Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I tip my hat to the Texans who grow all the beef that I eat.
I wouldn't say ALL. The Midwest has a ton of beef cows, as that's where most of their food comes from anyway. The main areas of Nebraska/Kansas/Iowa/S. Dakota/Missouri and Wisconsin actually produce twice as many beef cows as Texas - although Texas alone is the #1 state with 14% of national production.
Midwesterners may hate me for saying it, but I always say how glad I am that people are willing to live there and grow things for me to eat!
Why would they hate you for it!? It brings billions into the region every year.
As far as the OP: The area was mostly grassland and prairie, not trees. The grasses have been burnt by natives for thousands of years. The grasses would grow back right away, but it would kill off any trees. This kept a large % of the land in the western Midwest free of trees. The grasses held in all the dirt, and through the constant burnings/etc. the soils became abnormally rich and full of nutrients.
Settlers to the area were in shock when they realized all they had to do was burn the grasses and be left with soil that wasn't loose and 8" deep as with typical topsoil around the country - but black/dense and many many feet deep into the ground. It's a reason Iowa and Illinois are 49th and 50th in the amount of uncultivated land. The soil is a jackpot as far as growing an abnormal yield of crops. Certainly some of the "best" topsoil anywhere on earth.
We were also wondering if these states used to be composed entirely of forest, and then vast areas of trees were removed in order to have corn and soybean fields.
It would have looked something like this: http://icons-ak.wunderground.com/dat...nMayland/9.jpg
Next time you'll have to explore the plains, the Driftless, Door County, and northern Minnesota/northern Michigan to get the full spectrum of Midwest terrain.
Quote:
Then, we went up into Michigan and spent the third night at Kalamazoo. Nothing to talk about here lol. The next day, we went to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, OH. Awesome park, and awesome views of Lake Erie.
As far as the OP: The area was mostly grassland and prairie, not trees. The grasses have been burnt by natives for thousands of years. The grasses would grow back right away, but it would kill off any trees. This kept a large % of the land in the western Midwest free of trees. The grasses held in all the dirt, and through the constant burnings/etc. the soils became abnormally rich and full of nutrients.
Settlers to the area were in shock when they realized all they had to do was burn the grasses and be left with soil that wasn't loose and 8" deep as with typical topsoil around the country - but black/dense and many many feet deep into the ground. It's a reason Iowa and Illinois are 49th and 50th in the amount of uncultivated land. The soil is a jackpot as far as growing an abnormal yield of crops. Certainly some of the "best" topsoil anywhere on earth.
Well, it was until they let it all blow away in the 1930s....
I'll echo the words of a few others and say that you should have stopped in either Cleveland or Pittsburgh on your trip. Mostly just because reading "Cleveland wasn't terrible" on these boards fills my heart with joy.
I posted these since no one's heard of the Dust Bowl before
really? you are referencing "the dust bowl"?! until "they" let it blow away? you should consider getting out more or read your own links... The Dust Bowl affected 100,000,000 acres..., centered on the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and adjacent parts of NewMexico, Colorado, and Kansas.
I think Iowa is actually a really beautiful state, I was so impressed.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
you should consider getting out more or read your own links... The Dust Bowl affected 100,000,000 acres..., centered on the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and adjacent parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas. 
