What present day government agency was formed as the result of the Dust Bowl?

A huge dust storm moves across the land during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

During this period, farmers across the Great Plains over-planted, over-plowed and over-grazed their land. The combination of destructive farming techniques and a persistent drought caused 100 million acres of Great Plains farmland topsoil to blow away over several years and created the worst manmade ecological disaster in U.S. history. In some cases, the billowing dust clouds reached as far as the Atlantic Ocean!

This series of events—collectively referred to as the Dust Bowl—prompted Congress to create the Soil Conservation Service, a federal agency dedicated to taking care of our nation’s soil. The agency later changed its name to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and expanded its mission from reducing soil erosion to conserving all natural resources.

On November 18 and 19, the documentary The Dust Bowl, which chronicles the human stories behind the cataclysmic events of the 1930s, will show on PBS stations nationwide. The Soil Conservation Service and its beginnings play a key part in this documentary.

These days, NRCS works one on one with private landowners to implement conservation practices that help protect natural resources like water, air, plants and animals. Over the past 77 years, NRCS has worked with farmers and ranchers to put conservation on more than 97 million acres of agricultural and forest lands nationwide.

But soil conservation remains a priority, as it helps producers increase their yields while ensuring the land becomes more resilient to erosion, drought and other natural resource threats. Many conservation practices help improve soil quality—because healthy soils are the foundation for healthy working lands. Furthermore, USDA studies show that soil erosion is reduced by 43 percent on lands that use conservation practices.

Dr. Hugh Hammond Bennett (left) and Mr. Roach Stewart of Duke Power Company attend a picnic for tenant farmers of the Duke Power Company near Mooresville, N.C.

Hugh Hammond Bennett, the founder of the Soil Conservation Service, said “Take care of the land and the land will take care of you.” This statement is truer than ever, as NRCS, like other USDA agencies, works to address modern issues like climate change and develops methods for feeding an ever-growing population.

Check out more conservation stories on the USDA blog.

Follow NRCS on Twitter.

Category/Topic: Conservation

What present day government agency was formed as the result of the Dust Bowl quizlet?

United States formed the Soil Conservation Service in 1935. Results of a Dust Storm, Oklahoma, 1936. Between 1930 and 1940, the southwestern Great Plains region of the United States suffered a severe drought.

What caused the Dust Bowl quizlet?

3 years of hot weather, droughts and excessive farming were the main causes of the great dust bowl. in 1934, the temperature reached over 100 degrees for weeks. the farmers crops withered and dried up and rivers and wells ran dry. it caused the soil to harden and crack and the great winds caused dust storms.

What are the three steps to the Green Revolution quizlet?

The three steps to the green revolution include the following: Develop high-yield varieties and plant monocultures of crops such as corn, wheat, and rice. Use large quantities of water, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to produce high yields. Increase the number of crops grown per year on the same plot of land.