State may be named farm disaster area

MOSES LAKE - Washington state may be named a farm disaster area because of the cooler weather, lower yields and late harvests of some crops.

Gov. Chris Gregoire announced this week she asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to determine if the whole state was a farm disaster area.

Farmers could be able to receive federal payments to help offset their reductions and emergency low interest loans to pay for production and farm property losses.

In Grant County, a disaster designation "would help take the sting out of some guys' operations," said Aaron Golladay, vice president of the state Farm Bureau and a Grant County Farm Bureau board member.

Some wheat farmers and varieties are doing exceptionally well, but others aren't doing half what they expected, Golladay said.

Corn farmers are nervous because their product has to be dry enough for the elevators, with between 15 to 18 percent moisture, he said.

Wind and shatter damage can increase the longer corn sits in a field.

Fruit farmers are running behind, as the berries are some of the latest they've seen, he said.

By mid-August, there's typically been more than 30 days of warmer weather, but that is not the case this year.

In Pasco, some wheat farmers are having to apply fungicide four or five times to control rust.

"We're lucky if we do one or two," Golladay said. "That's not cheap."

Potato farmers have seen some late blight in Pasco and Othello, he said.

"The weather has been better for disease than growing crops," Golladay commented.

Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, said growers are in the early stages of harvesting.

They are one to two weeks behind schedule for harvest because of the cold, damp weather.

"It was slow growing early on," Voigt said. "The yields so far have been a little better than expected."

It appears yields will be higher than the worse case scenario first projected.

Yields will be profitable because there's been a global shortage of potatoes.

"That is the only thing that will save us," he commented.

Shepadie potato yields have been better than anticipated.

It's expected yields for a medium-season potato, the ranger, won't be as high as the Shepadie's yields.

Yields for Umatilla and Russet Burbanks should be OK, depending on the weather.

Late season potatoes should have average yields, which he called good because of the two week late start.

About 10 percent of potato production is done on the west side of the state.

Growers couldn't plant until June because it was so wet, putting them a month and a half behind.

They would benefit from disaster assistance, he commented.

"This was the latest that they have ever planted," he stated. "There is great concern that yields will be significantly reduced due to the very late planting. Particularly if the fall rain sets in early, it will be a total disaster."

Conditions this year are a reminder to producers "to consider purchasing the appropriate crop insurance," stated Dan Newhouse, director of the state Department of Agriculture.

"Everyone knows we've had lousy weather this spring and summer, but most of us don't suffer serious economic consequences as a result," Gregoire stated. "Farmers across the state have watched their crops develop late or fail to thrive during this year's cold and wet weather. This is the first time in recent memory we've requested that USDA determine the extent of agricultural disaster statewide."