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Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie
A vivid portrait of the American prairie, which rivals the rainforest in its biological diversity and, with little notice, is disappearing even faster
“This book describes—in loving, living prose—one of the world’s greatest and most important landscapes. And it does so while there’s still time to save some serious part of it.”—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
The North American prairie is an ecological marvel, a lush carpet of grass that stretches to the horizon, and home to some of the nation’s most iconic creatures—bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bald eagles. Plants, microbes, and animals together made the grasslands one of the richest ecosystems on Earth and a massive carbon sink, but the constant expansion of agriculture threatens what remains.
When European settlers encountered the prairie nearly two hundred years ago, rather than a natural wonder they saw an alien and forbidding place. But with the steel plow, artificial drainage, and fertilizers, they converted the prairie into some of the world’s most productive farmland—a transformation unprecedented in human history. American farmers fed the industrial revolution and made North America a global breadbasket, but at a terrible the forced dislocation of Indigenous peoples, pollution of great rivers, and catastrophic loss of wildlife. Today, industrial agriculture continues its assault on the prairie, plowing up one million acres of grassland a year. Farmers can protect this extraordinary landscape, but trying new ideas can mean ruin in a business with razor-thin margins, and will require help from Washington, D.C., and from consumers.
Veteran journalists and midwesterners Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty reveal humanity’s relationship with this incredible land, offering a deep, compassionate analysis of the difficult decisions as well as opportunities facing agricultural and Indigenous communities. Sea of Grass is a vivid portrait of a miraculous ecosystem that makes clear why the future of this region is of essential concern far beyond the heartland.
“This book describes—in loving, living prose—one of the world’s greatest and most important landscapes. And it does so while there’s still time to save some serious part of it.”—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
The North American prairie is an ecological marvel, a lush carpet of grass that stretches to the horizon, and home to some of the nation’s most iconic creatures—bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bald eagles. Plants, microbes, and animals together made the grasslands one of the richest ecosystems on Earth and a massive carbon sink, but the constant expansion of agriculture threatens what remains.
When European settlers encountered the prairie nearly two hundred years ago, rather than a natural wonder they saw an alien and forbidding place. But with the steel plow, artificial drainage, and fertilizers, they converted the prairie into some of the world’s most productive farmland—a transformation unprecedented in human history. American farmers fed the industrial revolution and made North America a global breadbasket, but at a terrible the forced dislocation of Indigenous peoples, pollution of great rivers, and catastrophic loss of wildlife. Today, industrial agriculture continues its assault on the prairie, plowing up one million acres of grassland a year. Farmers can protect this extraordinary landscape, but trying new ideas can mean ruin in a business with razor-thin margins, and will require help from Washington, D.C., and from consumers.
Veteran journalists and midwesterners Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty reveal humanity’s relationship with this incredible land, offering a deep, compassionate analysis of the difficult decisions as well as opportunities facing agricultural and Indigenous communities. Sea of Grass is a vivid portrait of a miraculous ecosystem that makes clear why the future of this region is of essential concern far beyond the heartland.
474 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2025
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June 18, 2025
Sea of Grass is an informative nonfiction text about the environmental history and greater conservation efforts necessary on the American prairie. I personally was fascinated with the history sections of the book both on the natural environment and human’s impact on the prairie. The authors also included landmark research studies to demonstrate human impact and its consequences overtime that impact both local communities and contribute to global climate change.
A large section of the book explores public policy regarding the protection of the prairie and how new innovative farming techniques can restore parts of the prairie, while still being profitable for farmers and local communities. These practices seem like no brainers solutions to me, but receive considerable pushback from the local communities who could benefit from them. I thought the authors’ use of personal testimony from individual farmers and political figures show the obstacles that environmental conscious farmers and conservation groups face when trying to restore the natural environment. Overall it’s a fascinating book for anyone interested in environmental history and restoration efforts.
