Sea of Grass

A vivid history of the American Prairie and an urgent call to understand this natural wonder, which rivals the rainforest in its biological diversity and, with little notice, is disappearing even faster.

The North American prairie is an ecological marvel. One cubic yard of prairie sod contains so many organisms that it rivals the tropical rainforest for biological diversity. And like the rainforest, it showcases nature's prodigious talent for symbiosis. The lush carpet of grasses feeds a huge population of grazing animals and is home to some of the nation's most iconic creatures--bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bald eagles. These creatures return the favor by spreading nitrogen and seeds across the prairie in their manure, and the grazers in turn feed prairie predators, and when they die, they return their store of organic matter to the living soil.

When Euro-Americans encountered the prairie nearly 200 years ago, rather than a natural wonder, to their minds they found daunting, root-tangled soil. But, with the development of the steel plow, drainage technology, and introduction of nitrogen fertilizers, in less than a century they transformed the prairie into some of the most productive farmland on earth--one of the most remarkable and complete ecological transformations in history--feeding the industrial revolution in cities beyond the plains and making North America a breadbasket to the world. This transformation, though, came at a cost: the forced dislocation of Indigenous people, the pollution of waterways, depletion of soil nutrients, and the catastrophic loss of insect, animal, and plant species, all building to a point of crisis for the environment and American food systems. Today, American farmers face an impossible dilemma. Urgent action is needed to restore the soil and the region's biodiversity. At the same time, any deviation from generations of agricultural practice is too risky in a business with razor-thin margins, where one bad year could mean the loss of the family enterprise.

Veteran journalists and Midwesterners Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty follow the history of humanity's relationship with this incredible land, offering a deep, compassionate analysis of the critical, difficult decisions as well as opportunities facing agricultural and Indigenous communities. Sea of Grass is a vivid portrait of one of the world's most miraculous and significant ecosystems, making clear why the future of this region is of essential concern far beyond the heartland.