Just Like the "Dirty Thirties" - Oklahoma Is Dusting Up
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06.25.08
It's not yet as dry and dusty as when Woodie Guthrie first sang "So long, it's been good to know yuh..." But, it's getting there.
While heavy rains are flooding crops across the Midwest and most of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Panhandle has been hit with one of the worst droughts in its history. It's drier now than it was in the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s and to date it's the second driest year on record for the Panhandle.Via::NewsOK,com, In Panhandle, the best crops are Dust Bowl memories.
This too reduces the amount of grain that will be produced by US farmers, just as the Midwest floods have done.
One thing Economics professors seldom mention is the possible role of the agricultural losses of the Dust Bowl era (~1930 - 1940) in causing the Great Depression (~1929 - 1939). That economies depend on living systems (like soil) just never seems to be credited.
The truth is, in the face of severe weather extremes, "drought tolerant plants' and government subsidies can do little in the short term.
This 'dust from the past' should remind us of the importance of maintaining basic soil conservation practices. Many of the farming practices that had been in place in response to lessons of the 1930s, are now abandoned. Without those tree lines, we may hear once again Dust Bowl Ballads.
A final thought: should this spread and worsen (which, TeeVee news will be showing the dust clouds 24/7. The term "Climate Change" will be unavoidable.
See also::Ethanol Death Watch As Corn Prices Rocket AND Living In The Up-Down, Hot-Cold, Dry-Wet Future
Image credit::Fair Valley Eagle, Okie Legacy, Great Blow of 1934
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Oklahoma recently started rounding up and deporting all illegal aliens, which riipped the heart out of their economy. I bet they'd like to have them back now, but they'd probably not want to go.
Please remember that the dust bowl was not just caused by drought. there were also bad agriculture practices and fields that were worked for the war that were now fallow. There were so many influences that caused the dust bowl that have been dealt with or are not a problem now that a reoccurred of seeing all of that Oklahoma real estate blow into New Mexico is very unlikely. I'm an Okie, my grandparents were lived through the dust bowl. they all thought pretty much the same thing. It was caused by agricultural mismanagement.
While panhandle farmers may be hurting right now I don't think that we will see the dust bowl again any time soon.
It caused it after the fact? I'm sure it didn't help the economy rebound, but I doubt it was a cause.
Surely this is yet another example of the global catastrophe that face perhaps (but hopefully not) our childrens children. With all the intelligence (and finance) that the human race has, why dont we apply it to managing farming correctly ? It really is ludicrous that we know whats going to eventually happen yet wont do anything to stop it !
PS despite the high cost of living, it still remains hugely popular !
What on Earth does an illegal alien have to do with a drought? Maybe they were the cause of the drought and that is why they were deported?
You say "seldom", but I've heard the connection frequently. "LittleHeathens" -- the current best seller about growing up on an Iowa farm in the great depression -- mentions it, I think the Grapes of Wrath is commonly seen as both a great depression/dust bowl book.
The land dried up and blew away and there was barely enough money in the economy to pay taxes, let alone buy food, clothing, and other goods.
The Dust Bowl was caused by Sunspots, Right?