Farming Problems

• Low rainfall and few rivers

  • No rivers for transporting goods
  • Not enough water for animals
  • Frequent droughts
  • Too dry for many crops
• Few trees

  • No timber for houses and fences
  • Houses had to be made of earth (sod houses)
  • No wood for cooking and heating
• Extreme climate

  • Crops died in very hot summers
  • Tough ground was hard to plough
  • Hailstorms and lightning fires
  • Tough living conditions
• Grasshoppers


  • Swarms would invade the Plains
  • They destroyed crops and grass
  • Their droppings polluted water sources