NPR's Book of the Day
'Sea of Grass' chronicles the disappearance of the North American prairie
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Overview
Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty illuminate prairie loss, ecological impacts, and resilient restoration amid agricultural transformation.
Takeaways
  • Industrial agriculture, fueled by innovations like the steel plow and fertilizer, rapidly replaced American prairies with farmland, leading to ecosystem collapse, water pollution, and diminished wildlife populations.
  • Restoration efforts show prairie ecosystems' capacity for renewal, as native plants and animals swiftly return when given suitable conditions, though large-scale recovery remains impractical without policy change.
  • Farmers, caught in entrenched commodity and federal systems, need incentives and practical solutions—such as prairie strips—to harmonize food production with environmental preservation and water health.
Mind Map
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Chapters
  • This is a chapter‘s title.
    The Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of Change
  • This is a chapter‘s title.
    The Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of Change
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