RAIN ON THE PLAINS

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you [Music] not so long ago the Great Plains of our country were covered with grass and livestock but gradually as the region developed the land was overgrazed and used too hard over large areas Farmers finally replaced the ranchers and began pling the soil at intervals during each year the land was left bare and much of the little rain that fell ran off lacking water the cultivated soil dried dep poter and was unable to produce the grass or crops that would have anchored it more and more of the dry soil began to blow and then in a time of drought Giant dust storms became familiar Spectacles on May 12th 1934 for the first time since the white man came to America the sun was darkened over the nation's capital by dust blown from The Plains New York Philadelphia and other Eastern cities had the same [Music] experience the big dust storms came only once or twice a year but even more destructive were the steady sweeping winds lasting many months each year and keeping the dry powdery soil restless and unproductive the shifting sand drifted over cropland choked out plant life and was a constant threat to adjoining Fields the wind sifted the soil carried off the fine particles and Left Behind the coarse infertile sand some of the Restless soil piled up in great drifts all but obliterating fence rows and highways often it covered buildings buried sheds in farm machinery and even formed great drifts around homes no land could withstand such punishment indefinitely without erosion control the soil of the Plains would have been in impoverished incapable of producing crops and barely able to support the native [Music] grasses but the seeming hopelessness of some of the land did not Doom the region to ruined by a wind erosion conservationists knew that rainfall on the plains if saved was usually sufficient to support production with rain properly stored in the ground grass and crops would flourish the soil would be anchored against dust storms and there would be an end to erosion over the years farmers and ranchers came to rely on practical measures especially designed to conserve soil and water contour tillage for example this means plowing across the slope of the land on the level so that each Furrow forms a little Dam to hold the rain teres supplement Contour tillage they are simple to build and in the course of just a few years they save a lot of soil and water when properly built and maintained Terraces conserve the rainfall that furrows are unable to hold and water that once ran to waste is held and stored in the soil on pasture land ranchers turn to Contour fur s to help hold back the water the moisture that is saved helps nourish a better cover of grass on the plains strip cropping on the Contour means planting strips of wind resistant crops such as soams between strips of other crops in the small grain sections strips of wheat are planted between strips of or on level land strip cropping need not follow the Contour for there is little danger of the water running off badly damaged fields that were likely to become dangerous blow spots were taken out of cultivation and SED with grass a simple device on a truck did the job in other Troublesome areas the soil was anchored Against The Wind by planting [Applause] grasses where there were drifts of soil and sand the land was first leveled and then stabilized with a cover of grass [Applause] more and more Farmers left a good stubble on their fields after harvesting to tie down the soil and cattle weren't allowed to graze it too [Music] closely quick growing trees adapted to the semiarid climate were planted along field borders to break the sweep of the wind and and many farmers and ranchers began using trees as windbreaks for their homes Earth dams were constructed in natural depressions to store water stock watering ponds evenly distributed brought more uniform grazing and cut down the erosion where conservation methods are practiced the water is saved the soil anchored and crops are abundant in contrast where conservation methods are not used the rainfall is not stored for productive use the crops suffer and the danger of soil blowing [Music] Remains the soils of the Plains are as productive as any in the world if the land is protected and and Rain stored in the soil there will be no more soil blowing the fields will bring forth bumper crops of wheat cotton and sorgum and with reasonable grazing the range will bear a blanket of Rich grass today by working together in soil conservation districts and with technicians of the soil conservation service and ever growing number of farmers and ranchers are ensuring the future of their land and its productivity [Music]