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Prairie potholes?! What are they? Prairie potholes are low-lying, poorly drained soils that are prone to flooding. The prairie pothole region spans north central Iowa as well as Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana, and parts of Canada. ISU Biomass is exploring how perennial crops (miscanthus) compare to annual crops (corn and soybeans) when planted in prairie potholes. The goal of the project (year 2) is to see if miscanthus is more profitable and can improve ecosystem services compared to corn and soybeans. Dr. Amy Kaleita of the ISU Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering Department has created a diagram (Figure 1) that shows what questions will be addressed.