You state that you will be planting these inside your wind break. What does it consist of now? Also, with the irrigation, is this "water available to augment" or "perennial stream keeping ground permanently moist" kind of situation.
Hackberry, Celtis occidentalis, are extremely tough trees and well suited to your area. They are able to thrive in a variety of conditions and can be magnificent. Dirr states "particularly suited to plains and prairie states" due to their ability to thrive in adverse conditions. Unfortunately, they can also appear unkempt and, depending on the specimen, prone to breakage (but this could be minimized by judicial initial monitoring of problematic limbs). They grow out of this gauky, teenage stage into a knarly, impressive tree.
Cons involve some pests including witches' broom (which can disfigure the tree), powdery mildew and a nipple gall which tends to make the leaves look like something which survived a nuclear holocaust. (Mostly nonlethal problems but disfiguring.) You might check your local extension office to see what is prevalent in your area.
Honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos, as you can evidently see from your neighbor's row, these are quite attractive. With irrigation on a quiet evening, beverage of choice in hand, bring out your lawn chair and watch them grow. Truly amazing the amount of growth they can put on. This tree is native to your part of the world and can reach 100' "in the wild".
Cons involve a number of diseases and pests, some which can be fatal. Again check your local extension agency to see what is prevalent in your area.
How about a mix of trees instead of just one species? The problem with monocultures is that a disease/pest can wipe out a whole stand leaving you with nothing.
Sylvia
