Summary

Chapter 21: Verdict

Bennett reported back to FDR that he thought the Great Plains could be saved, but there was no quick solution, no miracle that would instantly turn it around. Bennett believed that the answer was for the farms to treat the prairie soil with respect, save what soil could be saved through contour plowing, crop rotation and conservation. Roosevelt wanted an honest verdict on why the top soil had blown away. Had homesteading the region been a mistake? Bennett submitted his findings in a report on August 17, 1936. The report found that the climate had not changed and that droughts were part of the normal cycle of the region. It was wrong-headed public policies that were responsible for the decline of the area, most specifically the homesteading policy which led to over-grazing and over-cropping.

The fundamental cause of the region’s demise was...