wheat harvest Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Lower Monumental Dam Repairs On Snake River Happening During Peak Wheat-Barging Season

By Anna King August 28, 2020

The Columbia River System, which includes the Snake River linking to Lewiston, Idaho, is a critical navigation system for shipping wheat downriver to Portland and export markets. Courtesy of Tidewater

A lot of freshly harvested wheat bound for Portland, Oregon, could stack up on the Columbia River system soon because an old guy wire has snapped on the Snake River’s Lower Monumental Dam. Continue Reading Lower Read More

Late Spring Rains Save Northwest Wheat Crop Yields, But Price Still Down

By Anna King August 10, 2020

Golden wheat got a recent crew cut outside of Walla Walla, Washington. Experts say the 2020 Washington and Oregon crops look about average, saved by late-spring rains.

The latest harvest estimates say Washington ranchers will harvest nearly 153 million bushels of wheat and Oregon 44 million bushels. That’s around average for both states. A typical barge holds around 122,500 bushels of wheat — meaning 44 million bushels would be about 360 barges full of grain on the Snake and Columbia Rivers heading toward export terminals. Read More

Critical Columbia River Lock To Reopen For Barge Traffic As Northwest Wheat Harvest Finishes Up

By NWPB News September 27, 2019

This Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows a boat lock on the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River that connects Oregon and Washington at Cascade Locks., Ore. A critical lock has shut down for repairs, meaning barges that shuttle millions of tons of wheat, wood and other inland goods to the Pacific Ocean for transport to Asia can't move. CREDIT: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Twitter

A critical navigation lock on the lower Columbia River is expected to reopen this weekend, between 10 PM Friday and 10 AM Saturday, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Continue Reading Critical Read More