, cattle rancher in Keating Valley east of Baker City
8 |
SPRING RAIN | BAKER COUNTY
U.S. Drought Monitor
June 28, 2022
Oregon
(Released Thursday, Jun. 30, 2022)
Valid 8 a.m. EDT
Grass:
Continued from Page 7
Drought Conditions (Percent Area)
Current
Last Week
06-21-2022
3 Months Ago
03-29-2022
Start of
Calendar Year
None
D0-D4 D1-D4 D2-D4 D3-D4
D4
24.60
75.40
66.49
52.71
31.72
1.77
24.60
75.40
66.49
52.71
31.72
1.77
7.16
92.84
88.44
74.25
50.28
15.01
4.16
95.84
89.75
75.37
50.84
17.27
0.00
100.00 100.00 96.47
72.10
26.59
0.00
100.00 99.97
43.93
4.78
01-04-2022
Start of
Water Year
09-28-2021
One Year Ago
06-29-2021
81.96
Intensity:
None
D2 Severe Drought
D0 Abnormally Dry
D3 Extreme Drought
D1 Moderate Drought
D4 Exceptional Drought
The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conditions.
Local conditions may vary. For more information on the
Drought Monitor, go to https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/About.aspx
Author:
Curtis Riganti
National Drought Mitigation Center
droughtmonitor.unl.edu
from Interstate 84, their shoul-
ders rising from the green sea like
whales’ fl ukes.
The soggy spring signifi -
cantly eased the drought that has
plagued Baker County, and much
of Northeastern Oregon, for more
than a year.
On June 21, just 4% of Baker
County — a small sliver in the
southwest corner that doesn’t
include any farmland — was rated
as being in extreme drought, the
second-worst among the fi ve-level
drought rating system, accord-
ing to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
That’s the lowest percentage since
Jan. 26, 2021, when no part of the
county was in extreme drought.
On April 5, 2022, by contrast,
almost the entire county — 84%
— was in extreme drought.
Siddoway said the spring rain,
though immensely helpful for this
year’s grass crop, wasn’t suffi cient
to replenish aquifers depleted by
the drought.
He said springs that have dried
up or diminished haven’t recov-
ered — a heavy winter snowpack
would help with that situation, he
said.
“The drought is not over yet,”
Siddoway said.
‘One of the best grass
years’
Clair Pickard chooses the
same word as Siddoway did when
talking about his expectations
when April began.
“Disaster.”
“We just completely expected
a disaster,” said Pickard, who
with his wife, Patti, has a ranch
in Keating Valley about 15 miles
east of Baker City.
See Grass, Page 9
July 17
*Breakaway Roping
August 10-13
Farm City PRCA Rodeo
Blue Mt. Seeds, Inc.
August 27
*Cystic Fibrosis Charity Roping
Sept. 9-11
*World Series of Roping
*FREE Event
380 Railroad Avenue, Imbler
541-534-2221
1705 E. AIRPORT RD. • HERMISTON, OR
541-289-9800 • EOTECHERMISTON.COM