Wet Harvest Spoils Wheat Across Eastern Washington
State inspectors report that an unusually rainy autumn has led to widespread spoilage, forcing local growers to struggle with compromised crops.
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More wet, damaged, smutty, and sprouting wheat is being received in Tacoma since the new season's crop began to pour in from the east side districts than during any similar length of time since state grain inspection was established. The trouble seems to be that the past summer and fall, when harvesting and threshing were in progress, were unusually wet. Instead of segregating damp grain from the dry, it was all threshed together, damaging the entire bulk. State Inspector Arrasmith is urging farmers to keep wet grain at home to minimize losses, as there are currently no facilities for drying it sufficiently in the damp climate of the Sound.
“The trouble seems to be that the past summer and fall, when harvesting and threshing were in progress, were unusually wet.”
Agricultural logistics remain a massive part of the Washington economy. This story mirrors the perennial challenges farmers face when climate volatility disrupts traditional harvesting practices, a recurring theme in the history of the Inland Northwest.
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