iStock: Taglass Dale Strickler, farmer and Agronomist at Green Cover Seed, addresses the question of what to do about drought at the fifth annual South Dakota Soil Health Conference. Strickler says improving the drought tolerance of soil is simple in theory but much harder in practice. Increase Water Infiltration The first step is to increase infiltration. “Of all the steps, if you mess up this first one, you’re in trouble,” Strickler says. A lack of infiltration is one of the biggest problems facing farmers and the environment because when water fails to go into the soil, it runs off. When it runs off, it causes problems elsewhere, like flooding and nutrient loss.