Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie

by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty

A vivid history of the American Prairie and an urgent call to understand and protect 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 European settlers encountered the prairie nearly 200 years ago, rather than recognizing a natural wonder they saw a daunting landscape of root-tangled soil. But with the development of the steel plow, artificial drainage, and nitrogen fertilizers, in mere decades they converted the prairie into some of the richest farmland on Earth—a transformation unprecedented in human history. American farmers fed the industrial revolution and made North America a breadbasket for the world, but their progress came at a terrible cost: the forced dislocation of indigenous peoples, pollution of the continent’s rivers, and the catastrophic loss of wildlife. Today, as these trends build toward an environmental crisis, industrial agriculture has resumed its assault on the prairie, plowing up the remaining grasslands at the rate of one million acres a year. Farmers have an opportunity to 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 who care about the land that feeds them.

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 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.

• Publish Date: 27 May 2025
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House
• Edition: Kindle Edition
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Seemingly Comprehensive Review Of Its Field Marred By Dearth Of Bibliography. This is one of those books you pick up randomly because "hey, I don't actually know more than the very rough basics about the American Prairie", and it will actually give you a largely well rounded view of the entire topic, from its ancient origins and pre-European development through the Indian Wars/ Manifest Destiny era and through the Dust Bowl years all the way up to mostly current farming tech/ practices in the region. Yes, the commentary is titled perhaps a touch toward the left side of the dial, but honestly it wasn't anywhere near as pervasive or preachy as some other similar texts tend to get, so eh, it was enough to mention here but now I'm moving on.

 

No, the real problem, at least with the Advance Review Copy edition I read roughly 6 months before publication, is the dearth of a bibliography, clocking in at just 7% of the overall text - a far cry from even the 15% of my newly relaxing standard for bibliography length, much less the 20-30% of my former standard. So that's the star deduction - for all of the facts presented, there simply isn't anywhere near enough bibliography to back them up - much less the more editorial commentary.

 

Overall a seemingly strong primer on the topic, I know I learned a lot about a lot here, and I suspect many will as well. I simply wish it had been better documented.

 

Very much recommended.