Tallgrass Prairie | Ranchers View
A conversation with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam, Joe Carpenter and Barb Downey talking about what the land means to them.
The video will remain on the website for future viewing.
Creative Director, Shreepad Joglekar
Tallgrass Prairie
The rocky, rolling terrain of the Flint Hills may be unsuitable for cultivated crops, but it excels at growing nutritious grass for cattle. Ranchers have a vested interest in preserving the tallgrass prairie for grazing, but the scenic views this stewardship provides are appreciated by all who visit.
What looks like a homogeneous ocean of grass is actually a complex ecosystem. The diversity of plant life has allowed the prairie to thrive – or at least survive – during times of drought and low rainfall. In high-stress climates, a single plant type or a monoculture would have died, but together they are more resistant. The tallgrass prairie is made up of many grass species and forbs (flowering plant species that are not grasses) with root systems of different depths. What you see above ground is only half the story. Prairie roots can extend eight to fourteen feet below the surface.
The Wabaunsee County Historical Museum’s current exhibit Hay, Hay, Hay explores grass as an important natural resource in Wabaunsee County. Be sure to visit!
Thank you to our
CROSSROADS COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Presenting Partners
Humanities Kansas
Volland Foundation
Arla & Tony Barelli
Kansas Beef Council
Wabaunsee County Historical Society
Community Exhibit Partners
Alma Area Foundation
Bruce & Tina Breckenridge
Bank of the Flint Hills
Downey Ranch Hendricks Hardware
Carl & Mary Ice
Jim & Barbara Meinhardt and KanEquip, Inc.
Lyons Angus RanchM7 Ranch – McGee Family
Matfield Station
Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards
The Native Stone Scenic Byway
Heidi & Nelson Nast
Henry & Cara Newell
Patty & Jerry Reece
Stockgrowers State Bank
George Terbovich
Wabaunsee County Farm Bureau
Community Event Partners for Tallgrass Week
Flint Hills Prairie Bison Reserve
Arturo and Wrenn Pacheco of Pacheco Beef
Lawrence & Janiece Vohland
Greg & Dina Wingfield
EXPLORE Map printed courtesy of Wabaunsee County Economic Development Office
