During the Great Depression, the economic plight of farmers began to occupy more and more of the attention of the Conference. Bishop O'Hara remained a dominant voice in calling for action regarding the Depression crisis. In October, 1932, at O'Hara's urging, the Board passed a resolution supportive of the domestic allotment plan and sent it to both major-party presidential candidates. It asserted that "the most pressing need of American agriculture is an increase in the price of farm products." The voluntary domestic allotment plan was "practicable and would bring to American agriculture and industry a great measure of urgently needed relief," it said. It further urged support for immediate passage of the legislation. Franklin D. Roosevelt replied to the letter from the Conference, commended the NCRLC for its interest in agriculture, and reaffirmed his pledge made at a Topeka speech to "make the tariff effective for agriculture." This was the Conference's first contact with an American President (Roosevelt's victory was accomplished with the help of the majority of both farmers and Catholics); it was the beginning of an ever-increasing involvement with the federal government by the NCRLC.

Catholic agrarians gave qualified support to most of the programs of the New Deal. The ultimate Depression discussions among the Catholic agrarians led to questioning the capitalistic system itself with its desire for money rather than serving human needs. The effects of the system on the family during the Depression were devastating. The way to counteract it was through spiritual renewal said the Catholic agrarians. The way to promote rural culture and revitalization was a radical redistribution of the population from the cities back to the land.

Catholic agrarians thought this was distinctly possible during the Depression, a time when city unemployment was severe. The NCRLC began its involvement in the back-to-the-land movement by supporting government aid for subsistence farmers. Catholic farming colonies developed in a variety of states. The most famous was that of Reverend Luigi G. Ligutti at Granger, Iowa, the only Catholic homestead community formed with government aid. The NCRLC also favored cooperatives and credit unions and was utterly opposed to corporate farming.

The 30s and the early 40s were a hopeful period for the NCRLC in another way.

It was during this time that the Conference attracted more people as members and at its conferences than at any other tine in its history. The Conference also used the radio to promote its message. In addition, it started a network of diocesan directors of rural life with a resolution at its 1932 convention.