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Severe drought hits the Midwestern and Southern Plains. As the crops die, the “black blizzards” begin. Dust from the over-plowed and over-grazed land begins to blow.
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It stabilizes the banking industry and restores people’s faith in the banking system by putting the federal government behind it.
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Allots over $200 Million to help farmers who might go under due to the droughts.
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Great dust storms spread from the Dust Bowl area. The drought is the worst ever in U.S. history, covering more than 75 percent of the country and affecting 27 states severely.
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he DRS buys cattle in counties that are designated emergency areas, for $14 to $20 a herd. The cattle are given to the FSRC to be used in food distribution to families nationwide. It is difficult for farmers to give up their herds, the cattle slaughter program helps many of them avoid bankruptcy. “The government cattle buying program was a God-send to many farmers, as they could not afford to keep their cattle, and the government paid a better price than they could obtain in local markets.”
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Black Sunday. The worst “black blizzard” of the Dust Bowl occurs, causing extensive damage.
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Under the direction of Hugh H. Bennett, the SCS will develop extensive conservation programs that retain topsoil and prevent irreparable damage to the land. Farming techniques such as strip cropping, terracing, crop rotation, contour plowing, and cover crops are advocated. Farmers are paid to practice soil-conserving farming techniques.
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They plant native trees from Canada to Texas to prevent erosion. It's estimated to have cost 75 billion dollars over a period of 12 years. Near the middle of the project, it's transferred to WPA where there's limited success.
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Roosevelt addresses the nation in his second inaugural address, stating, “I see one-third of the nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished… the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
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During the next few years, with the coming of World War II, the country is pulled out of the Depression and the plains once again become golden with wheat.