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SPRING RAIN | WALLOWA COUNTY
Damp spring leaves growers optimistic about hay crop
By JEFF BUDLONG AND
BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
W
ALLOWA COUNTY — The
recent run of rain combined with
steadily increasing temperatures
has many ranchers and farmers
feeling good. But for a group
that has battled the extremes in recent years,
they are remaining cautiously optimistic.
“We bank up feed this time of year, and
to have moisture and cool weather to pro-
vide for sustained growth between late May
and early June really set us up for the year,”
said Todd Nash, a Wallowa County rancher
and president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association. “From my side of the fence,
and the cattle’s side of the fence, it could rain
all summer as far as I am concerned.”
The spring moisture helped ease the con-
cerns of ranchers and farmers who endured
cold weather that slowed the growth of for-
age in April and May.
snow falling in the mountains even into
early June, the snowpack is strong and will
lessen the burden on those who rely on melt-
ing snow to irrigate their fi elds and pas-
tures. Nash said that hauling water for live-
“I DON’T THINK ANYBODY’S COMPLAINING ABOUT
EXTRA MOISTURE. IT’S BEEN A BLESSING BOTH FOR
THE STOCKGROWERS AND US.”
— Mark Butterield, chairman, Wallowa County Hay Growers
“The forage has bust loose and it is won-
derful to have it again because we were
without last year,” said Nash, noting the
extremely hot, dry summer of 2021, which
included record-breaking heat in late June.
This year, by contrast, with signifi cant
Despite the abundance of forage that has
grown, it can come with a downside. When
it begins to dry in July and August, it brings
the all too familiar threat of wildfi re with it,
Nash said.
Nash said the moisture is a benefi t for
Wallowa County farmers because their
crops tend to be harvested later than in
neighboring counties, but he has heard some
concerns of crop rust, plant diseases caused
by pathogenic fungi.
Making hay
stock will be unnecessary unlike the past
few years, unless it is a common practice for
a rancher.
“(Hauling water) is not a normal practice
for Wallowa County,” he said. “It only hap-
pens in extreme years.”
With the faucet fi nally slowing down at
the end of June, and warmer temperatures
arriving, farmers who grow alfalfa and timo-
thy grass were able to get their fi rst cutting in.
See Hay, Page 15
Cattle graze in a pasture below a farmhouse along Dobbin
Road south of Enterprise on Thursday, June 23, 2022.
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain