Labor
Blueberries — Washington’s Blue Gold
Fingers flying, the pickers strip the last of this year's blueberries from bushes that are already flaming red from the turn of the season. And what a doozy it's been: another record-breaker for blueberries. The... more »
Migrant Workers Labor in Grape Harvest
A gust of wind blew through the vineyard and ripped netting from a harvester's grasp, then workers yelled to stop a tractor so they could secure the large, protective net over precious grapevines. Traverse City... more »
Raker Shortage, Frost Threaten Blueberry Crop
A shortage of migrant farm workers and the threat of early frost have some of Downeast Maine's wild blueberry growers worried as this year's harvest winds down. The Ellsworth American more »
Apple growers want trees grown in two seasons
There’s a horse race of sorts going on in Washington apple orchards, and the two top horses are Allan Brothers and Auvil Fruit Company. The horses deny there’s a race, but the fans know better.... more »
Plenty of Apples, but Possibly a Shortage of Immigrant Pickers
With a look of supreme satisfaction, Jeff Crist squinted at the Ginger Golds and Jonamacs ripening under an incandescent sun at his apple orchard here: the trees were so laden that they almost seemed to... more »
Plenty of Apples, but Possibly a Shortage of Immigrant Pickers
With a look of supreme satisfaction, Jeff Crist squinted at the Ginger Golds and Jonamacs ripening under an incandescent sun at his apple orchard here: the trees were so laden that they almost seemed to... more »
Protester Survives His Month-PlusTime in Jail
In our last issue, we reported about Don Perry, a 79-year-old retired metallurgist whose daughter and son-in-law operate Becker Farms, an orchard and farm market, in Gasport in western New York. Perry went to jail... more »
Branches Become Mini-Trunks for Sweet Cherries
In a new experimental orchard in Prosser, Wash., and in cooperating orchards throughout the state, sweet cherry trees are being planted at a slant and then bent near horizontal and fastened tight to a trellis... more »
U-Pickers Won’t Be Grinning
Peaches and Asian pears usually start to ripen this time of year at Reed Valley Orchard in Bourbon County, nearly ready for people to come pick. Not this year. Kentucky.com more »
Blueberry Co-op Fails, But Pickers Still Wanted
Plans for a blueberry cooperative among several farmers in the U.P. have fallen through, but the woman who wanted to start the group isn't giving up. WLUC TV-6 more »
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