| Most
of the farms in the Heppner area utilize dryland-farming
techniques, which normally include utilization of
a two-year wheat/fallow rotation.
Water stored in the soil profile during the
fallow period is used to increase the yield
potential of wheat grown in the subsequent year. Annual cropping (no fallow period) is becoming more popular
in some of the higher rainfall areas located south
and west of Heppner.
Wheat is the most commonly grown crop in
the area, produced on about 175,000 acres
annually.
The
wheat produced here is soft white wheat. Consumers
from around the world enjoy the products made from
this kind of wheat.
Superior milling and baking properties of
the soft white wheat are used to produce
flatbreads, steamed breads, cookies, cakes,
pastries, and cereal. The soft white wheat
varieties can be subdivided into either a
“common-type” or a “club-type.” Both types
of wheat are grown in the Heppner area.
These types are often mixed and marketed as
Western White Wheat.
The purchaser can request the percentage of club
wheat in the blend.
Western White Wheat is the worlds’ most
popular wheat mixture and is available only from
Morrow County and other similar wheat-producing
areas in the Pacific Northwest.
|
The
northern part of the county, which extends south
from the Columbia River down to an area about
twenty miles north of Heppner, utilizes irrigation
water to produce potatoes, alfalfa hay, onions,
corn, and a variety of grass seed crops.
Potatoes and alfalfa, which are the two
biggest crops, are each grown on about 15,000
acres annually.
Crop quality is excellent, and demand for
these products is stable.
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