Drought Ruins Washington's What Crop, Threatens Export To Phl

The wheat harvest on Marci Green’s farm doesn’t usually begin until late August, but a severe drought stunted this year’s crop and her crews finished harvesting last week because she didn’t want what had grown so far to shrivel and die in the heat.

Photo Insert: This is the worst drought in the U.S. since 1977, as per the National Weather Service.

“This is definitely the worst crop year we have had since we started farming 35 years ago,” said Green, whose family is the sixth generation on the same farming land just south of the city of Spokane. She estimated her farm’s wheat crop this year at half of normal, and of poor quality, Nicholas K. Geranios reported for the Associated Press (AP).

It’s the same story across the wheat country of eastern Washington state, a vast expanse of seemingly endless stretches of flatlands with rolling hills along its edges that produces the nation’s fourth-largest wheat crop. It’s been devastated by a drought the National Weather Service has classified as “exceptional” and the worst since 1977.

"We’re seeing complete crop failure in some areas,” said Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers in the small community of Ritzville, in the heart of the state’s wheat-growing region.

Only about 10 percent of Washington’s wheat crop comes from farms with irrigation. The rest of the farms rely on rain, which has been rare in what is shaping up as one of the hottest summers in the state’s history.

The current estimate for the crop is 117 million bushels, down from last year’s 165 million, and there is a good chance the crop will be smaller than 117 million, said Glen Squires, director of the Washington Grain Commission, which represents farmers. A bushel is about 60 pounds (27 kilograms).

Oregon and Idaho also produce soft white winter wheat, and their crops have also been hurt by drought, Squires said. The National Weather Service in Spokane said the state’s wheat region has received only about half its normal rain this year, and that the zone is in what the agency calls an “exceptional drought,” the worst category.

About 90% of Washington’s soft white winter wheat is exported from Portland, Oregon, to countries like the Philippines, South Korea, China, and Japan, Squires said. It is a variety that is prized particularly in countries like the Philippines because it is excellent for making pastries, cakes, cookies, and noodles. The wheat is fetching about $9 a bushel, which is higher than last year, but that is only for farmers who have wheat to sell, Squires said.

Washington has about 3,500 wheat farmers, who last year exported $663 million worth of wheat. With yields expected at 40% to 60% of normal, revenue will drop significantly, Squires said.

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