NPR

The Arid West Moves East, With Big Implications For Agriculture

An imaginary map line dividing East and West illustrates a climate boundary that has influenced how and where people live and work. Its eastward shift could predict changes in farming and ranching.
Benji and Lori White check on a small herd of Red Angus at their ranch, B&L Red Angus, near Putnam, Okla.

The American West appears to be moving east. New research shows the line on the map that divides the North American continent into arid Western regions and humid Eastern regions is shifting, with profound implications for American agriculture.

In western Oklahoma, farmers like Benji White and his wife, Lori, have become ranchers.

The Whites run 550 head on about 5,000 acres at B&L Red Angus, the family's seedstock and commercial ranching outfit

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