NRCS – Elsberry Plant Materials Center – Providing Plant Solutions to Conservation Needs.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Elsberry Plant Materials Center (PMC) in Missouri was established in June 1934 and is the oldest center in the nation.  It is one of 27 PMC’s in the United States.  During the PMC’s earlier existence it produced 10,000,000 seedlings for use in windbreaks, during the dust bowl era.  As early as 1939 the center began searching for plants to respond to specific conservation problems.  Emphasis has been focused on using native plants as a healthy way to solve conservation problems and protect ecosystems.  The PMC started working with native grasses in the 1960’s and its first release was ‘Cave-in-Rock’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in 1975.  Soon after that, the releases of ‘Rountree’ Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and ‘Rumsey’ Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) were developed.  These were multipurpose releases for forage production, conservation cover and wildlife habitat that can be grown on a wide range of soil types.  Of particular importance, the task of finding suitable plants for wetland situations, roadside restoration, high traffic areas, wildlife food and habitat, wind barriers, pastures, riparian plantings, and erosion control on cropland. 

            One project in particular was The Production of Native Iowa Prairie Ecotypes for Roadside Plantings.  This project was started in 1990 and was a cooperative agreement between NRCS-Elsberry Plant Materials Center, University of Northern Iowa (Tallgrass Prairie Center), and Iowa Department of Transportation.  This project helped restore native prairie species’ back to the roadsides of Iowa.  Based on 1987 NRI (National Resources Inventory) data, over one million acres of Iowa land is devoted to rural transportation.