders provide important idle herbaceous cover for grassland and early successional birds. Field borders may provide nesting, foraging, roosting, loafing, and escape cover. During winter, field borders may provide important habitat in southern agricultural systems where most short distance migrants overwinter. Field borders provide important habitat for many grassland birds due to their greater abundance of food (weed seeds) and more complex vegetation structure compared to non-bordered field margins."
• Conservation Buffers
  By Wes and Leslie Burger, Wildlife Trends. Vol. 5 Issue 2, March/April 2005. Private landowners can improve wildlife habitat and provide other environmental benefits through practices such as conservation buffers that are easily integrated with production agriculture. Field borders may also benefit the farmer economically by taking low-yielding field margins and enrolling them in cost-share programs. This article discusses the many types of conservation buffers and the benefits that each type can provide. In addition, it provides information on the conservation programs that can provide assistance with the installation of field borders.
• Conservation Buffers: Wildlife Benefits in Southeastern Agricultural System
  Mississippi State University Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Conservation buffers include filter strips, riparian buffers, grass waterways, and field borders. These practices used in conjunction with land management for timber and agriculture can enhance wildlife habitat, provide erosion control, and reduce herbicide runoff. This publication discusses the different types of conservation buffers, the environmental benefits, and the economic benefit to farmers.
• Farm-level habitat management for Bobwhite Quail and other Farm Wildlife
  MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Practices that agricultural producers can use to increase or improve wildlife habitat on their lands are discussed in this brochure. A brief discussion of managing vegetative buffers, grassland habitat, and woodlands for wildlife habitat is given as well as a mention of the cost-share programs available.
• A Landowner's Guide to Warm Season Grasses in the Mid-South
  University of Tennessee. Native warm season grasses can be utilized to provide wildlife habitat and forage for domestic animals. Common native warm season grasses include big bluestem, little bluestem, broomsedge bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, sideoats grama, and eastern gamagrass. Identification, management, and uses for each grass is provided in this publication.