What are the Skyrockets? Hills or Mountains?

This is Prescott, Washington in the Touchet River Valley. Prescott is home to the steepest farmland in North America. That’s me, Trevor Struthers. Originally my family farmed land out here in the Skyrockets. That’s what we call these hills around Prescott. Because they rocket to the sky, though they are merely hills. These are not mountains, and this is not technically the Palouse. We are just south of the Snake River in Washington State, and the palouse is just North of the Snake River. The Palouse is primarily in Whitman County and has gently rolling hills. But these hills here do not roll, they can be quite severe in their pitch. There is a lot of unfarmed land out here in the form of what we call eyebrows, which are extremely steep spots on certain hills. While it may seem that we farm all of it, there is much that we can’t even hope to get a tractor out on, let alone a combine. These hills are known to take lives and losing a machine is a common occurrence out here. These fields are soft, steep and downright dangerous.
My desire is to somehow convey the reality of what we and a handful of other farmers are doing, not only in the Skyrockets, but across the entire Touchet River Valley, Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Basin. Washington state is known for its apples, and these days the Walla Walla Valley is more known for its wine or even its sweet onions…often overlooked are the dryland wheat farmers in this area who have been making a living from the dirt out here for nearly two hundred years. This was the Wild West and near the end of the Oregon Trail. Lewis and Clark even came up this very river valley on their route to the Pacific.
Bigger and bigger combines means more and more money on the line every harvest. The machines aren’t getting any lighter, or less expensive in the foreseeable future. With agricultural machinery getting bigger and more complex, farming these hills has not gotten any easier. It was easier and safer to farm back in the 70s when everyone was using International Harvester (now CASE) 1460s. They leveled over further and stuck to the hillsides better. Now with a dwindling parts supply, we are forced to use the machinery we can get loans for. With a new combine’s price tag sitting around one million US Dollars, it is getting harder and harder to make money farming wheat. With no other option but to continue to make ends meet, with fertilizer prices nearly triple of what they were just a few years ago and wheat at only six dollars per bushel…time will tell what happens out here, but whatever comes, you can bet you will find me somewhere out in these hills. Whether it’s me farming, or it’s me holding the video camera…I promise to continue bringing you, my loyal viewers a look inside Washington State Wheat farming. Tractors with no operators doesn’t sound like much fun to me, lucky for me however, the technology to automate farming in this area is still a long way off. I invite you to subscribe if you haven’t and if you have, feel free to leave a comment about what you want to see this next season or just tell me “I did it”.
Whichever it is, any interaction with this video, whether sharing it with someone or posting a link on another site, it all helps the algorithm better promote and get my videos in front of more people. Thank you for clicking on this video and sticking around til the end. Without you watching, there would be no reason for me to record. This channel is not just for you, but for future generations to come, showing them how we farm here in our little corner of Southeastern Washington. As long as youtube exists, I would like these videos to remain up as a little documentary of sorts.
For anyone who wants my email, it’s [email protected]. it will also be in the description of this video. There will be merch coming and a chance for anyone who wants to help, support, or contribute. I will have a way to do so. I am not sure if that means memberships or patreon, but I want to give supporters something for their contributions.

I recently got a PO Box and that address P.O. Box 73, Prescott, WA, 99348. It will be in the video description as well. I have stickers too, if anyone wants one, send me an email or a letter to my P.O. box and I will send you a sticker. Rest assured that I will continue to post videos and do my part to entertain and maybe even educate a little bit along the way. You have a good one. I may sound southern, but I was born and raised around here and I don’t say y'all. Peace.

Music by Ty Lane of The Frog Hollow Band.

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Please watch: "Wheat Seeding In The Palouse: Case IH Horsch Drill"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_rJf46--E
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Тэги:

#farming #agriculture #case #john_deere #tractor #combine #harvest #planting #seeding #sewing #spraying #herbicide #mowing #harrowing #harrow #mow #wheat #grain #hogs #funny

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