‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers

Strips of native plants on as little as 10% of farmland can reduce soil erosion by up to 95%

Between two corn fields in central Iowa, Lee Tesdell walks through a corridor of native prairie grasses and wildflowers. Crickets trill as dickcissels, small brown birds with yellow chests, pop out of the dewy ground cover.

There's a lot of life out here, and it's one of the reasons I like it, especially in these late summer days," Tesdell said.