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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2022)
| 17 SPRING RAIN | UNION COUNTY Union: Continued from Page 16 “That was a real wake up call for me,” Walenta said. “I fi gured I would see mois- ture in the soil profi le. At this rate, we will have to get more consistent wet seasons to fi ll the profi le.” The spring precipitation and cold tem- peratures were a drastic swing from the spring of 2021 when conditions were unusually hot and dry, stunting young crops. Nathan Wisehower of Union County Seed Growers said last year’s weather con- ditions were record setting. “I don’t remember a year that was that brutally hot for so long,” Wisehower said. “It’s uncommon to hit 100 degrees in June.” La Grande topped out at a record 108 degrees in late June 2021. This year, Wisehower said, farmers are recovering, but not back to average. On June 7, Gov. Kate Brown approved Union County’s request for a drought dec- laration. The governor’s executive order directs the Oregon Department of Agricul- ture to “provide assistance in seeking fed- eral resources to mitigate drought condi- tions and assist in agriculture recovery.” In some cases this spring’s rainfall was “It’s an unusual situation,” Wisehower said. Until March, Wisehower said the county was about seven inches behind in precipi- tation, but the amount of rainfall and snow this spring caught up the county’s water “THE SPRING RAINS WERE CERTAINLY BENEFICIAL. THERE IS NO DOUBT IT CAME WHEN WE NEEDED IT TO GET CROPS UP AND RUNNING AND FILLING SURFACE WATER STORAGE FACILITIES, BUT IT DIDN’T TAKE AWAY ALL THE PROLONGED EFFECTS.” — Darrin Walenta, Oregon State University Extension Service too much of a good thing. Excessive rains in some areas made get- ting a few things done in the fi eld diffi cult, Wisehower said, and the moisture, com- bined with below-average temperatures, stalled some crops from getting established. year to the 30-year long term average of 17 inches. As for fl ooding, some of Wisehower’s acreage along Catherine Creek was lost this spring, but he said most of the water went into the soil and down the creeks and rivers pretty quickly. In 2021 it wasn’t only record heat that slowed down crops. Frost in early June also aff ected growth of grass seed crops. Frost, followed by 100-degree weather, is rough on seed crops, as the heads won’t fi ll or produce, Wisehower said. While farm production was hard hit last year in Union County, Wisehower said prices were up. As for the coming growing season, July through the end of September, the National Weather Service predicts above normal temperatures and below normal precipita- tion for Union County. Compared to the rest of the state, Union County is doing relatively well, drought-wise. As of June 28, the northern half of Union County is not in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The southern roughly half of the county is rated as “abnormally dry,” one step below the fi rst of four, successively more severe, drought categories. The journey began when a young boy, his dreams, and his entrepreneurial spirit started learning the trade of fine craftsmanship on his father’s farmstead. The interest grew into a passion which blossomed into years of wonderful artistry. Now over a quarter century later, this collection is designed in legacy of the enduring Farmstead where his vision was first fostered. 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com
