Legume crop harvest faces uncertain finish

September's wet weather has prompted questions about the fate of this year's garbanzo beans and lentil crops grown mainly on the east side of Whitman County.

With an unknown quantity yet to be harvested, if conditions persist, including dew in the mornings, legumes become harder to harvest.

"The vines and pods when damp and wet, they don't thrash out. You can't get that little pod to separate," Fred Hendrickson, director of the USDA Farm Service Agency Whitman County office, explained.

Storage is also a concern. One wet load can spoil a whole bin.

It is possible that some local fields of garba...