A large section of the book explores public policy regarding the protection of the prairie and how new innovative farming techniques can restore parts of the prairie, while still being profitable for farmers and local communities. These practices seem like no brainers solutions to me, but receive considerable pushback from the local communities who could benefit from them. I thought the authors’ use of personal testimony from individual farmers and political figures show the obstacles that environmental conscious farmers and conservation groups face when trying to restore the natural environment. Overall it’s a fascinating book for anyone interested in environmental history and restoration efforts.
January 27, 2026
This book provides a description and history of the North American Prairie including the natural science, politics, and farming procedures that played roles in "the conquest, ruin, and redemption" of the land. The book begins with a review of the geologic history of the prairie bringing the story up to development of the tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prairie zones that existed until the nineteenth century when it was plowed up and largely converted into farm land. THIS LINK is to a map of the American prairie showing these three zones. Only one percent of the tallgrass prairie remains in its original state while about forty to fifty percent of the shortgrass prairie remains, much of it being used as grazing land for cattle ranches.
The role of the steel plow and the use of under drains for dewatering of soils in the conversion of native prairie into agricultural crop land are described by the book. The development of artificial fertilizers is covered as well as its unintended impact on sea life.
There's a chapter telling the story of how the City of Des Moines tried to sue the agricultural drainage districts located upstream on the Raccoon River for contaminating their source of drinking water with excessive concentrations of nitrogen. The suit failed for technical reasons, but it is clear that much of the cost of the treatment of drinking water for Des Moines, Iowa is caused by upstream farmers and it seems that any sense of justice would require that they pay for what they have caused. The 1972 Clean Water Act specifically exempts farmers from laws controlling the quality of water discharged into streams and rivers. A recent Supreme Court ruling has narrowed the definition of streams and rivers making discharge of contaminated water even more possible.
The book says that native prairies continue to be plowed up and converted into farm land growing corn and soybeans in the mixed and short grass areas. This is made possible by new seed varieties and low-till and no-till farming methods. Conversion from grassland to farm land effectively doubles its value to the land owner. However, the book maintains that this conversion is detrimental to the welfare of the earth.
The role of the steel plow and the use of under drains for dewatering of soils in the conversion of native prairie into agricultural crop land are described by the book. The development of artificial fertilizers is covered as well as its unintended impact on sea life.
Studies of sediment core samples on the bottom of the Gulf showed that nitrogen levels began to rise in the 1950s, just as commercial nitrogen fertilizer came on the market. As the use of both fertilizer and agricultural tile drainage rose, so did the concentration of nitrogen in the MississippiThe book provides a chapter telling the history of the dust bowl years in the 1930s. My parents lived through this era and the farm I grew up on during the 1950s was blessed with a grove and shelterbelts planted in the 30s in an effort to control erosion.
... planted nearly forty million saplings on the Great Plains to create windbreaks that Roosevelt called prairie shelterbelts. Nearly one million acres were taken out of crop production and replanted with drought-hardy grasses.The book provides a thorough description of the variety and density of life found in the typical soil of native prairie.
A plot of healthy soil the size of a kitchen stovetop can contain as many as 1,000 earthworms, 60,000 mites, 100,000 arthropods, millions of the minuscule worms called nematodes, fully one pound of bacteria, and more than 100 miles of fungal filaments. David Montgomery notes that just a tablespoon of soil contains more living things than the human population on Earth. And when all those living things die-plant roots, worms, insects, fungal threads-they add more carbon to the soil. Repeat that process thousands of times over hundreds of years, and you understand why prairies have some of the richest soil on the planet. The famed black soil of the Midwest is black for a reason—it's loaded with carbon.There's also a discussion of the use of pesticides, the role of pollinators, and alternative farming procedures that have been developed to protect soils from erosion and depletion.
There's a chapter telling the story of how the City of Des Moines tried to sue the agricultural drainage districts located upstream on the Raccoon River for contaminating their source of drinking water with excessive concentrations of nitrogen. The suit failed for technical reasons, but it is clear that much of the cost of the treatment of drinking water for Des Moines, Iowa is caused by upstream farmers and it seems that any sense of justice would require that they pay for what they have caused. The 1972 Clean Water Act specifically exempts farmers from laws controlling the quality of water discharged into streams and rivers. A recent Supreme Court ruling has narrowed the definition of streams and rivers making discharge of contaminated water even more possible.
