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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
A6 NEWS Wallowa County Chieftain Wednesday, October 9, 2019 Farmers still trying to get wheat harvested BELOW Dark northern spring wheat stands ready for harvest – if the weather will just dry out long enough for the combines to get rolling – in a fi eld along Elk Mountain Road east of Enterprise farmed by Trevor Collins. Some seeking disaster declaration if crops fail By Bill Bradshaw Wallowa County Chieftain Wallowa County farm- ers, concerned about a mis- leading report in the Chief- tain in late September, are trying to remain optimistic they’ll have time to get the rest of their wheat and hay harvested. “The wheat harvest in this county hasn’t even started,” farmer Erl McLaughlin said Friday, Oct. 4. “I know one person out there who’s got 600 acres and hasn’t cut one kernel of wheat. I’ve got 435 acres that haven’t been cut. I’ve got another friend down near Wallowa who has 435 acres that also haven’t been cut. I don’t know hardly anyone who’s done.” Trevor Collins, who has about 200 acres of dark northern spring wheat still growing up Elk Mountain Road east of Enterprise, had put off cutting wheat while he harvested a more valu- able alfalfa crop near Baker City. But it’s getting late for his wheat. “We did get our hay up and then ran a sample of the wheat and then it snowed,” Collins said. “The weather hasn’t been very coopera- tive. I feel like the weather’s fi ghting us. We really need about a week (of warm, dry weather). I don’t want to be a pessimist, but we’re wait- ing for the moisture to cut down.” Concerns over last Photos by Bill Bradshaw Erl McLaughlin looks over some of his uncut dark northern spring wheat in a fi eld west of Enterprise as a light rain starts Friday, Oct. 4. He and other grain growers are concerned they won’t get the dry weather they need to get their crops harvested before it sprouts in the fi eld. month’s Chieftain story included if it would affect whether or not the county would be declared a disas- ter area because of crop fail- ure. Typically, county com- missioners request a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Then, the USDA’s Farm Ser- vice Agency helps affected producers recover from crop losses. “Here’s the real concern, I talked to the county com- missioners (Friday, Oct. 4,) and I think they might be declaring this area a disas- ter area,” McLaughlin said. “I asked a county commis- sioner, ‘Is that article that come out in the Chieftain, is that going to be a stumbling “I’m a pretty positive person, but there’s a slim- to-none chance it’ll get cut ‘I’M A PRETTY POSITIVE PERSON, BUT THERE’S A SLIM-TO-NONE CHANCE IT’LL GET CUT — BECAUSE IT’S TOO WET.’ Erl McLaughlin block?’ He said he didn’t think so, and I said if it is, let me know and we’ll do some- thing about it.” Still, McLaughlin isn’t losing hope. – because it’s too wet,” he said. Susan Roberts, chair- woman of the Wallowa County Commission, said the matter wasn’t dis- cussed at the board’s meet- ing Monday, Oct. 7, because she didn’t yet have enough information. “But I’ll continue to research the matter,” she said. Roberts said she’s been getting information from Mike Hayward, of the Wal- lowa County Grain Grow- ers, who said disaster decla- rations are more often tied to drought. “It’s a little bit of an uncharted territory,” he said. He’s in the process of talking to producers but hasn’t reached many so far. “We’re a little prema- T HE B OOKLOFT AND Skylight Gallery Finding books is our specialty 541.426.3351 • 107 E. Main • Enterprise • www.bookloftoregon.com Church Directory Church of Christ 502 W. 2nd Street • Wallowa 541-398-2509 Worship at 11 a.m. Mid-week Bible Study 7 p.m. St. Katherine’s Catholic Church Fr. Thomas Puduppulliparamban 301 E. Garfield Enterprise Mass Schedule Sundays: St. Pius X, Wallowa - 8:00 am St. Katherine of Siena, Enterprise 10:30am Saturdays: St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise 5:30pm Weekday: St. Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 8:00am (Monday – Thursday and First Friday) Grace Lutheran Church 409 West Main -Enterprise SUNDAY WORSHIP at 9am Guest Pastor, Thomas Beam Sept. 22-Oct. 20 Mission Project Harvest Food Drive phone (message): 541-426-4633 web: gracelutheranenterprise.com St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church 100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise NE 3rd & Main St 541-426-3439 Worship Service Sunday 9:30am All are welcome CLUES ACROSS 1. Mother ____ 5. Meadow mowers 9. “____ for the Road” 12. Monumental story 13. Iranian ruler, once 14. Pound 15. Hope 16. Detroit, e.g. 17. Lady from Eden 18. Honor with a medal 20. “Since You’ve ____ Gone” 21. Bottle-cap remover 23. Typewriter key 26. Guys 27. Tennis term 31. Spain’s continent 33. Looking glass 34. Yawning 35. “The ____ Patrol” 36. Neither’s companion 37. Bond 39. Tumbled 42. Proof 47. “Facts of Life” star 48. ____ and bear it 49. Days of ____ 50. Prior to, to Byron 51. On the ____ (precisely) 52. Vile 53. Forest creature 54. Purchaser 55. Pats CLUES DOWN 1. Bawdy 2. Andy’s kid 3. Compact ____ 4. Repeat 5. Fugitive from prison 6. Bleach 7. Had a meal 8. Meek 9. Willow, e.g. 10. Signal hello 11. Indication of future events 19. Pranced 20. ____ Fox 22. Worked on copy 23. Pot or rose 24. July’s follower: abbr. 25. Bathing-suit top 28. Large coffee pot 29. Pigeon’s sound 30. Do wrong 32. October birthstone 33. Sailor 35. Amend 38. Long sandwiches 39. Release 40. British noble 41. Soup vegetable 43. Ogled 44. PBS science show 45. Nursery bed 46. Electric swimmers 48. Type of antelope Joseph United Methodist Church Summit Church 3rd & Lake St. • Joseph Pastor Cherie Dearth Phone: 541-432-3102 Sunday Worship Service 10:00 am Gospel Centered Community Service time: 10:30 am Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise 541-426-2150 Pastor: David Pendleton JosephUMC.org www.summitchurchoregon.org ture” in determining if there’s a disaster in the making. Hayward estimated there are still about 3,000 acres of wheat yet unharvested in the valley, along with “a cou- ple thousand acres of hay ground.” He said some of the hay has been swathed and wind- rowed but is still too wet to bale. “What’s unknown is are they going to get a window of time to” cut the wheat and bale the hay. He said the moisture con- tent of most wheat is testing at 17 to 18% and it must get down to 12% to be able to store it. “The problem is, if you try to store with higher moisture, it’ll mold,” Hay- ward said. McLaughlin said his uncut wheat could end up as mere animal feed if it sprouts in the fi eld. But even that has to be dry enough to store. “To put things in per- spective, I’m right on the edge of destroying 35 to 40 semi loads of grain because I don’t think I’ll ever get it cut,” he said. “I may be wrong, and God’s plan’s perfect; He may provide the weather but right now I don’t see it.” Though he’s trying to remain optimistic, he doesn’t anticipate the needed dry spell. “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said. “What’s at stake is to not make a stumbling block at getting this area declared a disaster. It’s got my neighbors up in arms over that.” McLaughlin was unable to provide contacts of those neighbors for comment. He and Collins are trying to remain optimistic. “I just try to be an opti- mist,” Collins said. “Person- ally, I’ve never had it happen for winter set in so quick. But I’m not willing to give in to that yet.” Still, he’s looking at it realistically. “To be honest with you, we are getting into the dan- ger zone,” Collins said. “Usually, we’ve had really good luck getting that Indian summer.” Enterprise Christian Church Christ Covenant Church Time for a Computer Tuneup? 85035 Joseph Hwy • (541) 426-3449 Pastor Terry Tollefson Church Office: 541-263-0505 Spyware Removal • 541-426-0108 113 E. Main St., Enterprise Worship at 9 a.m. Sunday School at 10:30 a.m. Evening Worship at 6 p.m. (nursery at A.M. services) Family Prayer 9 a.m. Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship Service 10:30 a.m. “Loving God & One Another” David Bruce, Sr. - Minister 723 College Street, Lostine Lostine Presbyterian Church Enterprise Community Congregational Church Discussion Group 9:30 AM Worship Service 11:00 AM The Big Brown Church Childrens program during service Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com 541.398.0597 Hwy 82, Lostine Stephen Kliewer, Minister Wallowa Assembly of God 702 West Hwy 82 Wallowa, Oregon 541-886-8445 Sunday School • 9:am Worship Service • 10:am Pastor Tim Barton Visit Us on with an open door Pastor Archie Hook Sunday Worship 11am Bible Study 9:30am Ark Angels Children’s Program Ages 4-6th grade, 11am Nursery for children 3 & under 301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR CC Beanies have arrived!! Classic Beanie $14 Tons of New Styles! Blankets Scarves Gloves Find us on Facebook! 541.426.3044 Seventh-Day Adventist Church & School Stop by Today! Shop online Temptingtealboutique.com 305 Wagner (near the Cemetery) P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828 541-426-3751 Church 541-426-8339 School Worship Services Sabbath School 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Worship Hour 11:00 a.m. - Noon Uptown Clothing & Accessories in Downtown Joseph 12 S. Main St. • 541-432-9653