Grassland
Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture
ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Books Series

Grassland: Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture takes on the task of increasing our awareness of the vital role grass and grassland plants have in ensuring a sustainable future for America. Geared toward agriculturists, students, the public, and policy makers, Grassland aims to inspire and provide the reader the foundation needed to move into the future.

Three main sections

• track the history of grassland farming, highlighting the voices of grassland advocates
• examine the current roles that grassland plays throughout the United States
• look at the benefits grass-based agriculture can provide when grass is treated as an essential resource

As Wendell Berry so eloquently argues in the foreword to Grassland, "True farmers have minds that are complex and responsible. . . . They understand and honor their debts to nature. They understand and honor their obligations to neighbors and consumers. They understand and respect the land's need to be protected from washing. . . . In the time that is coming, we are going to need many more such farmers than we have, and we will need them much sooner than we can expect to get them. We will get them only to the extent that young people come along who are willing to fit their farming to the nature of their farms and their home landscapes, and who recognize the paramount importance of grass and grazing animals to good farming everywhere." This book will help that happen.

Foreword ix
Wendell Berry

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Contributors xvii

Part One Past is Prologue

1 Grass in the Timeline of Agriculture 3
Frederick Kirschenmann, Terry Gompert, and Allen Williams

2 H. A. Wallace, J. J. Ingalls, O. S. Aamodt, and Other Voices of the 19th and 20th Centuries 15
Vivien Gore Allen and John Herschel Fike

3 Reflections from Grass: The 1948 Yearbook of Agriculture 29
Walter F. Wedin and Steven L. Fales

Part Two The Present: Transitions over 60 Years

4 Grassland: Definition, Origins, Extent, and Future 57
Matt A. Sanderson, David Wedin, and Ben Tracy

5 The Western United States Rangelands: A Major Resource 75
Kris Havstad, Debra Peters, Barbara Allen-Diaz, James Bartolome, Brandon Bestelmeyer, David Briske, Joel Brown, Mark Brunson, Jeff Herrick, Lynn Huntsinger, Patricia Johnson, Linda Joyce, Rex Pieper, Tony Svejcar, and Jin Yao

6 Grazinglands, Forages, and Livestock in Humid Regions 95
Craig C. Sheaffer, Lynn E. Sollenberger, Marvin H. Hall, Charles P. West, and David B. Hannaway

7 Grass-based Farming Systems: Soil Conservation and Environmental Quality 121
Jeremy W. Singer, Alan J. Franzluebbers, and Douglas L. Karlen

8 Urban, Suburban, and Rural Amenities of Grass 137
A. J. Turgeon

Part Three The Forward Look: Opportunities and Challenges

9 Grasses and Legumes: Genetics and Plant Breeding 157
E. Charles Brummer, Joseph H. Bouton, Michael D. Casler, Mark H. McCaslin, and Blair L. Waldron

10 People, Grassland, and Livestock in Revitalized Rural Communities 173
Paul Lasley, Maynard Hogberg, Zane Helsel, and Andrew Larson

11 Grass and Human Nutrition 189
Heather D. Karsten and David J. Baer

12 Grasses and Legumes for Cellulosic Bioenergy 205
M. D. Casler, E. Heaton, K. J. Shinners, H. G. Jung, P. J. Weimer, M. A. Liebig, R. B. Mitchell, and M. F. Digman

13 Grasses and Legumes for Bio-based Products 221
Paul J. Weimer and J. Bradley Morris

14 The Road Ahead: Policy, Programs, and Progress 235
D. J. Undersander, J. H. Bouton, and M. A. Massengale

Index 249

Walter Wedin is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota, and Emeritus Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University. His particular professional interests are in forages and grazing lands.

Steven L. Fales is Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University. His research and teaching have focused on improving forage management for economic and environmental sustainability and on understanding elements of forage and biomass composition and quality for livestock productivity and bioenergy applications.