"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. This text explores the people, history, and major influences that shaped and transformed the Pacific Northwest's flourishing agrarian economy." Provided by publisher

Agriculture, Agriculture Economic aspects, Agriculture Economic aspects Northwest, Pacific History, Agriculture Northwest, Pacific History, Heirloom varieties (Plants), Heirloom varieties (Plants) Northwest, Pacific History, History, Pacific Northwest

Fur trade farming The British-Russian contract Missions and migrations From frontier farming to global trade Cradles to combines Hybridization at home and abroad Grass, grains, and the Green Revolution