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Wanted: Sun 
 
The recent wet weather hasn’t helped irrigators much, and farmers say their crops need warmth 
 
By JOEL ASCHBRENNER 
H&N Staff Writer

May 28, 2010

 

H&N photos by Andrew Mariman  Tom Mallams leans against a wheel line Thursday on his farmland north of Beatty, near where the Sycan and Sprague rivers meet.

     Local farmers say recent cold, wet weather has not helped crops.

 

   “It’s actually hurt,” said Tom Mallams, a farmer and rancher in Beatty. “We’ve got some moisture, but we need some warmth. We need some sun.”

 

   Frost currently is not an issue for most Basin crops but they are growing slower because of the cold temperatures, said Dave Solem, manager of the Klamath Irrigation District.

 

   This month, Klamath Falls had an average high of 57 degrees and a low of 32 degrees, lower than monthly historical averages of 65 and 37 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Medford.

 

   “Cool and wet is better from a water supply standpoint, but   what we need is warmth,” said Greg Addington, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association.

 

   Recent rainstorms, which have produced fractional inches of water, can’t replace irrigation water, he said.

 

The Sprague River swells, spilling onto ranch land north of Beatty due to a wet and cold spring in the area.

     Solem said most irrigators put about 3 inches of water on a field each time they irrigate, which is usually about every 10 to 15 days.  

 

   Mallams said the rain helps, but it doesn’t soak deep enough into the soil to make a real impact.

 

   “We’ll take everything Mother Nature will give us, but it’s not a substitution for irrigation,” he said.

 

   Still dry

 

   This month, the Klamath Falls area received 0.72 inches of precipitation, just short of its monthly average of 0.80 inches.

 

   Despite recent rain, the area is still below its water-year average, according to the National Weather Service. The area has received 6.35 inches of precipitation since Sept. 1, when the water year begins, which is nearly 4 inches below average.

 

   Precipitation this month varied throughout the Basin.

 

   Tulelake has received .5 inches of precipitation in May, but averages 1.1 inches. Alturas averages 1.27 inches of precipitation in May, but has only received 1.11 inches.

 

   Lakeview has seen a wetter month, receiving 1.81 inches of precipitation, compared to 1.37 inches on average.  

 

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