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Connecting curious minds with uncommon, undeniably Northwest reads

Harvest Heritage

Agricultural Origins and Heirloom Crops of the Pacific Northwest

Richard D. Scheuerman and Alexander C. McGregor

$34.95

Harvest Heritage explores the people, history, and major influences that shaped and transformed the Pacific Northwest’s flourishing agricultural economy—from Spanish exploration to modern research and advancements in mechanization, seed quality, irrigation, and sustainable practices.

“At first glance, Harvest Heritage appears to be an attractive coffee table book. The reader soon finds a book as rich in text as in imagery.”—Columbia Magazine

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Description

Using imported heirloom grains and fruits, Spanish explorers, fur traders, missionaries, and some Native Americans planted subsistence gardens in the Pacific Northwest. After immigration surged in 1843, it took a surprisingly short time for the region’s fertile lands to become a commercial agricultural powerhouse.

Demand for food exploded with the industrial revolution as well as the urbanization of Europe and eastern America, and the doors of international export opened wide. Agribusiness expanded to meet the need.

By 1890, advancements in mechanization, seed quality, irrigation, and sustainable practices had spurred a farming boom. Columbia Basin irrigation and the development of synthetic fertilizers, as well as Cooperative Extension efforts and impressive work by agricultural researchers greatly boosted regional production. Harvest Heritage explores the people, history, and major influences that shaped and transformed the Pacific Northwest’s flourishing agrarian economy.

Color and black & white photographs / maps / notes / bibliography / index / 200 pages (2013)

Recognition

“At first glance, Harvest Heritage appears to be an attractive coffee table book. The reader soon finds a book as rich in text as in imagery…Anyone interested in diving into Northwest history from first contact through the 19th century would profit from reading this book. The lens of agriculture offers sharp insights into the lives of several groups of Northwesterners and changes to the landscape resulting from their presence. Harvest Heritage informs us of the amazing legacy associated with Northwestern agriculture and doubles as both an appealing conversation piece and intellectual reference for understanding a key industry in the Northwest.”—Columbia Magazine

Additional information

Weight 1.64 oz
Dimensions 11 x 8.5 in
Format

eBook, Paperback