Modern-Day Dust Bowl Isn't Easy, But It Beats The 1930s

Published August 20, 2014 at 12:50 PM CDT

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Farmer John Schweiser, 80, has had to take shelter from recent dust storms. He also lived through the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. (Luke Runyon/Harvest Public Media)

The historic drought that continues to hammer the West shows no signs off abating. Most of California remains in severe drought conditions, with its groundwater aquifers in danger of being depleted. Officials in Los Angeles have beefed up their use of “water cops” to make sure people aren’t wasting water.

Meanwhile, in the plains and on the panhandle, it's been drier than it was during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. And yet, many farmers are surviving. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Luke Runyon of Harvest Public Media traveled to some drought-stricken farms to find out why.

Guest

Luke Runyon, reporter for Harvest Public Media based at KUNC in northern Colorado. He tweets @LukeRunyon.