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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #359526
Research Project: Sustainable Agricultural Systems for the Northern Great Plains

Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Title: History of grass breeding for grazing lands in the Northern Great Plains of the USA and Canada

Author
item VOGEL, KENNETH - Retired ARS Employee
item Hendrickson, John

Submitted to: Rangelands
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/17/2018
Publication Date: 3/6/2019
Citation: Vogel, K., Hendrickson, J.R. 2019. History of grass breeding for grazing lands in the Northern Great Plains of the USA and Canada. Rangelands. 41:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2018.11.006.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2018.11.006

Interpretive Summary: In the early 1930’s there were millions of acres of extensively degraded grazing lands and abandoned and eroded cropland in the Northern Plains of the USA and Canada. Grass breeding and plant materials programs were established by both the US and Canadian governments and cooperating universities to develop re-vegetation materials. Efforts of a small number of research locations and people resulted in grass cultivars or varieties that were used to re-vegetate and preserve the soil on millions of acres of land. This is a brief history of the people, agencies, and universities that developed these cultivars that restored and increased the productivity of grasslands in the Northern Plains.

Technical Abstract: In the early 1930’s there were millions of acres of extensively degraded grazing lands and abandoned and eroded cropland in the Northern Plains of the USA and Canada due to drought and mismanagement. Grass breeding and plant materials programs were established by both the US and Canadian governments and some cooperating agricultural universities to provide the plant materials for re-vegetation. Because of the efforts of a relatively small number of research locations and people, grass cultivars were developed that have been used to re-vegetate and preserve the soil on millions of acres of land and adapted, improved cultivars of both native and introduced grasses are now available for establishing and improving grazing lands in the Northern Plains. This is a brief history of the people, agencies, and universities that made this land transformation possible.