In this WBUR 90.9 FM story by Harvest Public Media reporter Luke Runyon, farmers explain why the current High Plains drought has not caused nearly as much havoc as the 1930s drought, although this drought is actually worse. Modern farming methods are to thank, and of course, the Ogallala Aquifer. But the aquifer is dwindling and won’t save farmers for long, unless changes are made to federal farm and ethanol policies. Those policies encourage farmers to grow corn, the thirstiest crop of all. And guess who we feed it to: Not humans, but cars and cows.
We are western Kansas dryland farmers and would love to be able to have Ms. Bair out for a Soil Conservation meeting and book signing, if possible. We have always felt we need to conserve the precious water in the Aquifer, but seem to be meeting with a lot of resistance from fellow irrigators. I can appreciate the money they have put into their systems, but, if we have no water those systems will be useless. We need to learn to budget and use cover crops and ground covers to keep the moisture in the soil as long as possible so less and less “artificial” rain need be applied. Any word from Ms. Bair would be appreciated. Thank you!