Sea of Grass - by Dave Hage & Josephine Marcotty (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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"--

Book Synopsis

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 cost: 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.

Review Quotes

"Prior to the explosion of industrialized farming, America's breadbasket was one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Two journalists explain what this staggering loss of grasslands means for the world at large, and what we can do to fix it."--The New York Times Book Review

"Astounding . . . Although the book contains a variety of sobering stories about the destruction of grasslands, wetlands and the contamination of waterways from agricultural runoff, the authors end the chronicle on a hopeful note."--Billings Gazette

"This exploration of the American grasslands--from soil, water, and insects to farmers, plows, and buffalo--dismays, yes, but also invigorates. In the face of soil degradation, water pollution, and punishing economics, innovators are making a difference. The authors' arguments in defense of the prairie and its people deserve attention."--The Christian Science Monitor

"Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty chronicle an environmental crisis most Americans are unaware of: the ongoing destruction of the country's great prairies. Sea of Grass is eloquent both on the complexity of this amazing ecosystem and its fragility."--Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Under a White Sky

"As radiant as its subject, Sea of Grass reclaims the North American prairie--too long dismissed as a wasteland--as a true wonderland of ecological brilliance and beauty, reminding us that like all of nonhuman nature, the prairie is wiser and more resourceful than the species determined to conquer it."--Jack E. Davis, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Gulf

"Like an expanse of tallgrass, this book bursts with surprising life--you'll meet maverick farmers, rogue environmentalists, and ornery bison, all engaged in the vital project of saving our most vital biome from the vast forces that imperil it."--Ben Goldfarb, author of Crossings and Eager

"One of our human frailties is a short memory; Sea of Grass is an antidote, freshening our cultural recollection with abundance, beauty, and ecology of what was. This captivating book offers tears of repentance wiped away with renewed hope for the future."--Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farm and editor of The Stockman GrassFarmer

"Balanced, nuanced--but overpowering."--Bill McKibben, author The End of Nature

"[A] scintillating study . . . This troubling wake-up call will galvanize readers."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A sweeping history of the American prairie . . . a welcome addition to the literature of America's grasslands, which need all the champions they can get."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

About the Author

Dave Hage oversaw environmental and health reporting at the Minneapolis Star Tribune for a dozen years, editing projects that won a Pulitzer Prize and an Edward R. Murrow Award, among other honors. His previous books include No Retreat, No Surrender: Labor's War at Hormel, and Reforming Welfare by Rewarding Work. A Minneapolis native, he lives in St. Paul with his wife.

Josephine Marcotty is an award-winning environmental journalist who has spent her life in the Midwest. She was a reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she covered complex, science-based topics. Sea of Grass is a natural expansion of her reporting on the vanishing prairie and the consequences of intensive agriculture. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband.