How long will the prairie strips work? Won't dirt pile up quickly above the prairie strip?
As water moves downslope in a field and encounters the prairie strips, there will be greater resistance to flow and the surface runoff water will slow down. When this water slows, some of the material it is carrying will be deposited. This generally occurs a few feet into the leading edge of the strip or immediately upslope of the strip.
How quickly the soil builds up is in large part dependent on upslope practices. Incorporating good conservation systems within the row-crop area can reduce sediment loading to the strips and thereby reduce sediment deposition along the leading edge of the strip.
Over time, there may be some required maintenance to regrade deposited sediment to minimize any potential for short-circuiting of water flow.