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RE: R2R Travelogue 16: The Blue Mountains and the Palouse
Howdy sir roleerob! well inspite of the bad weather conditions you still managed to see some great little towns and get us wonderful photos as well! That was well done. I was totally awestruck by the wheat field photos, being a Kansas farmboy from a wheat farm. I've never seen fields like that on rolling hills! It seems like the rain would wash the soil out, I didn't see any terraces so obviously they don't require them there, for some reason. Amazing.
Anyway, this was another great post!
Good morning @janton. No ...
... it is classic "dry land" farming in these parts and no soil erosion that I am aware of. Not my field of expertise, but I imagine the reason is two-fold:
You would have to experience this soil firsthand to appreciate how soft and deep it is. I think it absorbs an enormous amount of moisture vs. it running off ...
The plants themselves, i.e. mostly wheat, holds the moisture and soil.
When you've caught up and read my latest on driving down the Palouse Scenic Byway, you'll see more of these farms and the surrounding countryside, but I also included a reference to the +$300 million in the value of the crops in one county - Whitman county.
They're doing okay, i.e. I think they're going to make it! 😉
Howdy sir roleerob! Well I'm sure you're right about the fields and moisture. It's definitely the most unusual type of crop fields I've seen in this country and I'm looking forward to seeing more fields. This is such a cool series!