Wheat Worries & 2,500 Pound Potato Donation

Wheat Worries & 2,500 Pound Potato Donation

Wheat Worries & 2,500 Pound Potato Donation

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

At a recent Washington Grain Commission meeting concerns abounded on whether there would be enough late spring rains to salvage a wheat crop already stressed from the lack of winter moisture. Now warmer than normal daytime temperatures with freezing nighttime temperatures is causing even more damage. Many growers have reseeded damaged areas; Rob Dewald, a grower near Davenport, is one of those.

DEWALD: We reseeded into all of our winter wheat. It was club wheat and it got hurt with the winter cold.

Dewald says that much needed spring rains could turn things around but it's just a wait and see situation.

DEWALD: We're behind normal on our annual precip for this time of year, we're ahead of last year by a little bit, but you know it just depends on the weather. If it stays cool, we'll be okay. If it turns off warm and hot and stays dry, it's not going to be good.

At the first Washington State Ag Fair held recently in Olympia the Washington State Potato Commission invited state legislators to stop by the WSPC booth; those doing so were entered into a drawing to win 2,500 pounds of fresh potatoes to be donated to a charity or food bank of their choice. Representative Joe Schmick became the lucky winner and has elected to donate those 2,500 pounds of fresh potatoes to Second Harvest Tri-Cities in Pasco. Thank you Representative Schmick and thank you WSPC!

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray with the Ag Information Network of the West.

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