United States Soil Conservation Service

The United States Soil Conservation Service (SCS), established in 1935, was a government organization created to address the severe soil erosion and depletion that plagued the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl era. This ecological disaster, exacerbated by drought and unsustainable farming practices like deep plowing and the removal of native grasses, led to massive dust storms and widespread migration.1

The SCS, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, promoted and funded conservation techniques such as contour plowing, strip cropping, terracing, crop rotation, and the planting of cover crops. It also established soil conservation districts to implement national guidelines locally. These efforts, alongside other New Deal programs, helped to gradually halt wind erosion and restore grasslands, leading to the recovery of the region by the early 1940s. Soil conservation, in general, refers to the prevention of soil erosion and depletion, as well as the management of soil for optimal crop yields and improvement.12