Besides being hardy in the winter, it had other good qualities too. It grew long roots that could find moisture deep in the earth, an important quality on a dry prairie farm. It provided a good yield of wheat. It was easy to mill, and good for baking.
In fact, it is some of the best farmland in the world. Wheat is an important crop, because wheat can grow well even without much rainfall. Large areas of the Great Plains, like this land in Texas, are also used for grazing cattle.
