The trends, challenges and opportunities in Washington’s fruit industry were discussed throughout the Economic Outlook Conference held at Central Washington University on Wednesday 10 February. While Washington state’s fruit industry, particularly tree fruit, is continuing to produce more each year, the number of farms continues to decrease.
Among the immediate concerns facing the industry is quarantining apple maggot within quarantine areas and controlling gypsy moth, said Derek Sandison, director of the state Department of Agriculture.
Another issue, he said, is that in such a volatile market, it is hard to convince the next generation to continue farming. There are various pressures that make it more difficult for smaller farms to thrive, he said.
Among those issues are finding affordable laborers who are legally in the country, he said. U.S. citizens generally do not want to be farm laborers, but regulations make it costly to bring in laborers from other countries, he said.
However, technology is advancing and increasing the efficiency on farms, he said.
Drone use is becoming more popular to monitor crops and other technologies help laborers be more efficient.
Sandison said the ag industry in Washington produces among the highest quality products in the country because of the continued research, which helps Washington compete against countries that may produce significantly more of any certain crop.
“But our reputation is fragile,” he said. Even a rumor could close foreign markets and impact local farmers.
Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said that despite the decreasing number of farms, the amount produced continues to increase.
He said many associate farming with the “old days,” but in reality the industry is stronger than it was a century ago because of more advanced farming techniques and technology.
In 1910 there were 27,150 apple farms in Washington while there were only 2,839 apple farms in 2012.
But Washington produced 139,970,000 apples in 2014, more than 100,000,000 more than in 1919.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a stable market, he said. There are various factors that go into the industry and anything can happen in any given year.
Whether it’s international markets closing, crop losses or port shut downs, there are forces that can make it difficult for farm owners to have enough capital to reinvest.
