Hi cosmic,
Yes it is happening here.. We have been outsourcing our food production.. :(
snippets:
""This is the last year for the last asparagus canner in the state – Seneca Foods announced in 2004 it would shutter its canning operation in Dayton at the end of the 2005 canning season. The decision came after Seneca’s customer, General Mills, which sells canned asparagus under the Green Giant label, said it would switch to Peru for its product..""
""Peruvian growers were urged to switch from growing narcotic-producing crops to asparagus. Peru was allowed to ship its asparagus into the United States duty-free.""
""Growers have cut back acreage over the past decade, and it appears that there could be a few as 12,500 acres in asparagus this year, Schreiber said. Even more acreage is likely to come out next year, he said. Acreage peaked in 1989 at 32,000 acres.""
<<<<<<<Asparagus growers hopeful for 2005
By PEGGY STEWARD Washington State Staff Writer
psteward@capitalpress.com
There’s guarded optimism among Washington state asparagus growers that the coming year will be a reasonable one.
But after this season?
“I have no idea,” said Alan Schreiber, manager of the Washington Asparagus Commission in Eltopia.
“What happens in ’06 and beyond is unnerving,” said Jim Middleton, a grower near Pasco and newly elected chairman of the commission.
This is the last year for the last asparagus canner in the state – Seneca Foods announced in 2004 it would shutter its canning operation in Dayton at the end of the 2005 canning season. The decision came after Seneca’s customer, General Mills, which sells canned asparagus under the Green Giant label, said it would switch to Peru for its product.
In 2003, Seneca stopped asparagus processing at its Walla Walla plant, and Del Monte switched to canned asparagus from Peru, ending its asparagus canning operation in Toppenish.
Last year, Washington growers produced about 59 million pounds of asparagus. About half was sold to processors, with the other half going to the fresh market.
Peru became a major asparagus producer after the passage of the Andean Trade Preferences Act, part of the U.S. government’s war on drugs. Peruvian growers were urged to switch from growing narcotic-producing crops to asparagus. Peru was allowed to ship its asparagus into the United States duty-free.
Favorable trading conditions, combined with cheap labor – asparagus workers in Peru make $5 to $7 a day, compared with $7.35 an hour minimum wage in Washington – led to a flood of asparagus from Peru in U.S. markets.
Washington state growers met in Pasco Jan. 25 to look at their options for this season and coming years.
Growers have cut back acreage over the past decade, and it appears that there could be a few as 12,500 acres in asparagus this year, Schreiber said. Even more acreage is likely to come out next year, he said. Acreage peaked in 1989 at 32,000 acres.
Washington’s not the only area where asparagus acreage is declining. Michigan acreage is down slightly, and California acreage appears to be down about 10 percent, Schreiber said.
Peru is facing a surplus of fresh green asparagus this year, and has been hit by record-high costs, mostly transportation and fuel costs, Schreiber said.
If certain things line up this season, it could be a decent year for the state’s asparagus growers, Schreiber said. He listed several assumptions that will have an impact: Seneca will need to keep its commitment for this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will have to make another asparagus purchase, and Michigan and California processors will need to absorb some of Washington’s production.
If all that comes to pass, prices should hold steady this season, Schreiber said. But next year is another matter. “It’s hard to say if the fresh handlers can absorb all the state’s volume, and at what price,” Middleton said.
And although the acreage drop helps, growers who plowed out ground are looking for other options, which could put pressure on those crops, he said.
On the plus side, a mechanical asparagus harvester being developed by Washington State University will be field-tested this spring in California before returning to the Columbia Basin for more test runs this year.
Improvements made to the machine look promising and harvesters could be in commercial use by 2007, Schreiber said.
The asparagus commission is also working to influence policymakers in Washington, D.C., negotiating a free trade agreement that would replace the Andean Trade Preferences Act.
“It’s an uphill battle,” Schreiber said.
Peggy Steward reports from Ellensburg, Wash. Her e-mail address is psteward@capitalpress.com.
capitalpress.info
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