Vance and Louise Ehmke are fourth generation farmers in Lane County, Kansas. They have 50-60 playas on their land and have enrolled a number of them in USDA conservation programs. “Without a doubt, I think we’re better off not farming these playa lakes, because we have a very high incidence of crop failure — either it’s too dry to get your crop up, or once you do get it up it floods out. But beyond that, I think they have a lot of advantage in terms of providing aesthetic breaks and diversity. It’s really a lot of fun when you do have these big rainfall events, and the playas are full within 12 hours; you can literally go from dust to ducks overnight.”