[00:10] One of the Great Plains' little known resources is the organic material held in its soils. This organic matter makes the soil fertile and also helps it retain water. Grassland soil can also store carbon that would otherwise exist in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

[00:29] Using energy from the sun along with water and nutrients from the soil, plants convert carbon dioxide into living tissue through the process known as photosynthesis.

[00:39] When plants die and decompose, the nutrients they hold are returned to the soil. Carbon from plant tissue can be stored underground in this way.

[00:49] When land is plowed for farming, the underground soil is exposed to the air. Carbon unites with oxygen and re-enters the atmosphere.

[00:57] Agricultural practices that reduce soil tillage are gaining attention as a way to rebuild soil organic carbon and reduce the greenhouse gases that warm the Earth. A carefully managed farm does a lot more than give us food.

[01:12] For Our Changing Planet, I'm Jane Joyce. To learn more about Our Changing Planet, visit us on the web at www.umac.org/ocp.

[01:22] Our Changing Planet is a production of UMAC, the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium at the University of North Dakota.