Agricultural expansion plows under 2 million acres of North American grasslands annually

New research from the World Wildlife Fund documents the accelerating conversion of grasslands to commodity crops, a trend with significant implications for carbon storage, biodiversity, and soil health.

First covered Oct 26, 2026 · 1:59 AM PT · 1 article · no longer in the live window

Agricultural expansion plows under 2 million acres of North American grasslands annually — Image via insideclimatenews.org

Coverage

16d Inside Climate News Production Agriculture Is Driving Grasslands Loss Across North America — Commodity crops are continuing to eat up the vast, near-mythical sweep of North American grasslands, with nearly 2 million acres being plowed under every year,…

More coverage from around the web

trellis.net Past deforestation awaits a world of conversion-free supply chains

worldwildlife.org 2.6M Acres Grassland Lost in Great Plains

earth.com Nearly 5,000 acres of North America’s grasslands are lost to farming each day

worldwildlife.org Plowprint Report

worldwildlife.org 2.1M Acres of Great Plains Grasslands Lost

Appeared in: 2026-10-26 (#17)

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