The Dry Line

The Dry Line

From How We Survive by Marketplace

November 5, 2025 · 33 min · Season 8 · Episode 5

About this episode

This episode explores how farmers in Kansas are adapting to the shifting dry line due to climate change and features a scientist working on resilient crops.

The 100th meridian is the longitudinal boundary separating the humid East and the arid West. Researchers say the dry line is moving east because of climate change, threatening some of our cheapest and most reliable crops, like wheat and corn. In this episode, Amy drives across Kansas to talk to farmers on both sides of the dry line to see how they’re adapting to climate change. And we hear from a scientist who’s trying to breed crops that will thrive in a hotter, drier world.

People in this episode

Host: Amy

Topics covered

  • climate change
  • agriculture
  • crop adaptation
  • farming
  • environment

Keywords

  • dry line
  • climate change
  • wheat
  • corn
  • farmers
  • crop breeding
  • arid
  • humid

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Marketplace

Places: 100th meridian, Kansas

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