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BumRushDaShow

(160,940 posts)
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 09:56 AM Jun 2025

Washington cherry growers struggle to find pickers

Source: Yahoo! News/The Spokesman-Review Spokaine, WA

Thu, June 19, 2025 at 10:06 PM EDT


Jun. 19—The threat of federal immigration agents raiding orchards in central Washington is causing a labor shortage that has compelled some Washington producers to leave cherries unpicked or delay their harvests until the fruit overripens and is worth less money.

At least one cherry grower in the Mattawa area has already lost about 300 bins, each weighing between 350 and 400 pounds, said Erik Zavala, a horticulturist and director of field staff for Wenatchee-based Blue Bird Inc., which is a grower-owned cooperative of hundreds of family farms.

"People watch the news," Zavala said, referring to masked federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining persons off the street. "It's definitely having an impact.

"I don't care about that stuff. I just know that this is affecting the growers directly whether they are Democrat or Republican or whatever. These growers will lose a lot of money and are risking losing their farms because of a lack of labor." The official position of President Donald Trump's administration on agriculture workers keeps changing.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/washington-cherry-growers-struggle-pickers-020600192.html





Mattawa is in Grant County, WA, where the County voted 67% for 45 and is solid R.
18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Washington cherry growers struggle to find pickers (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Jun 2025 OP
Such a waste of good food in a world of starving people, like in Gaza. . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Jun 2025 #1
Why aren't the govt workers who got laid off applying for these jobs? CrispyQ Jun 2025 #2
Central Washington - Trump Country. Aristus Jun 2025 #3
couldn't have said it better gopiscrap Jun 2025 #16
This administration is a disaster on several levels. littlemissmartypants Jun 2025 #4
Draft rich white kids to do it. twodogsbarking Jun 2025 #5
WHAT??? homegirl Jun 2025 #6
Only if you have picked cherries for a day in the sun lildDemz Jun 2025 #7
It's such gruelling work. LisaM Jun 2025 #8
Live and learn. republianmushroom Jun 2025 #9
Sure Bayard Jun 2025 #10
Without people to work the farms and orchards, we could easily become a nation that can't feed it's people. patphil Jun 2025 #11
With H.S out for the summer nowforever Jun 2025 #12
They just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps Ray Bruns Jun 2025 #13
I'm sure all the Americans who had their jobs stolen will show up any minute Mysterian Jun 2025 #14
Gee. I wonder why. Karasu Jun 2025 #15
Oh well....tuff shit you fucking xenophobic gopiscrap Jun 2025 #17
Where's MAGA? I thought they all wanted to do "American jobs." Vinca Jun 2025 #18

CrispyQ

(40,266 posts)
2. Why aren't the govt workers who got laid off applying for these jobs?
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 10:01 AM
Jun 2025

That's what Lutnick implied would happen.

Aristus

(70,983 posts)
3. Central Washington - Trump Country.
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 10:09 AM
Jun 2025

Sucks to be you, guys. Getting what you voted for can be a blessing. It can also be a curse. It depends on who you voted for. No sympathy. Pick you own rotten fruit, you lazy assholes.

Signed,

The smart half of Washington State.

gopiscrap

(24,478 posts)
16. couldn't have said it better
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 02:32 PM
Jun 2025

I have lived in Western WA for most of my life and never could understand those selfish fuckers east of the mountains. Specially since a Democratic administration during the Depression saved their asses. So fuck 'em. FAFO

homegirl

(1,864 posts)
6. WHAT???
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 10:42 AM
Jun 2025

Can't drag American teenagers away from their electronic games to earn some summer employment money!


lildDemz

(89 posts)
7. Only if you have picked cherries for a day in the sun
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 11:12 AM
Jun 2025

should you suggest dainty U.S. citizens go to work replacing immigrants.

LisaM

(29,355 posts)
8. It's such gruelling work.
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 11:32 AM
Jun 2025

I did one hour of U Pick strawberries once and my takeaway was that strawberries are wildly underpriced. It was back breaking work. Picking cherries is probably just as difficult. Mad respect for people who do it.

Yeah, turn it into a summer job for local kids and see how many takers you get.

patphil

(8,311 posts)
11. Without people to work the farms and orchards, we could easily become a nation that can't feed it's people.
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 12:18 PM
Jun 2025

It's not just the agricultural workers, it's the meat packing and food processing companies that won't have enough workers to do the job.
And then there's the warehouses, trucking companies, and supermarkets...all throughout the food chain we'll see labor shortages that will drive up prices as food scarcity becomes a real thing in America.
We already have low unemployment; not enough American workers to step in and take over the jobs lost by this reckless, downright stupid anti-immigrant program. Take away a million or two immigrant workers and we'll see food rot on the vine., and thousands of farms go bankrupt.
Remember, this is only the food industry we're talking about here. Many more businesses are going to be devastated by the mass deportation of black and brown people. Whole sectors of the economy will grind to a halt.
It's all just beginning.

 

nowforever

(586 posts)
12. With H.S out for the summer
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 12:48 PM
Jun 2025

Your telling me the 16-18 year olds aren't clamoring for those jobs. After another year of Trump in office these kids might be picking. Maybe some influencers can create quirky funny content out of the suffering of migrants and farmers.

Mysterian

(5,953 posts)
14. I'm sure all the Americans who had their jobs stolen will show up any minute
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 01:35 PM
Jun 2025

Republicans said poor Americans were unemployed because of all those immigrants taking those gravy jobs!

gopiscrap

(24,478 posts)
17. Oh well....tuff shit you fucking xenophobic
Fri Jun 20, 2025, 02:45 PM
Jun 2025

greedy assholes. You're the ones who voted for him, so eat shit. Hope you lose everything. FAFO

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