Dust comes at us in many ways. The most well-known erosion event in America’s history was the Dust Bowl. The old farmer’s adage of “plant your wheat in dust and the bins will bust” may or may not be true all the time. Even the music group Kansas claimed back in the ’70s that “All we are is dust in the wind.”

The subject of dust returned to the news in the last couple of years because of dust storms causing traffic accidents, highway closures and even deaths in several states, including some of the original Dust Bowl states. What does “dust” mean to the average farmer? And just what is dust anyway? 

Many definitions of dust

Webster defines dust as the particles into which something disintegrates, or fine particles of matter of the earth. Soils are not inherently susceptible to forming dust, so long as they are not manipulated by man through tillage or left uncovered and void of living roots over long periods of time.

The Dust Bowl occurred after somewhat fragile grasslands in the West were converted to cropland to support the war effort during and after World War I. At first, things were good; the freshly converted fields produced wheat that provided bread for the soldiers of many nations.

But what was not understood was that period was a “wet” time and rainfall was plentiful. Things changed, rains halted, the soil dried out, and heavy winds started blowing, resulting in huge dust storms that blew all the way to Washington, D.C.

Related:Take first step with conservation

In my office hangs two pictures: one of the Lincoln Memorial during a dust storm, and one of Hugh Hammond Bennett, father of soil conservation, testifying before Congress about the need for a permanent conservation agency to deal with the impacts of the Dust Bowl.

With the recent dust storms in the news, why do we still have an issue? For the most part, the reasons are the same as they were in the ’30s: dry soil, heavy winds and no surface cover due to tillage. In 2024, we do have solutions that were not available in 1935.

Modern solutions to erosion

Every planter made in the last 50 years is capable of planting no-till. I have a picture of corn planted into the edge of a gravel road, and there is a perfect stand. Reducing tillage in your operation is a major step in reducing potential wind erosion.

The second step is to bring cover crops to the table. They provide a living root all winter and a soil surface covered by living vegetation. After planting, the soil is covered with residue until the cash crop is big enough to protect the field from wind erosion. Covers also increase the soil biology to help process the crop residue. Many farmers who are planting into living covers have relatively clean planters at the end of the spring planting season. 

While wind erosion is not necessarily a 100% man-made event, man can drastically change the impact. Do you farm soils that could be impacted by wind erosion under the conditions just discussed? Are you considering changing to a no-till and cover crop system for other reasons? Contact your local soil and water conservation district or Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more information.