The landscape of North Dakota before farming was dominated by prairie. The prairies thrived for thousands of years and consisted of grasses and broadleaf plants that deconstructed sediment minerals, releasing nutrients they needed, such as phosphorus, potassium and zinc, and tending to conserve and recycle them close to the soil surface.

When I left the university with my master’s degree in 1976 and joined a fertilizer retail chain as agronomist, corn yields averaged about 140 bushels per acre. At the same time in North Dakota, where I have been North Dakota State University extension soil specialist for almost 20 years, yields were about 80 bushels. When I visit old corn grower friends in Illinois, they tell me that their average is over 200 bushels per acre, and corn growers in eastern North Dakota often average over 160 bushels per acre.