Plowprint Report

The 2020 Plowprint Report finds that between 2014 and 2018, grasslands in the Great Plains were tilled at an average rate of four football fields per minute. In 2018, approximately 2.1 million acres were converted across the U.S. and Canada, though this was offset by a 2 million acre increase in perennial cover. Wheat is the primary driver of conversion in the Northern Great Plains, while corn and soy dominate conversion across the U.S. The report also introduces a new analysis of northern Mexico's grasslands and updates its tracking methodology to improve spatial resolution and accuracy.

• Between 2014 and 2018, the average rate of grassland tillage across the Great Plains was equivalent to four football fields every minute.
• In 2018, approximately 2.1 million acres of grasslands were converted across the Great Plains of the U.S. and Canada, representing a slight increase from the 2 million acres converted in 2017.
• There was a significant increase in perennial cover in 2018, with 2 million acres added across the Great Plains and 440,000 acres in the Northern Great Plains (NGP).
• In the Northern Great Plains, wheat is the leading driver of grassland conversion at 41%, followed by corn (9%) and soybeans (7%). Wheat produced for export accounts for 55% of newly tilled acres, while cattle feed is the primary driver for corn (47%) and soybean (62%) conversion.
• The 2020 report updated its methodology to improve accuracy, including increasing the USDA Cropland Data Layer spatial resolution to 30m and implementing a 2-year crop rule to exclude one-off misidentifications.

APA

WWF International (2020). Plowprint Report. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/353/803vp43xa0_PlowprintReport_2020_FINAL_08042020.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Plowprint Report. 2020. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/353/803vp43xa0_PlowprintReport_2020_FINAL_08042020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Plowprint Report |date=2020 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/353/803vp43xa0_PlowprintReport_2020_FINAL_08042020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2020plowprint, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Plowprint Report}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/353/803vp43xa0_PlowprintReport_2020_FINAL_08042020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }