As the weather eases into spring, asparagus growers both locally and elsewhere are hopeful about prospects for this year’s crop, but are a little worried about their workforce.
“People are cautiously optimistic,” said Alan Schreiber, executive director of the Washington Asparagus Commission.
Walla Walla County has the distinction of usually being the first in the state to begin harvesting asparagus, Scheiber said. Growers here may start cutting spears toward the end of this week; however, harvest is heavily dependent on weather.
Another question mark is labor, Scheiber said. “Most growers believe they have enough workers, but they won’t know for certain until harvest starts,” he said.
Asparagus grower Bill Middleton, who farms 200 acres of asparagus near Burbank, said Scheiber’s assessment of the labor situation was correct, “but if we’re patient, generally people will show up.”
