Grass. Wind. Sky. It stretches in miles of seemingly unbroken sameness across the U.S., from Texas to North Dakota. The native grasslands of our own Great Plains are the North American equivalent of a rainforest in terms of biodiversity and ecological value, from carbon-rich soil to native plant species to wildlife.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} And they're vanishing just as quickly.^{[5] [6]}

Currently, we're losing these native grasslands at rates similar to the deforestation rates seen in the rainforests of Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia during the 80s and 90s, and the environmental impact is just as concerning.^{[7] [8] [9]} A primary driver is conversion to cropland, and the "Pied Piper" of incentives is corn, grown for livestock feed and biofuel.^{[10] [11] [12]} Similar rates of grassland conversion haven't been seen in the U.S. Corn Belt since the 1920s and 30s, and according to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, these trends "mimic the land change that contributed to the Dust Bowl.”^{[13] [14]}

“When food, in the minds of eaters, is no longer associated with farming and with the land, then the eaters are suffering a kind of cultural amnesia that is misleading and dangerous.” –Wendell Berry

The forces driving the conversion of native grasslands to plant corn and other commodity crops are not rooted in necessity to provide food security to the U.S. or elsewhere. Quite to the contrary, we, the taxpayers, via subsidies, are funding a system of food production that is neither sustainable nor requisite.^{[15] [16]}

Although corn grown for livestock feed is currently second to the demand for ethanol, it still makes up at least a third of total crop production and accounts for more than 95 percent of feed grain.^{[17] [18]} The need for feed grain is driven by CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) involved in pork, poultry, egg, beef, and dairy production and is responsible for 99 percent of the meat and dairy supply in the U.S., according to a 2019 estimate from the Sentience Institute.^{[19] [20]} The status quo for this type of production depends on government subsidies to keep grain prices low, benefiting meat processing companies more than farmers and eaters, at an estimated cost to taxpayers of almost $35 billion for just ten years (1996-2005). And that doesn’t include the externalized costs of environmental pollution and human health hazards that come from CAFO operations.^[21]

Regenerative farming practices—integrating livestock with crops—offers a scenario in which the prairie, animals, and farmers can thrive. Integrated livestock production can restore grasslands and reduce the environmental impacts caused by the separate and intensive systems of producing feed grains and animal products.^[22] [23] A study from the Union of Concerned Scientists modeled the possible benefits if a farmer converted just one-third of a 1,000-acre conventional corn-soy farm to a properly managed grazing system. “Each year they could potentially save $28,000 in fertilizer costs and $1,500 in fuel costs; reduce climate emissions from fertilizer, fuel, and soils by more than 400 tons of CO₂; reduce the farm water footprint by 280 million gallons; and generate $98,000 in profit.” The study further calculated that scaling such scenarios to 5.7 million acres could result in a combined fertilizer and fuel savings of around $506 million, reductions in emissions of around 8 metric tons of CO₂, and reductions in the water footprint of roughly half a trillion gallons per year.^[24]

The food we consume is always a choice of environmental impact, either beneficial or detrimental. Choose 100 percent organic produce, 100 percent pasture-based dairy, 100 percent free-range eggs and poultry, and humanely and sustainably raised meat, not produced in CAFOs, but in well-managed, integrated, pasture-based systems. Let’s pay attention with our food choices and save our prairies!

References

[1] soilsmatter2011. “Great American Prairies – the Most Endangered Ecosystem on Earth?” Soils Matter, Get the Scoop!, 10 Dec. 2020, soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2020/02/01/great-american-prairies-the-most-endangered-ecosystem-on-earth/.

[2] “Grasslands, Prairies, and Savannas.” Missouri Department of Conservation, mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/habitats/grasslands-prairies-savannas.

[3] Unger 04.26.2017, David J., et al. “Saving America's Broken and Vanishing Prairie Lands.” Undark Magazine, 20 Dec. 2019, undark.org/2017/04/26/saving-americas-broken-prairie/.

[4] “The Great Plains.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/places/northern-great-plains.

