former grasslands are among the most productive farming regions.?

Question

what do you think are some reasons for this?

Answer 1

The former grasslands in the US, or the Great Plains, are among the most productive farming regions today mainly because of irrigation from a vast underground water supply. Originally the plains were farmed mostly as land grants. The land was relatively flat and easy to start farming because there was no land that had to be cleared. Farming was only semi successful because this was dry land farming in a land that had a lack of adequate rainfall. A lot of the high organic matter top soil was lost to wind erosion. Today improved agriculture practices and with irrigation the Mid Western Great Plains produces the greater part of the nation's grain crops.

Answer 2

Grasslands tend to be more productive because of higher organic matter levels for one thing. There is as much root below ground as there is above ground. In the Midwest, native grasses can grow 6-8 high easily. Even though trees have deep roots, all those rrots do is anchor the tree in place. Most of the roots that feed the tree are within the top 6 inches of soil. If you ever notice when someone builds a new house and strip soil away from around an adult tree or pile dirt around it, in a couple of years the tree dies. the feeder roots are either removed or covered up. Trees make what seems like a lot of leaves, but from an organic matter view, they make very little. Woodland soils usually have a very shallow layer of organic matter on the surface. In addition, grass plants have old leaves dying all the time which recycles nutrients much more quickly than a tree which has a lot of nutrients locked up in the trunk and branches.

later
Cowboy is mostly correct, but some of the most fertile ag land in the US is grassland areas in the Midwest, IL,IN, IA,MO. These areas are not normally irrigated as they are in the Ogalolla aquifer areas of KS, CO, NE, OK & TX. The Great Plains produces most of the wheat and milo, but the Midwest states produce most of the corn & soybeans. Rice grown is in the alluvial soils of the lower Mississippi River Valley and Sacrament River delta of CA.

Answer 3

the topsoil, good rich black dirt is 20-25 feet deep in most of the corn belt. this was a result of grass dieing in the winter and decomposing after a few hundred thousand years it builds up. in addition the access to the moisture from the gulf of mexico provides adequate rainfall for good crop growth. and it all happened by accident.

Answer 4

The organic matter in the soil is built up while being in grass. The grass decays in the ground increasing fertility.

Answer 5

Good topsoil!