The book says that native prairies continue to be plowed up and converted into farm land growing corn and soybeans in the mixed and short grass areas. This is made possible by new seed varieties and low-till and no-till farming methods. Conversion from grassland to farm land effectively doubles its value to the land owner. However, the book maintains that this conversion is detrimental to the welfare of the earth.
Worse, breaking these grasslands is not a one-time loss. It not only releases their stores of carbon, it removes them as a carbon sink that could capture future greenhouse gas emissions. Grass preserves 60 to 70 percent of its carbon below ground, permanently. And once plowed, prairies require a century or more to recover the original plant diversity and productivity that allow them to sequester so much carbon ... .There's a chapter in the book describing the development of Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in the Red River Valley located between northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. There's also a discussion of improved farming and ranching methods, and a chapter describing the reintroduction of bison to parts of the short grass prairies.
October 19, 2025
This book is somewhere between 2.75 to 4.25 stars, depending on how much knowledge one brings to the issue already, per a guide I use more and more in my own reading of nonfiction books.
For me, there were two main things I learned.
One was the use of tile drains in the boggy Midwest. Via Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert," I have long been familiar with them in irrigated areas of the desert Southwest, to reduce salinity in the soil water level beneath roots and carry off the salts in the West's alkaline water. The broad principles are the same.
The second was the development of new corn and soybean seed types for the northern high plains. (I have a friend whose wife, also an acquaintance, was born in Highmore, South Dakota, featured in the book.)
That said, the authors appear to pull some punches, and to miss some things.
One pulled punch? Bison in Yellowstone National Park almost certainly do NOT transmit brucellosis to cattle. That said, elk on the adjacent National Elk Range, fed hay in winter as if they were cattle, almost certainly DO, but ranchers and hunters in Montana and Wyoming don't like to talk about that.
Second and related, and also tied to a 2-star reviewer here? The degree of animus from ranchers toward bison, though mentioned, seemed downplayed.
Third, the degree to which it's not an either or of conventional big ag or people in West Virginia or New Delhi starving is underplayed.
Fourth, the degree to which Big Ag lobbyists control discussion on any possible changes to farm legislation, from expanding the conservation reserve program through expanding the types of crops eligible for insurance to sliding scales on insurance coverage.
There's lesser pulled punches here and there in the book.
One missed thing? The North American prairies don't magically stop at the 49th parallel. Especially since the authors wrote for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and they write in part about the Red River Valley, more on what's new in Canadian farming and ranching would have been good.
Another? The Noble Research Institute, a leader in regenerative ranching ideas, is nowhere mentioned.
A third, partially but not totally beyond this book? Just how "hollowed out" much of the plains is, not only from larger farm and ranch size, but consolidation in the agribusiness world, especially in things like meatpacking.
So, if you don't know what a local soil conservation district is, you might learn a fair amount. If you do? Not so much.
Speaking of, the authors don't discuss the thousands of SCD check dams across the country, backing up large ponds or small lakes, many of them constructed during the Depression and at the end of their estimated or expected life spans.
I thought about giving this a starless review but ended at 3 stars.
For me, there were two main things I learned.
One was the use of tile drains in the boggy Midwest. Via Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert," I have long been familiar with them in irrigated areas of the desert Southwest, to reduce salinity in the soil water level beneath roots and carry off the salts in the West's alkaline water. The broad principles are the same.
The second was the development of new corn and soybean seed types for the northern high plains. (I have a friend whose wife, also an acquaintance, was born in Highmore, South Dakota, featured in the book.)
That said, the authors appear to pull some punches, and to miss some things.
One pulled punch? Bison in Yellowstone National Park almost certainly do NOT transmit brucellosis to cattle. That said, elk on the adjacent National Elk Range, fed hay in winter as if they were cattle, almost certainly DO, but ranchers and hunters in Montana and Wyoming don't like to talk about that.
Second and related, and also tied to a 2-star reviewer here? The degree of animus from ranchers toward bison, though mentioned, seemed downplayed.
Third, the degree to which it's not an either or of conventional big ag or people in West Virginia or New Delhi starving is underplayed.
