DAN CHIN, owner, Wong Potatoes

‘It was one of them nightmarish years that you really don’t want to happen again’ 

By SARA HOTTMAN

H&N Staff Reporter

December 19, 2010

   The result was a worst-case scenario come to life — high transportation costs, payments on land with no return and uncertainty about whether the operation would be able to cover costs.

   “Taking a look at the whole program, it was a nightmare to begin with and a challenging year to get the things done we got done,” Chin said. “Looking back, we did pretty good getting most of our crops in and harvested.

   “But it was one of them nightmarish years that you really don’t want to happen again.”

   Ultimately, less production nationwide meant a high price-per-hundredweight for Wong Potatoes, ending the year in the black.  

   But that was a lucky break. Now Chin hopes government agencies that control Klamath Reclamation Project   water recognize shortcomings in their practices and adjust so next year isn’t another nightmare.

   “I’m hoping not only we learned from this past experience, but the people we’re dealing with from the federal and state side can understand what they’re dealing with so they can make it better,” he said.

   The Bureau of Reclamation this season released less than half of the water Project irrigators needed for crops. Irrigation water also was released late, delaying planting and therefore harvests, which rolled around as inclement fall weather hit.

   “There’s a lot of poor judgment, in my opinion, from federal agencies managing water, and no one seems to be accountable,” Chin said.

   If the program doesn’t modify its practices, Chin pointed out, the same problems will inevitably occur again.

   “Overall we have to change things, no question about it,” he said. “I speak for a lot of farmers: We just can’t afford to go through what we did last year every year.”