Nebraska Department of Agriculture

Animal & Plant Health Protection
Plant Health

Nebraska Buffer Strip Program

Program Information for New Applications

The Nebraska Buffer Strip Program was implemented in January 1999 through fees assessed on registered pesticides. Cropland adjacent to perennial and seasonal streams, ponds, and wetlands can be enrolled in buffer strips, which are designed to filter agrichemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides. Two kinds of buffer strips are eligible - filter strips, which are narrow strips of grass; and riparian forest buffer strips containing trees and grass. The minimum widths are 20 and 55 feet, respectively; the maximum widths are 120 and 180 feet, respectively.

The program is designed to be used in conjunction with the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), or other programs, however it can be used by itself, as well. Rental rates are calculated as follows:

For irrigated cropland where CRP, CREP, or other governmentally-funded programs are also used, rental rates are $250 per acre minus payments from the other programs.
For irrigated cropland where CRP, CREP, or other governmentally-funded programs are not used, the rental rate is $225 per acre minus any other program payments.
For non-irrigated cropland enrolled in CRP, CREP or other governmentally-funded programs, the rental rate is equal to 20% of the average CRP soil rental rate.
For non-irrigated cropland without CRP, CREP, or other governmentally-funded programs, the rental rate per acre is equal to 120% of the average CRP soil rental rate plus $5 per acre, minus the payment rate from any other programs.
In no case may payments from all programs exceed $250 per acre.

Additional information can be found on the APPLICATION FORM (PDF or EXCEL). Interested landowners should contact their local Natural Resources District or USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service office to begin the application process.

Resources for NRCS and NRD personnel: Hydrologic Unit (HUC) Classification from 1998 Unified Watershed Assessment.

Please refer to the Program Summary for a recent update on acres enrolled and incentives provided statewide, as well as the following maps.

Buffer Strip Distribution
County Totals - Total Acres
County Totals - Forested Buffer Acres
County Totals - Irrigated Acres
County Totals - Contracts

More Information About Buffer Strips

Nebraska Buffer Strip Act

Nebraska Buffer Strip Regulations

Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways

Conservation Buffers to Reduce Pesticide Losses (NRCS)

Conservation Technology Information Center

Great Before/After Photos in Iowa
(See the following research article for more information on this project)

Watershed restoration and agricultural practices in the midwest: Bear Creek in Iowa. Isenhart, T.M.; J.D. Colletti, and R.C. Shultz, 1997. In J.E. Williams (ED) Watershed Restoration: Principles and practices. American Fisheries Society. Beltsville, MD.

Riparian Forest Buffers (National Agroforestry Center)