early residents found that kansas was not the "great american desert". however, they found that the weather and environment of kansas can be very difficult to live in. tornadoes, blizzards, droughts, hail, floods, and grasshoppers made it difficult to grow crops. many early residents lost a lot of money trying to be a farmer in kansas. in the 1890s, many of these people joined the populist movement, or they moved east. in the 20th century, new technology, crop insurance, and help from the federal government made farming easier. many immigrants (many of which were german) came to kansas in the 20th century. they came because they heard kansas had good dirt, cheap land, and they could get 160 acres of land to keep for free (if they were american citizens).