Wheat Harvest in Palouse, Washington, USA
On the 1400 acre wheat farm homesteaded in southeast Washington State's Palouse region by his grandfather nearly a hundred years ago, farmer Randy Suess struggles to bring in his wheat crop, the harvest of which had been delayed by a week of unseasonable rain. In 2007 and 2008 wheat prices have been unusually high -- once hitting $15 per bushel before settling in the $7-8 range compared to historic levels under $5 per bushel range. Increasing international demand, crop failures in other parts of the world and the shift of corn production to ethanol fuel have driven the price rise. Despite this windfall, wheat production can be a marginal business due to the extremely high production costs. Suess's combine, which he uses only three weeks a year, cost close to half a million dollars. Costs for fuel, fertilizer and other inputs are all at historic highs. To make ends meet, Suess, who also had a career as a school teacher and administrator in the nearby community of Colfax (pop 2800), has made wooden toys and wooden furniture in the off season. His wife Laurie is employed full time at a local grain elevator. Both of their two adult children have opted for careers off the farm. Less than two percent of the US population is engaged in agriculture. Suess grows soft white winter and spring wheat, which is favored by bakers for cakes, cookies and flat breads. The Palouse region, blessed with rich, volcanic soils, is the most productive wheat growing region in the United States. Ninety percent of Washington's wheat crop is exported.
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Photo credit: © Dan Lamont / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: agriculture, cereal, colfax, combine, county, crops, economy, environment, equipment, ethanol, exports, farm, farmers, farming, fields, food, gas, grain, harvest, hills, international, landscape, machinery, palouse, price, prices, scenery, scenic, states, trade, tradition, triticum, united, westen, wheat, whitman
