Late 1800s – Early 1900s
- Native grasslands are plowed to meet high wheat demand, aided by wet years and farm policies.
- Over 100 million acres are converted to cropland, exposing fragile soils to wind and water erosion.
Conservation Timeline
As you learned in the Hugh Hammond Bennett story, at the turn of the 20th century the Great Plains were seen as the final frontier of American agriculture. The vast stretches of rich, native grasslands promised prosperity to those willing to work the land. Farmers plowed millions of acres of grasslands across the Great Plains into fields, encouraged by the Homestead Movement, demand for wheat, and a string of favorable growing seasons with record crop production. Beneath this booming agricultural expansion, an environmental crisis lurked.
Review each step of the interactive timeline to journey through time, watching Bennett’s ideas take root and grow into today’s modern conservation practices.
Early 1900
- Bennett joins the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a soil scientist, studying and classifying soil types across the country.
- In Virginia, he observes stark differences between forested and cultivated soils, realizing that land management directly affects soil health.
1920s
- Hugh Hammond Bennett publishes “Soil Erosion: A National Menace”, bringing light to the soil erosion crisis.
- His warnings are largely ignored, but he persists in raising awareness through speeches and continued writing.
1929
- The stock market crashes, ushering in the Great Depression.
- Farmers plow even more land to recover losses, worsening erosion problems.
- Massive dust storms begin sweeping across the Plains, stripping away exposed topsoil.
Early 1930s
- Congress authorizes funds for investigations into soil erosion, establishing 10 erosion research stations.
- In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launches the New Deal, which includes emergency soil erosion projects.
1933 – 1934
- Demonstration projects, including the Coon Creek Watershed Project in Wisconsin, showcase successful conservation methods like contour farming and terraces.
- Dust storms continue to devastate farms, prompting urgent national attention.
1935
- During a Senate hearing on soil conservation, a massive dust storm darkens Washington, D.C. and dramatically proves Bennett’s point.
- Congress unanimously passes legislation creating the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) within the USDA, and Bennett is appointed as the agency’s first Chief.
Late 1930s
- Roosevelt urges states to establish local soil conservation districts, allowing farmers to lead conservation efforts in their communities.
- The first soil conservation district, Brown Creek Soil Conservation District, was established in Bennett’s hometown.
1940s – 1950s
- Conservation Districts continue to be established across the country.
- The SCS grows into a national network supporting farmers with science-based conservation practices.
- Bennett continues leading the agency until his retirement in 1951, promoting voluntary, locally led conservation.
- The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS), a non-profit professional society, is founded by Bennett.
- The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is established as a national voice for all conservation districts.
- The Watershed Protection and Control Act integrates soil and water conservation efforts.
1960s – 1970s
- The Clean Air Act expands federal conservation efforts to improve air quality.
- The Federal Water Pollution Act increases attention to non-point source water quality.
- Resource Conservation & Development Councils (RC&D’s) are created.
- The National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) is established to unite and strengthen state conservation agencies across the nation.
1980s – 1990s
- The Soil Conservation Service is renamed the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to reflect its broader mission.
- The farm crisis led to innovative conservation policies, as part of the Resource Conservation Act.
- The National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) forms to connect district employees nationwide and support their professional growth.
2014
The National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) is created to strengthen collaboration among conservation partners, revitalize conservation planning, and enhance delivery at the field level through unified leadership and action teams.
Today
The NCPP partners continue the great work started by Bennett, still implementing many of his conservation strategies today.
“Out of the long list of nature's gifts to man, none is perhaps so utterly essential to human life as soil.”
– Hugh Hammond Bennett
“Out of the long list of nature's gifts to man, none is perhaps so utterly essential to human life as soil.”
– Hugh Hammond Bennett