Washington asparagus threatened by cheap labor and imports

In Washington, not all retailers are willing to pay a premium for locally grown asparagus, which costs more than the foreign-grown spears or even spears grown in California and Michigan, America’s other two top asparagus-growing states. Labor costs here drive up the price.

“Your minimum wage has gone up. Your taxes on payroll have gone up,” Gary Larsen, a Washington asparagus grower said. “It’s expensive.”

Asparagus is one of the most labor-intensive crops to harvest and handle. Each individual spear is cut by hand. The spears are then hand-sorted. They’re hand-packed, too.

“That’s the main problem: labor,” said Ron Granholm, a third-generation farmer who grows some 125 acres of asparagus near Harrah in the Yakima Valley.

His concerns are twofold, and they mirror those of other farmers in the industry. There’s the cost of labor, and there’s the shrinking – and undocumented – labor force.

Based on a national study, Mike Gempler, executive director of the Washington Growers League, estimates about half of Washington farm workers are undocumented. And for some crops, including asparagus, the numbers could be even higher.

Asparagus workers “are very exposed,” Gempler said. “The whole industry is very exposed.”

"Comprehensive immigration reform could help stabilize the workforce. Workable government policies, providing for legal entry for laborers willing to do some of the hardest farm work, such as cutting asparagus, is needed," he said.

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