On the South Plains, wind can move a farm’s most valuable soil onto the roadside while drought limits the water available to replace lost production. After watching topsoil accumulate at field edges, Ropesville farmer Chad Wall began rebuilding his operation around soil cover and biological activity.
A different response to extreme conditions
Wall now relies mainly on small grains, cover crops and livestock, with some cotton. He avoids tillage, synthetic fertiliser and routine chemical sprays, using living roots and grazing to keep nutrients cycling. He describes soil as needing the same basics as people—air, water, food and protection.
The reported outcome is improved water holding and greater resilience through dry conditions. Wall has since created Natural Ecosystem Restoration to help other farmers adapt similar principles. He also stresses that change need not be all-or-nothing: conventional farms can add practices that support biology and remove harmful operations gradually.
Four thousand chickens building a farm
At Alcove Farms near Lubbock, an operation that began in 2016 with 50 chickens grew to nearly 4,000. Birds rotate across pasture, harvesting growth and returning manure before moving on. As ground condition improved, the farm added vegetables including pumpkins and watermelons.
The claims are farmer observations rather than a controlled trial, but the context is urgent. At the time, West Texas ranged from extreme to exceptional drought, and groundwater projections showed declining availability. Practices that increase infiltration and keep soil in place therefore have immediate operational value.
Read or listen to the full report
West Texas farmers look to regenerative agriculture to fight extreme weather was reported by Jayme Lozano for KTTZ and distributed by High Plains Public Radio.