Joseph Hutton's depth of knowledge of soil science and contemporary farming practices allowed him to foresee the destruction of the soil more than 20 years before the Dustbowl happened. He strongly believed that soil was the source of all and warned of its misuse.
Hutton was a professor of Agronomy at South Dakota College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts from 1911 until his death in 1939. He became professor of Agronomy in charge of soil investigations, which included conducting the first soil survey of South Dakota. He promoted soil and water stewardship by urging farmers to rotate crops and to incorporate organic material to keep the soil healthy as well as to terrace the land and plant cover crops to reduce soil erosion.
The exhibit Drowning in Dirt: Joseph Hutton and the Dust Bowl is opening at the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum on February 27, 2023. Come visit the Museum and learn more about Professor Hutton’s work, the 1930s Dust Bowl and its effects on South Dakota.