Fourth, the degree to which Big Ag lobbyists control discussion on any possible changes to farm legislation, from expanding the conservation reserve program through expanding the types of crops eligible for insurance to sliding scales on insurance coverage.
There's lesser pulled punches here and there in the book.
One missed thing? The North American prairies don't magically stop at the 49th parallel. Especially since the authors wrote for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and they write in part about the Red River Valley, more on what's new in Canadian farming and ranching would have been good.
Another? The Noble Research Institute, a leader in regenerative ranching ideas, is nowhere mentioned.
A third, partially but not totally beyond this book? Just how "hollowed out" much of the plains is, not only from larger farm and ranch size, but consolidation in the agribusiness world, especially in things like meatpacking.
So, if you don't know what a local soil conservation district is, you might learn a fair amount. If you do? Not so much.
Speaking of, the authors don't discuss the thousands of SCD check dams across the country, backing up large ponds or small lakes, many of them constructed during the Depression and at the end of their estimated or expected life spans.
I thought about giving this a starless review but ended at 3 stars.
September 14, 2026
A scathing focus on agricultural monoculture, loss of prairie, and very timely and relevant! Although heavy with daunting and damning historical detail, this book merits required reading for all who wish to advocate for Earth.
I suspect Louise Erdrich read this as she was writing the novel The Mighty Red. And I know all fans of George Frazier's Riverine Dreams will want to read Sea of Grass.
Nearly a perfect 5-star book, rounded up for the important content.
I suspect Louise Erdrich read this as she was writing the novel The Mighty Red. And I know all fans of George Frazier's Riverine Dreams will want to read Sea of Grass.
Nearly a perfect 5-star book, rounded up for the important content.
January 26, 2026
I read the liner notes and saw that the authors were Strib journalists, which kind of painted my whole experience with the book. I felt like each chapter was strung together from stand-alone articles and lo, the acknowledgements admitted that the book was, in fact, born from a series of Strib articles.
Absolutely no disrespect to newspaper journalists, but their writing on this topic was a mile wide and an inch thick. The book flip flops between individual interviews and recent scientific research and it’s hard to come away with what the point of each chapter was.
There are also just clear errors that bugged me. There is no such thing as a black-capped night heron, nor do they associate with grasslands.
The most egregious claim was that “historians disagree on if the bison was deliberately exterminated” when that is demonstratively false. Bison were exterminated by the U.S. army in efforts to further subjugate the American Indian tribes, and I’ve seen no disagreement on that fact (see: SDSU’s dedicated page to bison genocide).
Beyond those items that soured the book for me, I did appreciate the POV from farmers, state and county legislature, and what the future of grassland restoration could look like in North America. The book just needed a few fact-checkers and better editors.
I should mention that my background on native grasses and restoration is deep: graduate classes and university research on restoration methods, nitrate movement through different types of Ag BMPs, and a personal interest in native plant communities. I mention this not to come off as pretentious, but to validate some of my criticisms. I think the book is geared toward an audience that has little to no prior knowledge of the history of grasslands in America and their inherent value as a biome.
Absolutely no disrespect to newspaper journalists, but their writing on this topic was a mile wide and an inch thick. The book flip flops between individual interviews and recent scientific research and it’s hard to come away with what the point of each chapter was.
There are also just clear errors that bugged me. There is no such thing as a black-capped night heron, nor do they associate with grasslands.
The most egregious claim was that “historians disagree on if the bison was deliberately exterminated” when that is demonstratively false. Bison were exterminated by the U.S. army in efforts to further subjugate the American Indian tribes, and I’ve seen no disagreement on that fact (see: SDSU’s dedicated page to bison genocide).
Beyond those items that soured the book for me, I did appreciate the POV from farmers, state and county legislature, and what the future of grassland restoration could look like in North America. The book just needed a few fact-checkers and better editors.
I should mention that my background on native grasses and restoration is deep: graduate classes and university research on restoration methods, nitrate movement through different types of Ag BMPs, and a personal interest in native plant communities. I mention this not to come off as pretentious, but to validate some of my criticisms. I think the book is geared toward an audience that has little to no prior knowledge of the history of grasslands in America and their inherent value as a biome.
