Independence, OR ‐ With no end in sight to the heavy rains that are soaking Oregon, Rogue Farms in Independence is closed due to flooding through the end of the year. Last week, the Willamette River poured over its banks, sending floodwaters rushing over the main road and filling Rogue’s hopyard with water several feet deep.
Even by Oregon standards it’s been a wild December. Non-stop rain, snow and ice have hit the region for three weeks, causing widespread flooding, mudslides and breaking centuries old rainfall records. Rogue Farms received more than 13 inches of rain this month, three times more than a typical December and breaking a 124 year old record.
On the other side of Mt. Hood the rain turned into snow, dropping nearly a foot at Rogue Farms in Tygh Valley, Oregon.
Winter floods and snow are a part of the natural cycle at Rogue Farms and one of the reasons the farm has such great terroir for growing hops and malting barley. Winter floods and rain replenish soil moisture at a time when the crops need it most. They are especially welcomed after years of drought.
The floods also deposit a new layer of sediment, building up the soil each time they visit. The rich, alluvial loam at Rogue Farms is the legacy of centuries of Ice Age floods and seasonal flooding of the Willamette River. Floods are how Mother Nature grows dirt. For more information on Growing the Revolution, follow the Rogue Farms Blog and visit Rogue.com.
About Rogue Ales and Spirits
Rogue Ales and Spirits is an agri-fermenter and distillery founded in Oregon in 1988. Rogue has won over 1,700 awards for taste and quality and is available in all 50 states and 50 countries. Since 2008, Rogue has remained committed to saving the terroir of Oregon hops and barley, one acre at a time, by growing its own.