It has a full color pullout of the grasslands of these continents. Think about the financial impact these animals have on the American economy. Drought is a real threat to the business of ranching. Have the students look up information about the drought that occurred in the summer of 1998 in the southern part of the nation. Take note of the mean annual precipitation for the state of North Dakota.
Ranchers raise grass, and of course cattle.
Grass is just that, a renewable resource. 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.