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'f1 5
I . 794
J99
Introduction
The objective of this bulletin is to report previously
unpublished survey information on
farm and farmer characteristics in the
Idaho-Washington Palouse River Basin by precipitation
zone. The general public regards the
Palouse as a relatively homogeneous region of
rolling hills and generous wheat yields. In fact,
agriculture in the Palouse is more diverse than
that in some larger wheat-producing regions in
the United States such as Kansas. This diversity
stems from wide variations in annual average precipitation,
which ranges from an average of 11
inches per year along the western edge of the
Palouse to a high of 26 inches per year at the
eastern boundary. Soil diversity caused by climatic
differences in the Palouse subregions leads to wide
variations in crop yields, crop rotations, fertility
management, pest management practices, and
tillage.
Unfortunately, the standard statistics provided
by Washington and Idaho Agricultural Statistics
Services provide average yields, harvested acreage,
and other annual data only at the county
level. Similarly, the periodic U.S. Agricultural
Census reports data at no lower level of aggregation
than the county. Due to the climatic differences,
average values for Whitman County, Washington,
and Latah County, Idaho, the two counties
that contain most of the Palouse River Basin
cropland, are too imprecise for many uses. Individuals
who need precise subregion agricultural
information include farmers, agribusiness manaeers,
investors, land appraisers, bank loan offic-ers,
attorneys, government agency personnel, agricultural
scientists, and economists. Individuals
who attempt to analyze problems based upon the
"average" farm in Latah or Whitman counties will
nearly always miss the mark in describing the
situation of farms within a particular subregion.
Lacking a statistically reliable source of agricultural
information by precipitation zone, individuals
have often been forced to rely upon incomplete
information from non-random and casual
sources for particular geographic subregions. This
report may partially fill this long-standing need
for more precise information by providing data
for four subregions; Western, Central and Eastern
Whitman County and West Latah County.
This bulletin summarizes previously unpublished
information from part of a large multi-purpose
survey which was conducted in the winter
of 1989-90 (Carlson, Schnabel, Beus, and Dillman
1994; Halvorson 1991). While Palouse agriculture
has changed slightly since 1989-90, there are good
reasons for making this information available
now. First, similar information on Palouse agriculture
by precipitation zone from a scientifically
random sample is not available elsewhere and
there is a strong need for such information. Secondly,
many of the results in this study on agricultural
cultural practices, farm size, and other
characteristics change only gradually. Thirdly,
publication of these survey results provides a
useful benchmark against which future surveys
can be compared in order to determine trends.
Given current budget constraints, it is likely that
~ University of Idaho
~ DNIVERSJn OF mARO UBP.ARY BUL 794
Cooperative Extension System
Object Description
| Title | Agriculture in the Palouse: a portrait of diversity |
| Creator | Hall, Mike; Young, Douglas L.; Walker, David J. |
| Date | 1999-02-01 |
| Description | Bulletin no. 794 Moscow, Idaho :University of Idaho, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension System, 1999-02-01. Author(s): Hall, Mike; Young, Douglas L.; Walker, David J. |
| Subject (NALT) |
farm surveys regional economics |
| Subject (LCSH) |
Farms--Palouse River Watershed (Idaho and Wash.)--Statistics Farmers--Palouse River Watershed (Idaho and Wash.)--Statistics Agricultural surveys--Palouse River Watershed (Idaho and Wash.) |
| Publisher | Cooperative Extension System |
| Contributing Departments | University of Idaho College of Agriculture |
| Identifier | uica_b794 |
| Disclosure Statement | Documents are preserved for archival purposes. The information may be out of date. For more recent editions check the University of Idaho Library catalog or University of Idaho Extension Publication website, http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edComm/catalog.asp |
| Rights | Digital image copyright 2011, the University of Idaho. All rights reserved. For more information contact Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, ID 83844-2350; http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/special-collections/. |
| Source | Special Collections Idaho S 53 (Between E3 - E415) |
| Digitization Specifications | 150 dpi jpg converted to pdf. Master file is a 400-800 dpi TIFF. |
| Contributing Institution | University of Idaho Library |
| Extent | 20 p. ill. |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Type | Text |
| Date-Created | 2012 |
| Language | eng |
| Relation-Is Format Of | Bulletin (University of Idaho. College of Agriculture) |
| Number | 794 |
| Place of Publication | Idaho |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Type | Text |
| Full text | 'f1 5 I . 794 J99 Introduction The objective of this bulletin is to report previously unpublished survey information on farm and farmer characteristics in the Idaho-Washington Palouse River Basin by precipitation zone. The general public regards the Palouse as a relatively homogeneous region of rolling hills and generous wheat yields. In fact, agriculture in the Palouse is more diverse than that in some larger wheat-producing regions in the United States such as Kansas. This diversity stems from wide variations in annual average precipitation, which ranges from an average of 11 inches per year along the western edge of the Palouse to a high of 26 inches per year at the eastern boundary. Soil diversity caused by climatic differences in the Palouse subregions leads to wide variations in crop yields, crop rotations, fertility management, pest management practices, and tillage. Unfortunately, the standard statistics provided by Washington and Idaho Agricultural Statistics Services provide average yields, harvested acreage, and other annual data only at the county level. Similarly, the periodic U.S. Agricultural Census reports data at no lower level of aggregation than the county. Due to the climatic differences, average values for Whitman County, Washington, and Latah County, Idaho, the two counties that contain most of the Palouse River Basin cropland, are too imprecise for many uses. Individuals who need precise subregion agricultural information include farmers, agribusiness manaeers, investors, land appraisers, bank loan offic-ers, attorneys, government agency personnel, agricultural scientists, and economists. Individuals who attempt to analyze problems based upon the "average" farm in Latah or Whitman counties will nearly always miss the mark in describing the situation of farms within a particular subregion. Lacking a statistically reliable source of agricultural information by precipitation zone, individuals have often been forced to rely upon incomplete information from non-random and casual sources for particular geographic subregions. This report may partially fill this long-standing need for more precise information by providing data for four subregions; Western, Central and Eastern Whitman County and West Latah County. This bulletin summarizes previously unpublished information from part of a large multi-purpose survey which was conducted in the winter of 1989-90 (Carlson, Schnabel, Beus, and Dillman 1994; Halvorson 1991). While Palouse agriculture has changed slightly since 1989-90, there are good reasons for making this information available now. First, similar information on Palouse agriculture by precipitation zone from a scientifically random sample is not available elsewhere and there is a strong need for such information. Secondly, many of the results in this study on agricultural cultural practices, farm size, and other characteristics change only gradually. Thirdly, publication of these survey results provides a useful benchmark against which future surveys can be compared in order to determine trends. Given current budget constraints, it is likely that ~ University of Idaho ~ DNIVERSJn OF mARO UBP.ARY BUL 794 Cooperative Extension System |
