The Windweed Report

“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.” Thomas Jefferson once said "Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness." This quote can be applied and lived through all eras of our nation. Not once have we had a nation without agriculture, without the need to continue, or the will to survive. The United States of America is the nation to imitate when it comes to the success and pride of our agriculture industry. That isn't to say that we haven't had our flaws, our disasters or our depressions. The Dust Bowl of the Great Depression was a horrific man-made environmental disaster, one of the worst in our nation's history. The Dust Bowl, however, didn't bring an end to agriculture or to the people of our nation. The Dust Bowl brought out the strongest, wisest and most grit-filled individuals. Tough times don

In order to combat the tragedies of the Dust Bowl the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act was passed to address the startling depression in the 1930's. The act was passed by the Supreme Court in 1936 while F.D. Roosevelt was president, to alleviate those affected and struggling with the Great Depression and specifically, the Dust Bowl. The Act was a federal law that enabled the government to be able to pay farmers to reduce production of crops. This was to conserve soil health and prevent erosion. It included directives to conserve the soil that was being raised by the hot winds to create the huge dust storms. The era of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression hit farmers the hardest. The act attempted to correct the former government policies which encouraged farmers to use their land without any regard for the consequences of bad farming practices. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “In signing the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, I feel that I am approving a me