A history of lentil farming on the Palouse
PULLMAN – The National Lentil Festival will be held in Pullman, Friday, Aug. 22, and Saturday, Aug. 23. Among Saturday’s displays at Reaney Park will be the “Farming Tent ” which offers a glimpse into the life of wheat and lentil farmers on the Palouse during the past century. In addition to photos and hands-on exhibits, visitors may also view a slide show presentation concerning all things lentil. (See instructions below.)
Lentils first arrived on the Palouse in 1916 when Farmington native, J. J. Wagner, asked a local Seventh Day Adventist pastor to order seed from Europe. Wagner then planted two test rows on his farm to see if lentils would grow in the semi-arrid environment.
And grow they did. With the advent of mechanized harvesting equipment a few years later, lentil production continued to increase. Today, over 95 percent of the nation’s lentils are grown on the Washington-Idaho Palouse prairie.
Click here for a look at the fascinating history of the Palouse and the people who first farmed these rolling, loess-filled hills. This Powerpoint presentation also covers modern lentil production as well as lentil growing around the world.
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