Native Agriculture to InVigorate Ecosystems

Audubon’s Native Agriculture to InVigorate Ecosystems (NATIVE) project works collaboratively with federal, state, and non-profit partners and coalitions to train farmers to grow native plants as an environmentally friendly specialty crop that provides both income and on-farm wildlife habitat. In partnership with Roundstone Native Seed Company, farmers earn income from seed sales to meet the growing demand for locally sourced native warm-season grasses and forbs. This partnership helps our farmers serve larger conservation efforts and restore grassland habitat in the region. These pollinator-friendly crops are specific to ecoregions across the Delta and include big bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, blazing stars, echinaceas, rudbeckias, ironweeds, and goldenrods. These groups of species, plus many more, are needed to restore a variety of grassland habitats across the three-state region.