April 22, 2025
It’s only April and I already know my top non-fiction pick of the year: “Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie”. It’s that good.
Before I cracked the book’s spine I privately thought “How much am I really going to learn?” but I was mesmerized from page one. I quickly learned that I couldn’t keep it on my bedside table because I’d never get any sleep if I did.
The book starts off by orienting the reader to the prairie itself – it’s magic, its ecology, and its role in America’s nineteenth century transformation – then brings us to the predicament those advancements, if you’ll pardon the word, have placed us in today. Habitat and biodiversity loss, for sure, but also dead zones, pollinator collapse, flooding, drought, climate change, to say nothing of the social havoc it’s wrought for both farming and indigenous communities. Fortunately, the book closes with glimmers of hope – creative, passionate efforts that, if amplified, will lead us out of the morass.
Along with the narrative arc and overall theme, I got a kick out of the factoids dropped into “Sea” like glimmering coral atolls. Where else would I learn the mystery behind growing seedless watermelons, why the Red River flows north, or how long it takes for water to get from one end of the Mississippi to the other?
Hage and Marcotty hit it out of the park with this one. “Sea of Grass” is a game changer – for conservationists, farmers and ranchers, but also for history buffs, foodies, policy makers, and for anyone who has even a mote of curiosity about the world and their role in it.
Before I cracked the book’s spine I privately thought “How much am I really going to learn?” but I was mesmerized from page one. I quickly learned that I couldn’t keep it on my bedside table because I’d never get any sleep if I did.
The book starts off by orienting the reader to the prairie itself – it’s magic, its ecology, and its role in America’s nineteenth century transformation – then brings us to the predicament those advancements, if you’ll pardon the word, have placed us in today. Habitat and biodiversity loss, for sure, but also dead zones, pollinator collapse, flooding, drought, climate change, to say nothing of the social havoc it’s wrought for both farming and indigenous communities. Fortunately, the book closes with glimmers of hope – creative, passionate efforts that, if amplified, will lead us out of the morass.
Along with the narrative arc and overall theme, I got a kick out of the factoids dropped into “Sea” like glimmering coral atolls. Where else would I learn the mystery behind growing seedless watermelons, why the Red River flows north, or how long it takes for water to get from one end of the Mississippi to the other?
Hage and Marcotty hit it out of the park with this one. “Sea of Grass” is a game changer – for conservationists, farmers and ranchers, but also for history buffs, foodies, policy makers, and for anyone who has even a mote of curiosity about the world and their role in it.
August 8, 2025
You might not realize it, but the American prairie isn't just a vast expanse of nothing, it's an important and endangered ecosystem.
The gist of the book is that (1.) the prairie is both a biological hotspot and carbon sink on par with the tropical rainforest but (2.) due to being seen as "a vast expanse of nothing" it doesn't have the romance or legal protection of other landscapes so (3.) it was/is in in the process of being destroyed (the tallgrass prairie of the midwest is 99% gone, and the shortgrass prairie of the western plains is getting plowed due to advances in agriculture) and (4.) that destruction unleashes a triple-whammy of releasing carbon stored in the ground, replacing native plants with the fossil fuel-intensive corn and soybeans, which sends contaminants into drinking sources and aquatic ecosystems, but (5.) now that we realize the biological, climatic, and cultural significance of the ecosystem various restoration efforts are in place however (6.) forces backed by Big Ag, Big Oil, plain ol' fashioned GOP politics are doing everything they can to stop those efforts. It's pretty bleak.
A lot of times, when you read a book about some sort of ecosystem, species, natural phenomenon or what have you it follows a three act structure: The first part talks about the miraculous nature of the thing. The second part talks about the near total destruction of the thing. The third part talks about how we now understand the importance of the thing and a group of dedicated activists, scientist, and/or policymakers are saving the thing. This book tries to do that, but the "ruin" of Part II makes the "redemption" of Part III sound like too little too late. All throughout the book we're hearing about areas the size of New York, or half of Iowa, or whatever, being plowed every year, or having their drinking water contaminated. Then we hear about a prairie restoration project in Minnesota. When they finally mention the size, it's...55 square miles. Really just a drop in the bucket of what used to be. Lots of books about ecological topics make me sad, but like I said earlier, it's bleak.
