It has been a summer of hard choices for farmers and ranchers across Jefferson County. A persistent drought that took hold in the spring has deepened through August, leaving irrigation districts, individual water right holders, and agricultural operations scrambling to stretch every drop from the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers.
North Unit Cuts Allotments
The North Unit Irrigation District — which serves a large swath of Jefferson County farmland — approved reduced water allotments for the 2026 season back in March, a sign that water managers saw the shortage coming early.
Farmers in the district are receiving 1.30 acre-feet per acre from the Deschutes River and 0.65 acre-feet per acre from the Crooked River — well below what most operations need for a full growing season. For crops like wheat, hay, mint, and potatoes — all staples of Jefferson County agriculture — those cuts translate directly to reduced yields and difficult triage decisions about which fields to water and which to let go dry.
Junior Rights at Risk
Oregon's water system operates on a priority basis, and in drought years, junior water right holders are the first to be curtailed. This summer, state water managers have already shut off junior rights in several Deschutes Basin irrigation districts for what local water managers believe is the first time in modern records.
Jefferson County's agricultural community, which includes some junior right holders, has been caught in the squeeze between historic demand and a river system running well below average natural streamflows.
Reservoirs Running Low
Wickiup Reservoir — the primary storage source that feeds Jefferson County farms via 65 miles of main canal — is tracking significantly below average. Water managers anticipated curtailments beginning in July for some districts, and those projections have largely come true.
Crescent Lake, another key reservoir in the broader Central Oregon system, is on track to end the 2026 season at its lowest level since the 1990s, with water deliveries to dependent farms set to stop by mid-August.
What Farmers Are Doing
Many operations across Jefferson County have responded by:
- Fallowing lower-priority fields to concentrate water on cash crops
- Shifting to drought-resistant seed varieties where possible
- Working with the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District on technical assistance for conservation and efficiency upgrades
- Pursuing temporary water transfer agreements where available
Jefferson County posted a request for bids on a temporary water transfer earlier this year, highlighting how seriously local government is taking the shortage as a structural issue — not just a one-season problem.
Looking Ahead
With the irrigation season winding down and fall approaching, farmers are already watching snowpack forecasts for the 2026-2027 winter. After two consecutive dry winters, there is growing anxiety that another below-average snowpack could push the Deschutes Basin into a multi-year drought cycle.
Ranchers with cattle on summer range have also been affected, as dry pastures and reduced creek flows have complicated grazing operations across the county's high desert regions.
For information on drought assistance programs, farmers and ranchers can contact the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Jefferson County office or the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District at jeffswcd.org.