Harvest crews eye start thanks to June rain

Whitman County is expected to go into a harvest mode starting next week with the crews starting on the breaks of the Snake River.

Farmers around the county are encouraged by the above average June rainfall which in many cases helped rub out a precipitation lag which was denting crop outlook at the start of last month.

Wes Claassen, who farms on Rock Gulch Road along the breaks of the Snake River south of Dusty, expects to begin a month-long harvest run at the start of next week.

Claassen said he expects fall wheat yields will come in above average and spring wheat yields will be close to avera...