County books wettest spring ever

June rains, commonly called million dollar rains in the Palouse country, would normally lighten the step of area farmers. But is there a discount when those rains come after the wettest spring on record?

“It’s really not an issue, other than the planting,” said Steve Van Vleet, agronomist at WSU’s Whitman County Extension.

Never since Whitman County rain totals were first officially recorded in 1940 has such an unrelenting rain fallen over March, April and May.

David Jones at the NRCS in Colfax measured 8.63 inches of rain atop the city’s south hill during the three spring months. Average from NRCS rain reporters across Whitman County was 8.4 inches. Average rainfall for Colfax during March, April and May is just over five inches.

The National Weather Service reported a record total of 8.59 inches of rain was measured at the Pullman-Moscow Airport during those three months. Previous high was 8.26 inches in 2009, followed by 8.25 inches in 1948.

The Agricultural Resource Service on Pullman’s east end recorded 9.5 inches during those three months, four inches more rain than the 5.5 inch average.

Van Vleet said all that rain should provide good yields on winter wheat provided temperatures don’t shoot up in the next few weeks.

“If we keep getting gentle, warm rains, we should see some good yields,” he said. “Especially out in western Whitman County, where they got crops in earlier. They could see some really big yields if it doesn’t get hot right away.”

This spring’s weather has been more of a problem in north and east sections of Whitman County, where experts estimate rains reduced lentil and garbanzo plantings by as much as 28 percent.

That could prove a problem next year, said Van Vleet, where some farmers have reported ground that loses that legume rotation reduces production by about 20 bushels per acre.