This book grew out of the work of the STEEP Program which was begun in 1975
with the first federal funding becoming available in 1976. The Acronym STEEP
stands for “Solutions to Economic and Environmental Problems in the Pacific North￾west.” This program was organized to develop cooperation between the three Land
Grant Universities and the U.S.D.A., Agricultural Research Service research stations
in the Pacific Northwest, to establish a new approach to addressing the erosion and
water quality problems in the region. Each year erosion losses in the region amount
to millions of tons of top soil eroded from its croplands. In some cases, when farmers
have used conventional farming practices (heavy tillage) as much as 12 bushels of
top soil are eroded annually for each bushel of wheat produced. Average erosion
rates in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest have ranged from 10 to in excess
of 30 tons per acre (approximately 1
/8 inch of topsoil) using conventional practices.
Approximately 1
/3 of this eroded soil is washed into streams and other water bodies
in the region.