Big Deal... Another Farm Bill

摘要

CONTRARY to the headline above, yes, it is a big deal, because for the first time ever, a Farm Bill clearly and forcefully acknowledges specialty crops, and even proposes to put some serious money toward our research and Extension needs. But all of that is happening inside the Beltway, a world far removed from the day-to-day realities of specialty crop producers as the 2007 season shifts into high gear. In the Pacific Northwest tree fruit industry, nothing looms as menacingly as labor. Average wagescontinue to explode, independent of state-mandated minimums. Many producers raised hourly rates 25% or more last year, and still could not retain a sufficient work force. In 2007, will we attract enough workers when they are needed? Will they have the skills necessary to handle the demanding tasks of thinning, irrigation, pruning, spraying, etc.?