Livestock that harvest the grass are also a renewable resource. A grassland is an area on earth that is dominated by grass as the natural vegetation. North Dakota s average precipitation is 17 inches. The major use of a grassland is for agricultural purposes with almost three-fourths of the world s food being grown on rich and fertile grassland soils. The animals bite off the plants so often that they can not fully recover before being bitten again.
Many ranchers use various methods of managing their herds to promote plant growth.
Controlled and rotational grazing limits soil erosion while allowing stimulation of grass and plant growth, which is comparable to mowing a lawn. Farmers and ranchers move their herds frequently and systematically to allow plants to grow. This region became known as the waving prairie because as the grass moved with the wind, it looked like waves. At times this grass was so high that a rider on horseback could barely be seen over it. A natural grassland is an area where the grass has not been plowed under.