BURLINGTON, Wash. — The prices for fresh vegetables soared in the summer in an increase never seen before during the warmer months, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Prices for fresh and dry vegetables increased 16.4% and at the record pace of 38.9% from June to July. Across Washington, though, farmers say they aren’t seeing those increases.
“Farmers are price takers, not price makers,” Tony Wisdom said, the President & CEO of Skagit Valley Farms, “When you’re faced with a lot of supply from other places, you have to settle into what the market can afford to pay you for your products.”
Wisdom’s crops are made up of a lot of “commodity” crops that are available from numerous suppliers both around the country and the globe, leaving it subject to the market. Any costs he has to produce are not reflected in the price grocers pay.
“What happens when the product leaves our warehouse and goes forward, I don’t know what happens.” Wisdom said
Across the mountains in Wapato, Manual Imperial, the co-owner of Imperial Farms, says there have been a few of his crops that he’s been paid more for by the grocery retailers.
“The Krogers, the Walmarts, have been the ones that are saving the farm for us. They’ve been willing to pay extra money so they can keep us going as local farmers,” Imperial said.
The extra money, though, isn’t enough to combat a cascade of rising prices Imperial and Wisdom have faced in operating their farms. Rising fuel costs, the price of work trucks, and the cost of equipment have all increased over the past several years of persistent inflation.
Fuel prices and fuel taxes are higher in Washington than in competing states, and wages are higher than in competing states and competing nations.
“We cannot compete with Mexico,” Imperial said, “They have $15 a day labor, to me it’s $20 an hour. It’s a big difference.”
Farmers are always at the mercy of the weather, and in Central Washington, Imperial has been pleading for relief. A three-year drought has led to six-day-on, three-day-off water restrictions, impacting the yield from his field.
“The struggle is when the heat wave comes; if you’re on that off time, then you have an issue with production,” Imperial said.
Imperial has also watched his crews increase over time.
Usually hoping to have a head count of 350, he hasn’t quite gotten 300 for harvesting this year. He and Wisdom rely on H2A agriculture visas.
“There’s a misconception that that dispaces local people and that is not the case,” Widsom said, “There are not enough local workers to do the work in agriculture, so the ability to bring the people in from other countries legally is super important.”
Imperial agrees, adding, “There are some jobs in America that Americans don’t want to do, and it’s farming.”
“I’m hoping my President Trump will let our workers stay when they work at the phone because that’s the one thing that America needs. A lot of locals will not work, especially on my farm.”
Many vegetables are exempt from tariffs; however, tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocados are some that are subject to the import tax and may be contributing to the rise in prices tracked by the BLS.
Though both farmers say tariffs could help ease the strain on local American farms.
“Restricting the import of some food products to encourage that they would be produced in the U.S, I think that’s a good thing for the farming community.” Wisdom said.
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