Farmland in USA's Palouse region

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Harvest time in the Palouse. Harvest time in the Palouse

The Palouse region of inland Pacific Northwest United States is an unusually hilly prairie that straddles the border between the states of Washington and Idaho. Farming seems an unlikely endeavour here, but the land, and the weather patterns, make it ideal for wheat and lentil farming. This time of year, the soft white wheat harvest is on, as the crop turns from green to gold, and for the farmers, from harvest to profit. Before Europeans and early US settlers arrived, the Palouse was occupied by the Nez Perce people, who bred and raised horses with spotted coats—a breed that would eventually come to be known as 'appaloosas'—a gradual permutation of the name 'Palouse.'