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The Great Plains states were hit by a series of droughts in the 1930s. Agricultural tilling of the soil had removed ground cover and broken up the soil. Drought dried it up. Winds carried small soil particles off in enormous clouds, moving them hundreds of miles. Less dramatic in photos, but maybe as destructive, was the movement of larger soil particles across the ground.

Farmers had two key tools to address soil erosion. They could leave strips of their fields fallow, or use trees and shrubs to create windbreaks. A farmer taking these measures protected his own fields, but lost the use of some agricultural land. He also protected his neighbor's fields from soil drifting off of his own property. A farmer who failed to take these steps not only saw his own farm lose its productivity, but imposed a negative externality on his neighbors as his soil drifted over their fields. Moving soil could form drifts up to 40 feet high.

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14y ago

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