As May draws to a close, it comes as no surprise to Oregonians that spring 2017 has generally been cooler and wetter than average. Up until the last couple of weeks, there had only been eight days this spring in which the statewide temperature topped 64 degrees.
The combination of cool temperatures and rainy weather delayed many farmers around Oregon from preparing the fields and planting while pushing back the early growth and development of crops.
“The situation varies around the state,” says Casey Prentiss, field operations manager for the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Inspection Program. “The farther east you go, the farther behind the crops are. But statewide, the volume is expected to be at least average and the quality should be there as well. It’s just that the crops are generally going to be later than normal.”
For agriculture, it is difficult to ever experience a “normal” weather year. That’s especially true in Oregon with such a diversity of commodities, topography, and micro-climates. But there is little doubt that the state, like much of the rest of the nation, has significantly strayed from what is usually expected.
For Prentiss and the field staff he oversees, it’s Oregon’s inability to transition to warmer temperatures and drier days that separates this spring from most. That’s especially true for Malheur County, which suffered from winter storm damage due to heavy snow and what it left behind.
“This year, some onions won’t get planted because of flooding, last year some onions didn’t get planted because of drought,” says Prentiss. “It’s a feast or famine situation in that part of the state.”
Statewide, there have been six consecutive months of above average precipitation. Temperatures were generally down slightly in April and in May up until the last week, when weather was ideal for planting and field work. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), most counties in Oregon are behind by at least a week from their normal planting schedules.
The one area of the state that seems to be running on schedule is Northeast Oregon, particularly Umatilla County. District manager Pete Veliz in Hermiston says once the weather started cooperating earlier in May, everybody got busy and everything caught up.
“Potatoes got a late start in planting but are pretty much on schedule. We will start a new crop of fresh onions on June 15, right on schedule. Onions for processing may be about 10 days behind. Our apple crop in Milton-Freewater is within 10 days of normal and mellon growers report being right on schedule.”
For essentially all of Oregon, the winter and spring produced a silver lining in the clouds. Water supply for irrigation is exceptional with well-stocked reservoirs and healthy streamflow forecasts.
Of course, there is plenty of time for the weather to give a helping hand in the form of warm, dry days.
“Mother nature has a way of getting Oregon agriculture back on schedule,” says Prentiss.