I would give it 4.5 stars, because some of the chapters go on for a little too long, but I rounded up to 5. The chapter on the reintroduction of the buffalo was my favorite.
The gist of the book is that (1.) the prairie is both a biological hotspot and carbon sink on par with the tropical rainforest but (2.) due to being seen as "a vast expanse of nothing" it doesn't have the romance or legal protection of other landscapes so (3.) it was/is in in the process of being destroyed (the tallgrass prairie of the midwest is 99% gone, and the shortgrass prairie of the western plains is getting plowed due to advances in agriculture) and (4.) that destruction unleashes a triple-whammy of releasing carbon stored in the ground, replacing native plants with the fossil fuel-intensive corn and soybeans, which sends contaminants into drinking sources and aquatic ecosystems, but (5.) now that we realize the biological, climatic, and cultural significance of the ecosystem various restoration efforts are in place however (6.) forces backed by Big Ag, Big Oil, plain ol' fashioned GOP politics are doing everything they can to stop those efforts. It's pretty bleak.
A lot of times, when you read a book about some sort of ecosystem, species, natural phenomenon or what have you it follows a three act structure: The first part talks about the miraculous nature of the thing. The second part talks about the near total destruction of the thing. The third part talks about how we now understand the importance of the thing and a group of dedicated activists, scientist, and/or policymakers are saving the thing. This book tries to do that, but the "ruin" of Part II makes the "redemption" of Part III sound like too little too late. All throughout the book we're hearing about areas the size of New York, or half of Iowa, or whatever, being plowed every year, or having their drinking water contaminated. Then we hear about a prairie restoration project in Minnesota. When they finally mention the size, it's...55 square miles. Really just a drop in the bucket of what used to be. Lots of books about ecological topics make me sad, but like I said earlier, it's bleak.
I would give it 4.5 stars, because some of the chapters go on for a little too long, but I rounded up to 5. The chapter on the reintroduction of the buffalo was my favorite.
November 20, 2024
My problem with this book is not that’s it’s irrelevant or poorly written. I have just been reading books that are on overlapping topics having to do with natural history and I was aware of many issues covered in this book. For example, I recently read Timothy Egan’s Worst Hard Time and this book also has a chapter on the dust bowl. I belong to the Native Plant Society and worked at university agriculture research department so I am aware of the issues and learning more all the time. It’s not as grim as people think there are conservation ranching projects like the Bamberger Preserve in Texas that all over the country. Agricultural researchers are looking at alternatives for cattle feed (insects) and biofuels (sea algae) that do not require pesticides and water resources.
September 11, 2026
A thorough history of farming and agriculture across the prairie. I really enjoyed this. Growing up on a farm on the prairie, I knew I had to read this book. While the middle section was a little dry and technical for me personally, I appreciated the author's approach of working with and learning from farmers and ranchers, while still wanting to teach best practices. No one loves the prairie more than farmers who have had the land in their family for generations. I listened to this book, but this would be an interesting one to go back to and read a physical copy.
August 8, 2026
More of a detailed timeline of modern American agriculture than an exploration of the ecology of American prairies. Regardless, the book is a comprehensive autopsy of every dagger into the American prairie and is well worth reading.
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Time for a bittersweet trip to Bigelow Cemetery Prairie Preserve…
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Time for a bittersweet trip to Bigelow Cemetery Prairie Preserve…
July 18, 2025
The American grassland is probably one of the most underrated great things of America. And this book describes it beautifully. The history, the ecosystem, the relation between nature and human - it's a great story of our beautiful earth. I read the book right after I visited those grasslands so I could visualize lots of things easily. Great book about a great landscape!
February 20, 2026
I was looking forward to this book because I thought it was more about the history of the prairie and its settling. Though it was more geared towards agricultural science and current events. Not a bad book, just not my vibe.
