06/25/08 An update on crops

Washington Ag June 25, 2008 The Weekly Crop Weather Bulletin from the Agricultural Statistics Service reports that many eastern Washington counties are still behind in moisture but cooler temperatures were an asset as the heading of wheat and barley continued. Washington State University agronomist Bill Schillinger at the Lind Dryland Research Station knows about dry conditions. In his sixteen years at the station Schillinger says this was the worst for over winter storage of water with only 2.08 inches of water stored over the winter. That is a storage efficiency of only 41 percent compared to the usual 75 percent. Schillinger: "But then you take this droughty spring we have had. April and May combined we had three-tenths of an inch of rain, which is the second driest April and May since 1921 where accurate records have been recorded. The driest being 1966." Alfalfa growers continue with their first cutting but quality is reported to be off because of rains or delayed cutting. Some second cutting is just getting underway. Cherry production will be down this year but in the Yakima Valley there has been good harvesting weather. In northwest Washington the strawberry harvest is late. In Walla Walla County some high mountain pastures still had snow, preventing cattle from being turned out to pasture. I'm Bob Hoff.