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SPRING RAIN | UMATILLA COUNTY
Record rains come at perfect time for local farmers
By ANTONIO ARREDONDO
East Oregonian
T
he wettest spring on record in parts
of Oregon came just in time for
farmers across Umatilla County.
The 2022 season did not start
out promising for Helix farmer Jeff
Newtson. Thanks to an exceptionally dry
2021, crops were planted much later in the
year than usual. Midway through another
dry winter, the ground still looked poor.
“If you told me in February that this would
be the return we have today, I would’ve told
you there’s no way in heck,” Newtson said.
Thanks to record rainfall from April
through early June, things are looking better
for the fourth-generation farmer. Crops are
producing at an impressive rate, not only at
Newtson Farms but throughout the region.
“A farmer’s income is going to be higher,
and in both winter and spring they expect
a good yield,” said Oregon State University
soil scientist Don Wysocki. “This happens
infrequently, farmers may see it one or two
times in their career.”
Normally, the rains in Umatilla County
shut off by May. This year, the rains didn’t
stop — they increased. Rainfall from May
to early June was 2.7 times higher than most
years, greatly helping the spring crops.
The diff erence between 2021 and 2022
was even more dramatic.
Total rainfall at the Eastern Oregon
Regional Airport in Pendleton from March
through June 2021 was 1.32 inches — just
30% of average.
This year, rainfall during that four-
month period was 8.38 inches — more than
six times the amount from a year ago, and
slightly more than double the average.
Wysocki said winter wheat tends to out-
grow spring wheat by 60%. Right now,
though, the spring crop is full. Newtson said
this year’s spring wheat could be mistaken
for winter.
“IF YOU TOLD ME IN FEBRUARY THAT THIS WOULD BE
THE RETURN WE HAVE TODAY, I WOULD’VE TOLD YOU
THERE’S NO WAY IN HECK.”
— Jeff Newtson, Helix farmer
Helix farmer Jeff Newtson stands in
a Newtson Farms fi eld June 30, 2022,
admiring his wheat crop. Newtson said
the record levels of moisture this spring
greatly helped keep him optimistic.
Antonio Arredondo/East Oregonian
See Farmers, Page 19