[5] Harvey, Chelsea. “North America's Grasslands Are Slowly Disappearing - and No One's Paying Attention.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/29/north-amer….

[6] Wright, Christopher K., and Michael C. Wimberly. “Recent Land Use Change in the Western Corn Belt Threatens Grasslands and Wetlands.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 5 Mar. 2013, www.pnas.org/content/110/10/4134.

[7] “Protecting One of America's Most Significant Remaining Grasslands.” The Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/norther….

[8] Harvey, Chelsea. “North America's Grasslands Are Slowly Disappearing - and No One's Paying Attention.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/29/north-amer….

[9] Wright, Christopher K., and Michael C. Wimberly. “Recent Land Use Change in the Western Corn Belt Threatens Grasslands and Wetlands.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 5 Mar. 2013, www.pnas.org/content/110/10/4134.

[10] Lark, Tyler J., et al. “Cropland Expansion in the United States Produces Marginal Yields at High Costs to Wildlife.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 9 Sept. 2020, www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18045-z.

[11] Marcia DeLonge. “Reintegrating Land and Livestock Agroecological Solutions to Beef System Challenges.” Https://Ucsusa.org/, 2017, ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/11/reintegrating-land-and-livestock-ucs-2017.pdf.

[12] Unger 04.26.2017, David J., et al. “Saving America's Broken and Vanishing Prairie Lands.” Undark Magazine, 20 Dec. 2019, undark.org/2017/04/26/saving-americas-broken-prairie/.

[13] Tyler J Lark1 , J Meghan Salmon1 and Holly K Gibbs. “Cropland Expansion Outpaces Agricultural and Biofuel Policies in the United States.” Http://Ppjv.org/, 2015, ppjv.org/assets/docs/resources/Lark_et_al._2015_.pdf.

[14] Wright, Christopher K., and Michael C. Wimberly. “Recent Land Use Change in the Western Corn Belt Threatens Grasslands and Wetlands.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 5 Mar. 2013, www.pnas.org/content/110/10/4134.

[15] “Feeding the World.” Environmental Working Group, www.ewg.org/research/feeding-world-0.

[16] Doug Gurian-Sherman. “CAFOs Uncovered The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations.” Https://Www.organicconsumers.org/, 2008, www.organicconsumers.org/sites/default/files/cafos_uncovered.pdf.

[17] “Feedgrains Sector at a Glance.” USDA ERS - Feedgrains Sector at a Glance, www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feedgrains/feedgrains-sect….

[18] Posted by Tom Capehart and Susan Proper, et al. “Corn Is America's Largest Crop in 2019.” USDA, 1 Aug. 2019, www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/07/29/corn-americas-largest-crop-2019.

[19] Doug Gurian-Sherman. “CAFOs Uncovered The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations.” Https://Www.organicconsumers.org/, 2008, www.organicconsumers.org/sites/default/files/cafos_uncovered.pdf.

[20] Anthis, Jacy Reese. “US Factory Farming Estimates.” Sentience Institute, Sentience Institute, 11 Apr. 2019, www.sentienceinstitute.org/us-factory-farming-estimates.

[21] Doug Gurian-Sherman. “CAFOs Uncovered The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations.” Https://Www.organicconsumers.org/, 2008, www.organicconsumers.org/sites/default/files/cafos_uncovered.pdf.

[22] Doug Gurian-Sherman. “CAFOs Uncovered The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations.” Https://Www.organicconsumers.org/, 2008, www.organicconsumers.org/sites/default/files/cafos_uncovered.pdf.

[23] Kittredge, Jack. “The Untold Costs of CAFOs · The Natural Farmer.” The Natural Farmer, 13 June 2015, thenaturalfarmer.org/article/the-untold-costs-of-cafos/.

[24] Marcia DeLonge. “Reintegrating Land and Livestock Agroecological Solutions to Beef System Challenges.” Https://Ucsusa.org/, 2017, ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/11/reintegrating-land-and-livestock-ucs-2017.pdf.