There was nobody to blame, nobody to sue. And people understand that. For a few farms, particularly hay and alfalfa, the ash proved to be a one-time disaster. And the persistent ash damaged farm equipment for months, even years after. For wheat farmers, it may actually have been a godsend.
Young wheat is especially thirsty.
The ash sealed moisture in the ground, helping make the summer harvest of 1980 one of Ritzville's best. Even this ultimate act of geological violence proved to be part of Mother Nature's grand scheme. The rich, dark, volcanic soils that nourish the Northwest breadbasket got a replenishing dose of ash. But maybe that volcano reminded us that we're not the big shots we thought we were. That, in the greater scheme of things, we're little amoeba on this great, green Earth.