Shawn Van Ausdal is assistant professor of history and geography at the Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia. With a doctorate in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, his research lies at the intersection of environmental history, agrarian (and food) studies, and development geographies. His current project, ''The Logic of Livestock: Ranching Landscapes in Northern Colombia, 1850-1972,'' explores the material practices, economic rationale, and political conflicts behind the transformation of Colombian lowland forests into a landscape of grass.