Northwest Horticultural Council

Understanding farm worker pay is no simple task; it’s a complex puzzle that leaves many scratching their heads.

The Farm Bill is stirring conversations in D.C., and its impact on our local orchards is something every apple and cherry grower should know about.

As the USDA rolls out new support for Midwest farmers, tree fruit growers in the Northwest find themselves wondering where their help is coming from.

Rising labor expenses are pushing some farmers to their limits, and the impacts are rippling through rural towns.

Labor is a difficult topic in the farming community.  And perhaps the tree fruit industry serves as the best example of that.    Kate Tynan Senior Vice President at the Northwest Horticultural Council said as producers continue to struggle to find a domestic workforce, more and more are turning to the H-2A program.  She added many pe...

According to a labor cost study for Washington Apples, labor costs consumed 99% of grower net returns per bin in 2023. That figure is considerably higher than the 37% per bin reported in 2013.  Mark Powers, President of the Northwest Horticultural Council said this data supports what growers have been saying for the past couple of years.  He said if t...

Mark Powers, President of the Northwest Horticultural Council, talks about some of the biggest regulatory issues tree fruit growers are facing these days.     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@to...

Farm employers face a variety of challenges right now, but one of the biggest is finding adequate labor and the cost of paying it.  And when it comes to H-2A reform, Kate Tynan, Senior Vice President at the Northwest Horticultural Council, said the biggest hurdle to overcome right now is costs as well as regulatory burdens.  But she...

Immigration is a hot buttoned issue not only locally, but nationally as well.  What impact are those conversation and policy discussions having on tree fruit producers across the Northwest?  We put that question before Mark Powers with the Northwest Horticultural Council.     I...

What's being done to improve the trade picture for local tree fruit growers?  And what more can be done?  We put those questions before Mark Powers with the Northwest Horticultural Council.   If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsqu...