Washington state growers complain of labour shortage

US asparagus growers might get a slightly earlier start on this year’s harvest, if the weather cooperates. If current weather conditions hold, asparagus cutting could begin as soon as the end of next week.

Whether this year’s crop will live up to past performance remains to be seen, as it depends on the weather and finding people who can cut the spears. Asparagus ranks 30th among the state’s commodities in terms of monetary value, according to the state Department of Agriculture. Last year, Washington’s asparagus harvest was valued at $23.5 million, according to the USDA.

That harvest -11,610 tons- was the state’s fourth-highest yield in the past ten years, according to the USDA’s annual survey of farmers. It represented about a third of the entire national asparagus harvest last year, second only to Michigan, which produced 12,150 tons, and ahead of California, which produced 6,400 tons.

According to an article on yakimaherald.com, the primary growing areas for asparagus in Washington are Franklin and Yakima counties, with the vegetable one of the first crops to be harvested in the year; cutting typically begins in early to mid-April. But finding enough cutters is a challenge for growers.

Asparagus harvesting is labour intensive. A cutter has to work through the rows again and again over the season, on each pass cutting only the spears that are 20- to 22-inches long, being careful not to damage the plant in the process. One cutter can cover up to 0.8 hectares a day. Unfortunately, finding people to work in the fields has become difficult as interest in agriculture work wanes, the growers said.