64.4k views
5 votes
Why are the great plains so good for farming?

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The Great Plains are good for farming due to their flat terrain, fertile soil, and irrigation. However, decades of commercial farming and ecological imbalances have made the region vulnerable. The region's dryness and soil conditions also make it more suitable for wheat farming than corn and soybeans.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Great Plains are good for farming because of their flat terrain and fertile soil. The region is known as America's breadbasket because it contains some of the most fertile agricultural land in the world. The climate in the Midwest and Great Plains gradually becomes more arid as you move west, making it ideal for growing crops like wheat.



Additionally, irrigation has allowed farmers to develop nearly every acre of flat soil in the Southern Plains. However, decades of commercial farming and the alteration of the ecological balance have made the region vulnerable. This, combined with an extended drought in the mid-1930s, turned much of the topsoil into dust, resulting in the ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl.



Furthermore, the wheat belt in the Great Plains was originally dominated by short grass prairie, which is less productive than tall grass prairie. The dryness of the region slows plant growth and reduces the effectiveness of the decomposition process, making it more suitable for wheat farming instead of crops like corn and soybeans.

User Oliver Jones
by
8.1k points