There's Plenty of Water For Oregon Agriculture This Summer (AUDIO)

Fields received too much water during floods in early 2006 Photo By: Tim King

(SALEM) - There should be plenty of water this summer for farmers and ranchers in Oregon dependent on irrigation.

A good healthy snowpack over the winter is now paying off for farmers, ranchers, and everyone else who depends on an ample water supply in the summer, according to Jim Johnson of the Oregon Department of Agriculture:

Johnson: "All over the state, water supplies are above normal. Reservoir levels are looking excellent in terms of storage. It's all pointing towards a very good banner year in terms of irrigation for the State of Oregon."

With a reputation for being a wet state, it might surprise people to know that Oregon ranks third in the nation in the number of farms and ranches utilizing irrigation.

Nearly half of all Oregon farms use irrigation to water their crops in the summer. That's why it's good news to hear that the state's irrigation reservoirs are at more than 140 percent of average heading into the summer.

I`m Kevin Hays reporting for Salem-News.com.