A Michigan asparagus grower has announced that they will end the harvest of this season approximately 10 days earlier than normal and attributed the change due to the cost of labor. The farmer, who is a fourth generation farmer identified as Jordon Walsworth, has informed Brownfield that the yields are declining with the passing of time that has resulted in the earlier end of harvesting operations over the past few seasons. Walsworth pointed out the growing cost of labor as the primary reason for making this decision. He also noted that it is difficult to justify continuing harvesting in this situation.

Family members of the Walsworths, who have more than fifty years of experience in the field of asparagus, ended the process of renewing asparagus fields two years before and is considering the possibility of maintaining the cultivation in spite of rising expenses. The farm’s involvement of the H-2A program, vital for the security of seasonal workers and a substantial increase in costs in the past three years. This has pushed the farm toward moving to row cropping in the event that labor costs continue to linger unsolved. As the expected stoppage of harvesting in a matter of less than three weeks, this situation highlights more general issues facing asparagus farmers in Michigan which is the largest producer of asparagus within the U.S.

Source: brownfieldagnews.com