The Case for Diversified Farming
A Spokane dairy representative urges Palouse farmers to move away from wheat monoculture to ensure long-term prosperity.
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Thomas E. Armistead and D. M. Shanks of the Hazelwood dairy farm were in Colfax this week. Mr. Shanks, an enthusiastic proponent of diversified farming, argued that reliance on wheat is impoverishing local soil and is rarely profitable. He noted that while Hazelwood produces and ships butter, cheese, eggs, and ice cream by the carload throughout the northwest, local farmers continue to pour money into wheat crops that provide no return. 'I cannot understand why the farmers of the Palouse country do not do something with their rich lands other than raise wheat,' Shanks stated. He shared that they recently fattened a carload of hogs at a cost of only two cents per pound by using mill feed and dairy byproducts, proving that diversified agriculture is a sound business strategy for the region.
“Surely, the methods pursued by which a farmer raises good crops, and disposes of them at a good price, without a possibility of making a profit—or getting even a fair return for his labor—is all wrong.”
This 1900 appeal to end wheat monoculture in the Palouse reflects a century-long struggle by regional producers to move toward high-value, sustainable agriculture. Today, the tension between traditional large-scale wheat farming and modern diversified, organic, and boutique livestock operations continues to shape the economic identity of Whitman County.
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