Ways to Prevent a Dust Bowl

Keep the Topsoil

• Plains' farmers during the 1930s stripped the land of its natural topsoil when they prepared the land for agriculture. Shortly before the dust bowl began, farmers had plowed over 5 million acres of land in the Plains region of the Midwest, which left a lighter soil on top. When temperatures in the region heated up, the soil dried and was easily dislodged from the ground by strong winds, resulting in the dust storms. To prevent another dust bowl, preserve the topsoil to keep the lighter dust underneath.

Engage in Better Farming Techniques

• Many farmers in the Great Plains region of the Midwest were advocates of dry farming, a method of farming that uses dust from the overturned ground as mulch to grow crops like wheat. Since the dust bowl, farmers are encouraged to terrace or contour the land. Terracing creates level areas of ground to farm, which is especially useful on uneven land, and contouring creates furrows in between rows of crops with a plow that feeds water to the crops, keeping the soil moist.

Plant Prairie Grass

• Prairie grass grows naturally all over the plains. As farmers prepared land for agricultural use in the early 1900s, they ripped these grasses from the soil. The grasses keep the topsoil in place during drought, unlike other plants that replaced them such as corn and wheat. To prevent a future dust bowl, keep plants like prairie grass and other natural plants in the environment in place.

Maintain the Soil

• As the soil becomes unhealthy and dry, it is more likely to be carried off by wind. Keeping the ground moist will keep the topsoil heavy and in place. Managing the pH of the soil will also keep it healthy. Soil with a pH of about 7.0 out of 14 is substantial with a proper amount of nutrients.