Harvesting of sweet red and yellow Washington cherries began at the start of the month, encountering an unexpectedly tight labor market. This seasonal labor scenario relies heavily on migrant workers, following the crop pattern from California through to Washington, Oregon, and other Northwest states.
Specialists indicate that several factors are contributing to the reduced availability of workers this year. The cherry harvest commences earlier in California, yet the yield there appears reduced compared to the previous year, resulting in little overlap between the California and Northwest cherry seasons. Many workers remain occupied with the California harvest, potentially delaying their move to Washington by up to two weeks. Furthermore, concerns over immigration enforcement, marked by rumors of workplace raids and detentions by federal agencies, have instilled fear among undocumented farm workers. According to capitalpress.com, Enrique Gastelum, CEO of the Worker and Farmer Labor Association, noted the impact of these rumors on the labor supply in Washington at the onset of the cherry harvest.
Social commitments, such as family members' high school graduations in California, also contribute to delays in labor migration. The total number of affected workers is uncertain, but some growers report a tighter labor market than anticipated this summer.
Grower Shawn Gay, operating Finley Cherries in locations like Kennewick, Pasco, and Benton City since 1997, highlighted the slow influx of workers over the last two weeks, with numbers expected to peak shortly. His operation employs roughly 50 workers annually, including H-2A guest workers. He buttressed the crucial role of both migrant and regional domestic workers in the cherry harvest at Finley Cherries, some of whom have been involved since the farm's inception over 25 years ago. The Northwest is projecting a fresh cherry crop increase of about 10% compared to the previous year.
Besides labor availability concerns, Washington's tree fruit growers, according to Gay, continue to confront financial strains, inclusive of rising expenses on minimum wages, overtime payouts, and farm inputs. Despite the challenges, about 70-80% of Northwest cherries are distributed throughout the United States, with control over pricing shifting to warehouses upon cherry delivery. Gay expects to evaluate expense coverage for the year in November.
Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, remarked on the disparity between rising produce costs for consumers and decreasing revenue for growers, as quoted in the Herald.
Source: Tri-City Herald