Rehabbing a hay field?

Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this question.

I have about 80 acres of family land in the southern Midwest. I’d say a third of it is treed, with a very small seasonal creek running through it. There are two man made ponds on it. The rest of it has historically been used for hay production.

I would ultimately like to transition this land away from hay and make it something more interesting and diverse.

I’m envisioning mowing and maintaining a running path through everything. I’d like the land to be as life giving as possible. I’m hoping to grow things that will help pollinators, as well as give ground cover for insects and small animals.

Is there a best approach to start this process? I’m sure just leaving everything alone and letting nature do its thing would be effective. But is there something I can do in the meantime to help things along?

Planting a few trees or bushes in the middle of the hay fields? Building dead hedges somewhere? Planting certain types of native flowers or grasses?

I’m in zone 7.

Thanks for any guidance you may have.