There is no solid rock base under the soil as is true in some places. This soil is made of clay, sand, and sediment laid down thousands of years ago when this part of Kansas was covered by water. This type of soil is known as loam. Loamy soil is ideal for growing crops. Southwest Kansas has this very good soil but lacks sufficient rainfall to produce bumper crops every year.
Irrigation is used where water is available but most cropland is dryland.
When I was a girl in the thirties, there was a devastating drought. Our loamy soil became very dry and fine. The wind blew the topsoil because our farming practices of the time left our fields in poor condition to resist this severe weather. One of the farming practices of that time was to burn the stubble - the plant stalks left after harvesting. At this time, all fields were planted back to a crop and burning made it easier to plant.