The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #148179   Message #3439578
Posted By: GUEST,pattyClink
20-Nov-12 - 08:32 PM
Thread Name: Ken Burns's 'The Dust Bowl'
Subject: RE: Ken Burns's 'The Dust Bowl'
I was in a conference today on devising solutions water deficits in our state, and there was for once some good news-- about irrigation methods being used in Nebraska & other Great Plains states. Seems there are now a whole array of techniques that can cut down water use by 30% or better, some damn simple and cheap to implement, if the farmers can be persuaded to do them, and that one problem is the lack of manpower of trained people to go out and help people learn and implement.

It was eerie to hear the same cycle having to be repeated, like the way the Dust Bowl farmers had to start contouring and stop plowing up every acre possible. And hearing that WPA employed 8 MILLION people. We could certainly use at least a few thousand fanning out to start working on our water problems.