Those of you who like to read about climate and history will be interested in this story published by AgWeb back in December. It talks about the severe loss of topsoil in North Dakota during the Dust Bowl and how shipping buffalo bones east further reduced soil fertility in the area because of the loss of their phosphate. The story details how bad some of those losses were. Sadly, the soil will not be recovered in our lifetimes, if ever. You can read more here.