Why grassland ecology?

Grassland is earth’s biome dominated by herbaceous plants, which is ~40% of earth’s land surface and includes most of our agroecosystems. We explore how restoring and managing grasslands affects their ability to support healthy people today, while building capacity for future generations to do the same. This audacious version of sustainability requires us to restore the ecosystem functions of most of the biome. Our research, engagement, and teaching focuses on restoring perennial grasslands as the basis of most agroecosystems in the upper Midwest USA.

Our agroecological approach

We explore how grassland ecosystem management (e.g., crop choice, planting, tillage, inputs, harvest, grazing, & burning) shapes grassland ecosystem structure (e.g., composition, height, configuration, & diversity) and grassland ecosystem function (soil accrual, carbon accumulation, greenhouse gas fluxes, & hydrologic flows) that underpin critical grassland ecosystem services (e.g., provisioning of food, fiber, & fuel; clean surface & ground water; stable climate, reduced flooding, & biodiversity).

[Here’s a list and links to a curated set of peer-reviewed papers supporting grassland ag as the basis for our agriculture]

The agroecological perspective requires us to strive for these biophysical outcomes while simultaneously identifying and working toward desirable social outcomes for all including meaningful & rewarding work, vital & thriving communities, recreational opportunities, and health & well-being support.

We engage community partners in processes of place-making to drive transformative agricultural system change by helping them intentionally and collectively connect, envision, design, plan, and institutionalize their agroecological futures. We call this process Collaborative Landscape Design, which emerged from Grassland 2.0 – a movement to restore much of the ecosystem function of prairie and savanna to the grassland biome.