Protect Iowa’s habitat - observe mowing restrictions in highway right of ways

On many stretches of state highway, the Iowa Department of Transportation allows land owners and others to harvest hay out of the roadside by permit. The permitting process begins in the spring, but mowing for hay is not allowed until July 15 by Iowa law, with some exceptions. The Iowa DOT requires a permit for several reasons, one of which is the protection of habitat.
“By delaying haying until July 15, we lose a little on hay quality, but gain much benefit for wildlife,” said Joy Williams, an Iowa DOT agronomist. “Roadsides are important corridors of habitat for many species. Leaving the roadside undisturbed during early summer not only benefits nesting wildlife, but also leaves cover and flowers for bees and other pollinators, including the Monarch butterfly, whose populations are declining.”
When early spring weather is cold and damp, delaying harvesting of hay from the right of way until July 15 is even more important, especially for ground nesting bird habitat. “Ground nesting birds like pheasants will re-nest if the nest is disturbed,” says Todd Bogenschutz, the upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Sometimes nests are destroyed by floods. It is likely this happened often this year.  About 35 to 45 percent of pheasant, 62 percent of quail, and 60 to 70 percent of songbird nests hatch after July first. Also, cover is needed for the insects that are essential for the chicks’ protein-rich diet.”
The Iowa DOT has established two periods for harvesting grass within the state highway right- of-way. Only one cutting per year is allowed; this gives the grasses time to recover before winter and provides better winter cover for wildlife.
• July 15-Sept. 1: For cool-season grasses and forage legumes (e.g., smooth brome, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, alfalfa, bird’s-foot trefoil)
• July 15-Aug. 15: For areas containing warm-season native grasses (e.g., switchgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, sideoats grama, Canada wildrye).

An Iowa DOT Harvesting and Mowing Permit Application is available from any of the representatives listed below or online at https://forms.iowadot.gov/FormsMgt/External/810050.pdf. The application covers three types of operations: (1) mowing only; (2) haying; or (3) harvesting plant material other than hay, such as berries, seeds or wood.
To receive assistance in processing a permit application, contact the representative serving the area nearest to where you would like to harvest grass.