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Western Corn Belt Plains

Ecoregion in KS, NE, IA, MO, SD

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Once mostly covered with tallgrass prairie, over 80 percent of the Western Corn Belt Plains is now used for cropland agriculture and much of the remainder is in forage for livestock. A combination of nearly level to gently rolling glaciated till plains and hilly loess plains, an average annual precipitation of 26 to 37 inches, which occurs mainly in the growing season, and fertile, warm, moist soils make this on of the most productive areas of corn and soybeans in the world. Agricultural practices have contributed to environmental issues, including surface and groundwater contamination from fertilizer and pesticide applications as well as concentrated livestock production.

— EPA

Plants

American Pokeweed Phytolacca americana (species), “Virginian Pokeweed”, “Pokeweed”, “Inkberry”, “American Nightshade”, “Cancer Jalap”, “Coakum”, “Garget”, “Pigeon Berry”, “Pocan Bush”, “Poke Root”, “Red Ink Plant”, “Redweed”, “Scoke”

Western Corn Belt Plains

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