With precipitation above average throughout the Pacific Northwest in May and June, wheat growers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana report excellent growing conditions, but the rain has hurt some other crops, Spokane-based Northwest Farm Credit Services says.

Wheat growers say that for them, growing conditions have been bolstered by ample moisture, the federally chartered ag-lending cooperative says in a rundown of the health of certain agricultural sectors.

"While dry land grain producers welcomed above-average moisture, it slowed maturities for hay, row crops, and tree fruits and lowered yields for hay and cherries in some cases," Northwest Farm Credit says.

A lack of heat in May and June and grower pruning and thinning have resulted in a smaller apple crop than originally projected, it says. In a recent Market Snapshot report on apples, the ag lender says the 2010-11 Northwest apple crop originally had been projected at a record 120 million boxes, but now is expected to be between 105 million and 110 million boxes. The previous record crop, 108.5 million boxes, was in 2008-2009. Almost all of the Northwest apple crop is grown in Washington.

The long, cold, wet spring has plagued Northwest hay producers.

"Growers in southwestern Idaho and Washington, in particular, have been hit hard with rain, and a number have experienced a complete loss of the first cutting crop," Northwest Farm Credit says. "Where producers elected to wait out the weather before cutting, alfalfa has become overmature with low feed value and poor appearance."

As with many things in agriculture, however, what might be an overabundance for one type of grower is a boon to another. At least some growers of timothy hay, who typically get just one cutting a year of their specialty crop, say they expect to have large crops boosted by the moisture.

"Assuming that they let it stand through that period of time" when it was so wet, "that would be correct," says Jay Penick, president and CEO of Northwest Farm Credit Services.

The cold, wet spring delayed the harvest of Northwest cherries, hurt quality, and reduced the size of the crop, Northwest Farm Credit says.

"Adverse spring weather affected both pollination and growth, and the crop fell behind on maturity due to a lack of heat," the ag lender says.

Split cherries "and mildew from the rain and cool weather have lowered crop quality and volume. Initial projections of a 13 to 14 million box crop have been revised to 12.5 million boxes or lower. However, with strong demand in the market, growers with good timing, strong yields, and high fruit quality should do well."

Bruce Grim, manager of the Yakima-based Marketing Association, which handles marketing for a number of grower cooperatives, says estimates of this year's Northwest cherry crop have declined steadily from the 16 million to 18 million boxes projected at a five-state growers meeting in mid-May, to 11 million to 12 million boxes as of mid-July.

Meanwhile, the cool, wet weather has slowed progress of potato production throughout the Northwest, Northwest Farm Credit says. "Crops are delayed 10 to 15 days in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon."

Another industry that the ag lender serves, the nursery-greenhouse industry, reported problems caused by the gloomy spring weather other than the typical ill effects too much rain has on the plant growth and crop size and quality.

Northwest Farm Credit says the wet spring slowed sales of nursery- and greenhouse-grown plants, which already were lagging because of the recession and the poor job and housing markets.