Alex McGregor speaks at annual Adams County Historical Society meeting

The Adams County Historical Society held its annual meeting on Sept. 24, with historian and businessman Alex McGregor as their guest speaker.

McGregor is the chairman of The McGregor Company, a farm supply business with 360 employees and offices in nearly four dozen rural communities in the Inland Northwest. He gave a presentation on “Pioneer Values, Local Heritage and the Road Ahead.”

McGregor’s presentation included sharing stories of the various farmers who settled in Adams County and other areas around Washington state.

He also told accounts and tales from farmers and ranchers about some of the challenges they faced in farming the area.

McGregor also listed the five principles of agriculture that helped his grandfather and farmers in the past: industry, hard work, character, honesty and fair dealings. He also recalled one year where farmers proved the U.S. Senate wrong, by showing the emerging of crops being grown in the area.

“In fact, the Department of Agriculture found the land with 2-3 years would make for excellent for wheat farming,” McGregor said.

McGregor discussed how settlements like Ritzville, Lind and Washtucna grew into urban centers. He also noted how the land conditions became tougher to farm, and how growers and producers came to the then Washington State College and asked the university scientists to assist.

“They went to the Pullman campus and asked them to bring their science out of the skies and hitch it to their plows,” McGregor said.

As his presentation moved into recent history, McGregor explained the shift from horsepower and mules to using combustion engines in farm equipment began to cost farmers a lot of money. But it did help increase production, as did the advances in the use of fertilizer and breeding crops.

As for the future, McGregor said it is an exciting time for agriculture and the five principles are as important today as they were before. He said practices like disease control, efficient water use and nutrient management will benefit agriculture.

McGregor also stressed the importance of using science in agriculture while avoiding ideological debates, and making younger generations aware of agriculture to help sustain its future.

“They will be the ones who will need to feed the world in the future,” McGregor said. “If they get a basic understanding of our world, we will be better off.”

In other business, Board Member Roger Smart said sheetrock and drywall were installed in the Van Marter Building. He added the next step for the Van Marter Building’s rehabilitation is to install fixtures for the bathroom and move items into the storage room.

The ACHS is also accepting donations of old photographs and artifacts for the museum. To contact ACHS, email [email protected].