Locals call them dirt devils.
The swirling clouds a haunting reminder of the hot, dry conditions here.
Cattle search for a patch of green grass to graze.
Occasional oil pump about the only thing that hasn't dried up here.
Farmers pump their water in with pipes.
Still, it's not enough to solve a growing problem.
This is wasted seed.
This is totally wasted.
Still, farmers in the high plains of Texas are forced to plow and plant their cotton,
knowing full well this dry Texas dirt will produce no crop.
All part of a political game, farmers must play to receive federal insurance funds.
the only way they believe they can keep their farms alive.
That makes absolutely no sense.
Phil Graham believes farmers should get assistance without planning.
State Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry agrees that it's an emergency situation.
$500 million worth of loss is staring us in the face.
$1.6 billion lost to the state of Texas.
But many who make their living on the land say this is little more than a political rain dance.
It's just all political. I mean, they're not out here to help us.
If it wasn't election year, Phil Graham wouldn't be around here.
It would be nice if we could pass some law up there to make it rain. Obviously, we can't.
Rain. That's the best thing we could hope for.
But this situation is so desperate, most say that wouldn't be enough.
And two or three inches of rain wouldn't get this cotton up.
In Shallow Water, Texas, Jay Gray, Texas News 5.