What would you think if someone told you that the world is not producing enough food to feed everyone? Then they said, “the nutrients in our soil are depleted and will not support the growth of crops anymore,” and also that “the fossil fuels we need to support our infrastructure will one day soon dry up forever.” Well, if you are anything like me, that is a terrifying thought. In William Least Heat-Moon’s book PrairyErth, based in the mid-1980’s, we hear from two farming experts, one with the first-hand experience of the way equipment has changed over the 20th century and the other with creative ideas that rock the boat about the future he believes is inevitable. Knowing the differences in farming today versus the methods in the 80s, I have…show more content… In my eyes, I believe that it goes along with what Wes Jackson believed in; crossbreeding perennial grains is one of the most important breakthroughs agriculture needs, and through Kernza it is being realized. The chapter’s name is “To Consult the Genius of the Place in All,” which I believe the “Genius” to be Earth and the “Place in All” to be the naturally occurring resources and ecosystems. If you look at our timeline, you will notice that we started farming by just working to feed our animals and ourselves. With the introduction of fossil fuels and large equipment, we began to farm mine as if it were coal, leading to the degradation of our fertile farmlands. Finally, you have the advances of today moving us toward a few of the visions that Wes Jackson said must happen (with the exception of living like the Amish). Slowly, we are transitioning towards renewable resources for energy and working on viable crops that will endure to feed generations to come. As I said in the beginning, I believe humanity will eventually reach the point where we are finally protecting our most precious resource….Earth (Heat-Moon 493, The Land
