The cost of the dust bowl in terms of human suffering remains untold. The cost in dollars and cents has never been fully calculated either, although experts estimate that it may have reached $1 billion in 1930s dollars. In today's values, that figure would be at least ten times larger.

Most people would agree, however, that all the suffering and the cost are in the past. More important to everyone today is the answer to the question, could the dust bowl happen again?

Yes or No?

Many people say "no." Farmers have learned techniques to protect their fields from wind erosion. They have been able to tap into reservoirs of water deep below the earth's surface and can draw from them to irrigate crops. They have government support to aid them when crops fail or prices are low. The Soil and Water Conservation Society of...