12/16/08 Some winter wheat at risk

Washington Ag December 16, 2008 Several inches of snow are covering the winter wheat crop in the heart of Washington's Palouse but further west that is not the case. Dana Herron of Connell is a member of the Washington Wheat Commission. On Monday he said: Herron: "Connell is bare. There is absolutely no snow cover and I think that is pretty much true for the Ritzville, Odessa. I have head from Lamont. I have heard from Almira. They are all pretty bare and what is there is dry, light snow and it is not staying very long. So the wheat crop obviously is in some peril especially if this wind continues and the temperatures hover around zero or below, we could see some damage this year." Herron is also a seed dealer. Herron: "There are people shopping for spring wheat, trying to take option on some, just in case. That is probably a good strategy right now. We just don't know the extent of the damage though." Information from Washington State University states that fully cold hardened winter wheat crowns can tolerate -4 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours and -9 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours. Plants in moist soil survive low temperatures better than in dry soil, and plants are very susceptible to dehydration when exposed to cold, dry winds. I'm Bob Hoff.