Wheat in the Desert

When the original European settlers looked at the countryside east of Spokane, many of them knew two kinds of farming were possible in the arid, grassy hillsides and desolate scablands. First, it was a haven for sheep, especially in the south-central rocky country. And second, they knew the treeless bunchgrass prairie would support grains. From Benge and Lind to Coulee City and Almira, the grass enticed newcomers with grit and a few wheat seeds in their pocket to risk everything for a fresh start in the desert.

“Early farmers found the volcanic soil in Adams County rich in nutrients, but an arid climate where average rainfall was only nine inches per year made growing most crops difficult even in moist years and impossible in dry ones. Wheat, however, can be raised in arid climates and without irrigation,” (Becker, 2006).

This region, starting west of the Palouse just a few miles, is home to a climate that has traditionally been unpredictable, dry, and, at times, incredibly harsh. It’s known as the Channeled Scablands. This barren desert, with its strange rock formations, deep ravines, and towering dry waterfalls, was left behind by a series of devastating floods during the last ice age. The Channeled Scablands extend from the area around Spokane, west to the Columbia River near Vantage, and southwest to the Snake River near Pasco. They are known as the "Channeled Scablands" because they are crisscrossed by long channels cut into the bedrock, called coulees. Formed by the great Missoula Floods during the last ice age, the land was carved by one of the largest megafloods in history. 

Volcanic topsoil was left behind in spots along the path of the flood. These spots, among the vast coulee system, became home to some of the most nutrient-dense, life-supporting “dirt” in the world. But, it takes more than rich soil to make a haven for dryland, or non-irrigated, farming. It also takes rain. This region sits at the footsteps of the Cascade Mountains, which causes an abrupt division in precipitation in the state.

“These mountains create the “rain shadow” effect that traps moisture on the Seattle side of the slopes while leaving Eastern Washington with large areas of semiarid steppe and a few truly arid deserts. The Hanford Reach region, for instance, receives an average annual precipitation of 6 to 7 inches, compared to Seattle’s 37 inches of rain and 5 inches of snow. Most geographers identify any region receiving less than 10 inches of rain a year as desert,” (King, 2018).

So, how do our farmers grow wheat in this region that technically classifies as a desert? Carefully.

Wheat is a member of the grass family (Triticum aestivum), which also includes rye, oats, barley, sorghum, sugar cane, corn, bamboo, and the grass in your yard. Wheat originated in the deserts of the Middle East, dating back to Turkey and Iraq. Wheat needs between 12 and 15 inches of rain over a growing season to produce a “good crop,” but it can survive on less. This is why many farmers deep in the semi-arid desert microclimates east of the Cascades continue to raise wheat on less than 10 inches of rainfall a year. It’s a delicate practice of determination and science. 

With the continuous research of breeders and scientists at Washington State University and the USDA, improvements have been made over the decades to make wheat more drought tolerant. They’ve studied new ways for farmers to manage the soil better and increase yields. Semi-dwarf wheat varieties also helped wheat thrive in the dry country. Semi-dwarf wheat is a shorter plant with a stronger stalk and takes less time for the plant to grow to the height needed to produce grain. This efficiency made it possible to grow a better, more efficient crop. New ideas on fertilizer rates, reduced tillage, and fallow rotations also make it possible to conserve enough water in the rich soil to make a successful wheat crop in this semi-arid desert climate.

SOURCES
https://www.historylink.org/File/7835 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/channeled-scablands?loggedin=true

https://traveltips.usatoday.com/deserts-eastern-washington-107196.html

http://www.sevenwondersofwashingtonstate.com/the-channeled-scablands.html

https://www.wheatworld.org/wheat-101/wheat-facts/

https://croplife.org/news/semi-dwarf-wheat-the-game-changer/