January 29, 2026
One of many reasons I read is to keep myself from despairing over the current state of the world. The destruction reported in Sea of Grass was not an antidote. In the great center of the country, our vast American prairie, we have genocided peoples and polluted our air, water, wildlife, and soils.
We are not the first people to do this. Many civilizations have fallen because of the overuse of resources. But the authors state we are the first people to be aware of the cataclysmic destruction we are causing. The authors believe, "we could be the first civilization with the knowledge to change course in time. If we also have the heart."
The authors devoted the better part of a chapter to the Des Moines Water Works suing the drainage districts in their watershed in order to cover the city's exorbitant cost of cleaning its drinking water. The suit failed and one of the state legislature's responses was to defund two centers at Iowa State University that researched sustainable agriculture and conservation practices. Additionally the legislature cut funding for water quality sensors here in the cancer capital. If we don't know the water is bad, that can't be one of the causes, can it?
If you know me, you know I loved the chapter on tatanka and learning bison facts. Maybe my favorite anecdote was about the biologists who were doing a wolf count by plane using infrared sensors to pick up their body heat. The plane flew over a herd of bison without a blip because they are so well insulated, they don't lose body heat.
The book gave me a couple of duh-I-shouda-know-that moments. Like, it is called a "combine" because it "simultaneously cuts the stalk and threshes the grain from the stems." And buffalo skin was used to make belts for factories across the US because it was particularly strong. I always thought of belts as rubber or synthetic, but leather came first.
P.S. Right now there are two democrats running for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, both of them seem to want to do something to improve our land and water. I will be paying attention to make an informed decision in the June 2026 primary.
We are not the first people to do this. Many civilizations have fallen because of the overuse of resources. But the authors state we are the first people to be aware of the cataclysmic destruction we are causing. The authors believe, "we could be the first civilization with the knowledge to change course in time. If we also have the heart."
The authors devoted the better part of a chapter to the Des Moines Water Works suing the drainage districts in their watershed in order to cover the city's exorbitant cost of cleaning its drinking water. The suit failed and one of the state legislature's responses was to defund two centers at Iowa State University that researched sustainable agriculture and conservation practices. Additionally the legislature cut funding for water quality sensors here in the cancer capital. If we don't know the water is bad, that can't be one of the causes, can it?
If you know me, you know I loved the chapter on tatanka and learning bison facts. Maybe my favorite anecdote was about the biologists who were doing a wolf count by plane using infrared sensors to pick up their body heat. The plane flew over a herd of bison without a blip because they are so well insulated, they don't lose body heat.
The book gave me a couple of duh-I-shouda-know-that moments. Like, it is called a "combine" because it "simultaneously cuts the stalk and threshes the grain from the stems." And buffalo skin was used to make belts for factories across the US because it was particularly strong. I always thought of belts as rubber or synthetic, but leather came first.
P.S. Right now there are two democrats running for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, both of them seem to want to do something to improve our land and water. I will be paying attention to make an informed decision in the June 2026 primary.
September 6, 2025
Overall I thought this was a well-written and interesting read, with a few personal caveats. It took me a while to get through it, which is a personal failing, but it actually is very readable for all of the information packed into it.
I do think it's a slight disservice to readers that the subtitle doesn't mention anything about farming, because essentially the middle 200 pages of this book are a primer on farming in the former prairies. I suppose it's obvious to spend so much time on farming, because they've taken over the prairies, but I was unprepared. That being said, I thought the look at farming and farming-adjacent environmental issues in the past and present was surprisingly eye-opening, as I know nothing about agriculture. The authors also portrayed farmers fairly while still acknowledging the damage being caused.
My other minor complaint is that at times you can tell this was derived from a newspaper series. Some key points or important pieces of data about the importance of the prairies or carbon sequestering or other thesis points were repeated in subsequent chapters, which makes sense if this was serialized. Not a major issue, but noticeable. However, despite two authors, I didn't notice any split in the writing voice.
Honestly though, I feel I learned a lot from this book and am thinking about fertilizer more than I ever thought I would. Just be prepared for the prairie/farming content distribution!
