Last year, 1.7 million acres of grasslands were lost across the Great Plains to crop production, according to new research from World Wildlife Fund (WWF). While stark, this number represents an overall decrease in conversion from 2016, with 800,000 less acres plowed, benefiting the critical ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and rural communities who rely on these intact grasslands. However, the region of South Dakota that was once hit hardest by the Dust Bowl has experienced a dramatic increase in plow-up over the past year.
