September 21, 2006

Apples ripen as growers seek pickers

By LORI MATSUKAWA

KING 5 News

SEATTLE -  Washington's apple harvest is in full swing but many growers say they may have to let a lot of their crop rot. Local growers say they can't seem to find the 30,000 people they need to harvest apples and pears. 

Whether it's thinning the crop or harvesting it, Yakima valley growers say they can't get the job done without more workers.

The state says there's an adequate supply of pickers, but that's not what you hear in the Yakima valley. Whether it's thinning the crop or harvesting it, Yakima valley growers say they can't get the job done without more workers.

"Agricultural products are perishable," grower Kevin Riel said. "And we just can't wait and say if we don't do it today we'll do it tomorrow. There is no tomorrow."

One orchard is getting by with two thirds of its normal crew. Across the valley, another orchardist has only half the usual help.

"We know we can't get the field picked in time so we're just trying to do things to minimize the loss," said another grower Jim Morford.  

Why the shortage? Some blame the extended cherry harvest; others say it's the high cost of gasoline. Some workers are lured away by better paying jobs. But if you ask the workers, they say it's just harder to get across the border. Fifteen out of 20 some got rejected for one reason or another

Growers have tried to get local workers, offering $10 to 12 an hour.

"We went after non-traditional workers -- housewives, high school kids, ex offenders, people on welfare, and the response has been very minimal," said Larry Sanchez of Washington Employment Security. "People don't want to work."

As the fruit ripens, growers can only wonder what tomorrow will bring.

"It's not just the Yakima valley or Washington state, I think it's around the nation," Morford said.

Apples are Washington's biggest crop, worth $1 billion in 2004. Farmers say they'd like to see a guest worker program, in which people are escorted into the country for the harvest, then accompanied back to their native country.