I do think it's a slight disservice to readers that the subtitle doesn't mention anything about farming, because essentially the middle 200 pages of this book are a primer on farming in the former prairies. I suppose it's obvious to spend so much time on farming, because they've taken over the prairies, but I was unprepared. That being said, I thought the look at farming and farming-adjacent environmental issues in the past and present was surprisingly eye-opening, as I know nothing about agriculture. The authors also portrayed farmers fairly while still acknowledging the damage being caused.
My other minor complaint is that at times you can tell this was derived from a newspaper series. Some key points or important pieces of data about the importance of the prairies or carbon sequestering or other thesis points were repeated in subsequent chapters, which makes sense if this was serialized. Not a major issue, but noticeable. However, despite two authors, I didn't notice any split in the writing voice.
Honestly though, I feel I learned a lot from this book and am thinking about fertilizer more than I ever thought I would. Just be prepared for the prairie/farming content distribution!
March 16, 2026
As I’ve read in other books about the effect of humanity on nature, we’re really royally forking things up. It’s crazy to think how literally everything is interconnected — from farming and irrigation practices to using specific kinds of fertilizer and bug spray to the waterways and more — and how much everything relies on each other to thrive and survive. But as the last half of the book points out, there is hope as pockets of people try different things to save the prairie or at least change how we view it. I just hope these changes can be implemented and things changed for the better.
April 12, 2026
Great balance of history, science, and true-life stories. While reading depressing chapters about the state of agribusiness in the US, I came away with a sense of action and positivity, something I’ve found lacking in other books of the same topic. I appreciate the authors’ efforts to present both sides of arguments yet not leave the reader feeling helplessly caught in the middle. A must-read for anyone who lives in farming or ranching areas of the US.
January 7, 2026
Well rounded book detailing the many issues facing the prairie and how they were destroyed to begin with. I had no idea how ignorant I was to the plight of conservation within the Great Plains. Having read Buffalo for the Broken Heart, I see what’s possible for our food system. Really it takes a government willing to fund clean water, from local to state to federal level.
June 8, 2026
Well written book investigating the importance of the US prairie and why it is mostly gone. Perhaps because they are seasoned journalists, the authors know how to dig into and tell a story and they leave the reader with a bit of hope at the end. And go buy yourself some Wild Idea bison meat.
September 21, 2026
Such an excellent and complete presentation of the past, present and future of our American prairie grasslands - especially hopeful to learn of the people and orgs fighting to save and restore grasslands.
July 14, 2025
Learned lots about prairies! Skipped the chapter on bison, but I wish the landscape was filled wall to wall the big beasties.
September 16, 2025
grass is cool, bison stick out their tongues while running, lets visit the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in MN or American Prairie in Montana
November 11, 2025
took me forever because i didnt want it to be done. made me cry a lot.
Read
March 24, 2026More info than I thought I needed on the subject (i was wrong and the book was right).
August 30, 2026
Typical kinsey read. Super interesting and informative. Learned lots!
May 4, 2025
Just terrific.
August 1, 2026
big prairie girlie
December 31, 2025
Solid popular writing about the ecology of the western prairie. Hoping I retain some basics, such as how important grasses are in fixing and storing carbon, and the wild tile drains under so so much of the west. Good examples of conservationists, ranchers, farmers, tribes working together.
August 14, 2025
The authors begin Part Three of their book with this quote from Robin Wall Kimmerer:
"Plants know how to make food and medicine from light and water, and then they give it away."
That pretty much summarizes how essential the prairie (a sea of grass) is to our health, our environment, our well-being.
"Plants know how to make food and medicine from light and water, and then they give it away."
That pretty much summarizes how essential the prairie (a sea of grass) is to our health, our environment, our well-being.
October 8, 2025
An excellent derailed summary of the downside of modern agriculture. And well written.
March 19, 2026
Amazing book on ecology, history, politics and conservation of the North American grasslands. The book is very well researched and lucidly written. Even though there are a lot of facts and events, the narrative comes through strongly and the reader will not be overwhelmed. The author does a fabulous job making sure people understand why grasslands are important!
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