Agency Plains is a plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

 just north of the city of Madras

Madras, Oregon

Madras is a city in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. Originally called The Basin after the circular valley the city is located in, it is unclear as to whether Madras was named in 1903 for the cotton fabric called "Madras" that originated in the Madras area in India, or from the city of...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It extends approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north to south and 5 miles (8 km) east to west some 250 feet (76.2 m) in elevation above the east side of the Deschutes River. The area is composed of arable land

Arable land

In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...

 and was the homestead

Donation Land Claim Act

The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest...

 area of the Guard, Campbell, and Ramsey families. A variety of seed crops are raised on the farmland, and before irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 came to the area it was covered in dryland wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

. The area is roughly bisected by U.S. Route 26

U.S. Route 26

U.S. Route 26 is an east–west United States highway. It started in Ogallala, Nebraska, and gradually grew to reach the West Coast in Oregon. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and Oregon. The...

.

To the south is another GNIS-recognized area known as Little Agency Plains at 44.6270648°N 121.1683771°W which is separated from Agency Plains by Willow Creek

Willow Creek (Deschutes River)

Willow Creek is a tributary of the Deschutes River in central Oregon, United States. It divides Agency Plains from Little Agency Plains and passes through the city of Madras, Oregon. It is approximately long....

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