Natural History Wanderings

The NPR blog The Salt recently reported on the loss of grasslands to farms fields for soybeans and corn. Between 2006 and 2011 the U.S. midwest saw the conversion of 1.3 million acres of grassland to soybean and corn crops. Grasslands provide habitat for wild animals, from ground-nesting birds to insects, including bees. Major factors influencing the loss of native grasslands are:

• corn and soybean prices are high
• government subsidizing private insurance for poor harvests
• decreased funding for the government Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to protect wildlife and water quality by keeping land in grass.

To learn more go Pictures Don't Lie: Corn And Soybeans Are Conquering U.S. Grasslands : The Salt : NPR