Most of Washington’s wheat and barley crop is grown in Eastern Washington, however you can also find fields on the west side of the state grown for local use. Whitman County, home of the famous Palouse hills, consistently grows more wheat per acre than any other county in the state.
Durum wheat, used for pasta products and couscous, is primarily grown in the desert Southwest, North Dakota and Montana. About 20 percent of the wheat grown annually in Washington is sown to hard red winter or hard red spring wheat.
Who was the first person to grow wheat in Washington?
Simpson himself would be responsible for the first systematic wheat-growing in what would later become the state of Washington. He brought seed wheat with him to the company trading post at Fort Vancouver (where the city of Vancouver in Clark County later grew up).
Where does wheat grow in the United States?
Hard white wheat has a foothold in Kansas, Colorado, Idaho and Nebraska. It is being used to make whole wheat white bread. Durum wheat, used for pasta products and couscous, is primarily grown in the desert Southwest, North Dakota and Montana.
Wheat is not native to the Northwest. In fact, “the only grains native to the Western Hemisphere are maize, wild rice and quinoa” (Scheuerman and Mc. Gregor, 5). Not a single grain grew in Washington before Europeans brought seeds. Yet the potential of Washington as a grain-growing area was evident from the earliest days of European exploration.
How many bushels of wheat do you get per acre?
Average winter wheat yield of 76 bushels an acre. Average spring wheat yield was 61 bushels an acre. In 2020, Washington State is ranked fourth in the nation’s top wheat producing states. In addition, wheat ranks fourth among Washington commodities, based on production value, representing nearly $800 million.