Farming the Dust Bowl: A First-Hand Account from Kansas

by Lawrence Svobida

This is a powerful original account of one man’s efforts to raise wheat on his farm in Meade County, Kansas, during the 1930s. Lawrence Svobida tells of farmers “fighting in the front-line trenches, putting in crop after crop, year after year, only to see each crop in turn destroyed by the elements.” Although not a writer by trade, Svobida undertook to record what he saw and experienced “to help the reader to understand what is taking place in the Great Plains region, and how serious it is.” He wrote of the need for better farming methods—the only way, he felt, the destruction could be halted or confined. Well before the principles of an ecological movement were widely embraced, Svobida urged a public acceptance of the “sovereign rights of the states and the nation to regulate the use of land by owners . . .so that it may be conserved as a national resource.” This graphic account of farm life in the Dust Bowl—perhaps the only autobiographical record of Dust Bowl agriculture in existence—was first published in 1941. This new edition contains an introduction by the historian R. Douglas Hurt that not only objectively sets the scene during and after the Dust Bowl, but also places the book properly in the growing body of contemporary literature on agriculture and land use. The volume is an important contribution to American agricultural history in general, and the the history of the Depression and of the Great Plains in particular.

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1986

Reviews

[Jessica McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a detailed, first-hand account of farming in the 1930s Dust Bowl. It's honest and passionate, without being overly sentimental. A great read for anyone researching this time period or the history of farming.

[Clair Keizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Timothy Egan's remarkable book, "The Worst Hard Time" created motivation to read Lawrence Svobida's personal recollections in "Farming the Dust Bowl." Svobida, a western Kansas farmer in Meade County lived and farmed as best he could through the 1930s in the midst of the Black Blizzards, drought and depression that plagued local farmers and ranchers. Svobida's account of life in those years is a perfect accompaniment to Egan's writing as it painfully recalls the difficulties of maintaining his wheat farm, his perseverance as well as neighboring farmers through those harrowing times. The one constant throughout the writing is Svobida's optimism that the next day would be better; that the next planting season would bring better results; that the weather would change and improve his efforts. He also expresses his confidence in his abilities to succeed, even as those around him eventually throw in the towel. "Farming the Dust Bowl" is a remarkable remembrance of The Worst Hard Time in the Great Plains, but it is also a moving tribute to the calling and commitment of the American Farmer.

[Iris Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work is part hypothesis, part memoir. The author offers valuable insights into his own life and those of his neighbors. While Svobida claims to maintain an unbiased perspective, he ultimately shapes the narrative around his belief that the Great Plains were always destined to become a desert unfit for farming. To support this argument, the book follows a mostly linear structure but occasionally doubles back to revisit key events and themes. Despite these structural repetitions, Svobida's firsthand account remains an invaluable primary source on life during the Dust Bowl.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally not a book I would read - picked it up for a school project and started reading it. Enjoyed it and was determined to finish it for my own reasons instead of for a paper. Lawrence is an admirable man!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't imagine experiencing the dustbowl though I think I live in a place that had been affected by it

[Dayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable ... which surprised me. It's a very gripping, first-hand account of the Dust Bowl in Kansas. It has been used as a source for PBS documentaries, so I guess it's pretty well respected among historians. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Dust Bowl, or just the drought of the 1930s, and the Depression era in general.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to read in general but more interesting if you have an interest in farming, Kansas, the dustbowl or the dression era.
The only thing lacking is an account of what happeded to Lawrence. The book just ends. What happened to his neighbours, himself and what has happened to his farm?