DONNIE HEATON, 48, potato, grain farmer, Merrill

‘We need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best’ 

By SARA HOTTMAN

H&N Staff Reporter

December 19, 2010

H&N photo by Andrew Mariman  Merrill-area farmer Donnie Heaton visits some of his land Friday off Hill Road. He has been working to clean up the property since last summer

      Like most growers in the Klamath Basin, Donnie Heaton had a tough year.

   The Merrill-area farmer moved his operation from the Klamath Reclamation Project to fields in Newell, Bonanza, Sprague River and Medford because of water restrictions.

   He clocked thousands of miles on his pick-up truck to monitor the widely dispersed wheat and potato crops, then battled cold weather during a late harvest.

   “It was a royal pain in the … it was a stressful year,” Heaton said. “But we   got through it and could pay our bills, and that’s a good thing.

   “I’m proud we stepped up to the challenge and got it done. I guess you never know what you can accomplish until you have to.”

   While price per hundredweight of potatoes is solid, his yields — about 500 sacks per acre — were lower than usual, though still pretty good considering the water situation, he said. His revenue will cover the season’s higher costs.

   “(In 2009) prices were depressed and yields were good, and (this) year prices are decent but we didn’t have the crops we normally have,” Heaton said. “Seems like they always catch you while you’re coming or going.”  

   Heaton has already contracted wheat for next year for a higher price than he got this year, and he is hopeful the ongoing precipitation in the Basin means water won’t be an issue come April.

   But, he said, “Don’t wait around to see what’s going to happen next year. Start getting your stuff lined up now. It’s a lot easier to adjust your operation to water than to no water.”

   He said growers need to “keep a vigilant eye” on how government agencies manage water to prevent a repeat of this year’s water issues.

   “Our water situation is never going to go away,” he said. “We need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”