Harvest now in full swing; Yield off from last 2 years

Combines are rolling throughout Whitman County with the crop outlook a little less than the last two years, according to local elevator managers.

Tom Fowler, product manager with Almota Elevator in Colfax, said the quality of crops harvested so far has been good.

“We thought the heat might have an effect on the quality, but the white wheat is number one,” he told the Gazette Tuesday afternoon.

He said he’s been hearing that crops are about 20 percent less than the last couple of years. But those yields were above average.

“Fall crops came through pretty decent, but the spring crops aren’t coming in very good,” Fowler said.

He also said harvest started earlier and that some farmers will begin harvesting garbanzos in another week. Normal harvest for the legumes usually starts the first part of September.

Fowler said he estimates harvest of the wheat and barley crops in the county will be complete in a couple of weeks.

PNW Chief Operating Officer Sam White said everything is open and crop conditions vary.

“It’s hard to tell at this point,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “Some are better and some are not so good. We’re hoping for an average crop.”

He estimates farmers in the eastern part of the county are 30 percent done.

He also said he’s heard about storm damage.

“The storm came from Garfield County and made a swath through Colton toward Pullman, then from Pullman toward Palouse. Any farm in that path was hit hard,” he said.

The July 23 storm initiated a severe thunderstorm warning from the National Weather Service in Spokane and came with high winds and damaging hail.