Ag Weather Impacts

Ag Weather Impacts

. In the last 10 days, most farms south of Yakima to Lind picked up at least a half inch of rain. An area bounded by Hermiston to Pendleton, Walla Walla, Dayton and Prescott got 1 to 2 inches which is more than we usually see for the whole month of October. This heavier rainfall was actually enough to give streamflows an upward bump. Soil moisture in the 2 to 4 inch range has more than doubled from early this month. Subfreezing temperatures were the rule for most farms Saturday and Sunday night, but milder temperatures both day and night will prevail under a ridge of high pressure into early next week. Now it looks like this ridge will begin to break down around the latter half of next week and that's when our next chance for cool and wetter conditions will return. In the mean time, dry weather will allow harvest of corn, potatoes, onions, and fruit to continue. This past weekend's freeze followed by the dry weather this week may help to dry down corn more quickly. Plan on afternoon humidity to drop into the 30 to 40 percent range. If you need to spray, you should have light winds under this high pressure pattern. These light winds and temperature inversions though will cause poor smoke dispersion for field burns the next several days. Soil temperatures in the lower 50s combined with the improved soil moisture will give good germination conditions for planting wheat. Soil temperatures should rise slightly into the mid and upper 50s into the middle of next week.
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