Fall seeding, feeding reflect lag in rainfall in county

Steptoe area farmer Randy Suess said it’s not unusual for him to seed when there’s been little or no rain.

“For the last eight, nine to 10 years, I’ve dusted in the seed,” he said Monday. He added the grain he has planted is already sprouting, coming back on pea ground.

According to the National Weather Service in Spokane, Whitman County has received less than half of the normal rainfall as of Monday, .18 of an inch compared to .42 normal for the Oct. 13 date.

Whitman County recorded 1.67 inches less in rainfall for the crop year which started Oct. 1. Normal rainfall for the crop year is 16.89 inches, and the year ending Sept. 30 finished at 15.22 inches at the Pullman NWS station.

Suess said farmers, particularly on the west side of the county, are almost done seeding and typically seed with very little moisture in the ground.

Suess now is concerned that the young sprouts won’t have enough moisture to survive if rain doesn’t come soon.

“I hope the forecast is for rain,” he said. “I’m concerned it’s going to stay dry.”

Suess pointed out farmers are taking a gamble if they wait until the end of October to seed.

Steve Van Vleet, WSU Regional Extension Specialist, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Natural Resources based in Colfax, estimated 65 percent of Whitman County farmers had seeded winter crops as of the middle of last week.

“Some are still waiting for rain, but some farmers have dusted it in,” he said.

“We need a good half inch to inch of rain first off,” he said.

Van Vleet added that any heavy rainfall could result in run-off because the ground is hard and baked.

“No-tillers will have more moisture in the ground, because the ground is not worked as much,” he said.

Van Vleet also said most livestock producers are already feeding hay because pastures have dried out early from lack of moisture. Van Vleet said most pastures have gone into dormancy because of the lack of rain and at that point ranchers take livestock off pastures.

He said yields of alfalfa and hay have been less than normal later in the summer because of less moisture.

“We’re just waiting for moisture and hoping for better yields next year,” he said.