Crops in Crisis: Washington Asparagus

When Kevin Bouchey, a farmer from Toppenish Washington, began growing asparagus in 1980, most of his crop went to canning. Now, not a single canning operation remains in the state that‚ ranked #2 in the U.S. for asparagus production, after California. Nearly two-thirds of the asparagus fields in Washington have been plowed under since 1993.

After the U.S. began importing Peruvian asparagus tariff-free in 1991, Del Monte, Chiquita, and Green Giant closed their plants in Washington and moved to Peru, where farm laborers make $5-7 per day. Bouchey pays his workers $10-13/hour plus taxes and benefits.

We’re paying more for a half hour of work than they’re paying for a day‚ worth of work,” Bouchey explained.

Not only are the farmers hurt, but also the workers who once started off the harvest season cutting asparagus. “Many of those people who harvested asparagus don’t have jobs anymore,” Bouchey said. The higher levels of poverty and unemployment are straining local economies and businesses, with a ripple effect impacting all residents. Some people are just moving out of the area.

In an attempt to keep Washington growers afloat, the US Department of Agriculture has bought over 5 million pounds of asparagus each year since 2003. But while such government support lessons the pain, it’s not a cure. In the long term, Bouchey is unsure if Washington asparagus has any future at all: “Will we have a domestic industry in the U.S.? Time will tell.”