The Squeeze on Local Farmers
The Squeeze on Local Farmers was published in a couple of publications including the Spokesman. They do have a soft paywall but a link is at the very bottom of this post, but I did past a longer version of the piece below. Thank you for the help, I learned a lot, confirmed some suspicions and met some great people. It is was a challenge to write and it took much longer than I expected but it was time well spent but we need to look out for our farmers. They are a critical cornerstone of our community and right now, our farmers are getting it from all sides.
The Squeeze on Local Farmers
Between 2017 and 2022, Washington lost thousands of farms and ranches at a rate of roughly two per day. More than 90% of farms in Washington are small family-owned operations, and those remaining are struggling under rising costs and tightening margins.
Washington agriculture operates in a global market. Apple growers, for example, depend heavily on exports, with roughly 97% of Washington apples consumed outside the state. That means only one out of every 33 apples grown here is eaten here. When global trade shifts, local farms feel it immediately.
One example discussed with me was the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on global apple markets. Countries like Poland lost access to the Russian market, and their apples were redirected into regions like the Middle East and South Asia. The same markets Washington growers also depend on. More supply chasing the same buyers puts downward pressure on prices here at home.
At the same time, the conflict caused fertilizer prices surge, increasing costs for row crops like wheat and pulses, where fertilizer can account for roughly a third of production costs.
At the same time fuel, transportation, labor, compliance, and infrastructure costs have all climbed as well.
Labor is one of the largest pressures facing farms today. According to data shared by the Northwest Horticultural Council, labor costs rose from roughly 37% of grower returns in 2013 to nearly 100% by 2023 in some sectors of tree fruit.
Then there’s consolidation among buyers. Growers increasingly sell into markets with fewer, larger purchasers, limiting pricing power while production costs continue to rise.
No single policy caused this. No single event explains it. The pressure is cumulative.
“This is not one challenge—it’s many at once,” said Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. “Washington growers face a swarm of concurrent economic and public policy challenges over which they have no control.”
This isn’t just a farming issue. It’s a community issue.
Local farms support schools, small businesses, rural communities, and the regional economy. If family farms continue disappearing, the effects will reach far beyond agriculture.
There are no easy solutions, but there are practical steps:
- modernizing labor systems like H-2A,
- protecting export access,
- investing in agricultural infrastructure,
- and making sure regulations balance legitimate goals with the realities facing family farms.
Most importantly, we, the people need to start paying attention.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/may/14/barney-roca-the-squeeze-on-eastern-washington-farm/