Economic Aspects Of The Washington Fruit Industry

Author : O'Rourke Desmond
Publisher : Washington State University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780874224122
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (241 download)

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Download or read book Tree Fruit Trade: An Agricultural Economist Reviews Fifty Years of Washington State's Key Orchard Crops written by O'Rourke Desmond and published by Washington State University Press. This book was released on 2022-04-15 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Longtime agricultural economist Desmond O'Rourke wrote Tree Fruit Trade as both a tribute and a cautionary tale. Along with personal anecdotes, he describes major players and organizations, and chronicles challenges like the 1988 Alar scare, changing regulations, food trends, and the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. He discusses the emergence of new threats, from the growth of Walmart to rising competition from China, and explains how the intrusion of electronics, sensors, and computerized technology has forced family-owned firms to absorb new, specialized employees. He recounts battles to gain foreign market access and the ongoing campaign to ensure adequate labor for a growing footprint. He analyzes how the availability of adequate water and a large expanse of Columbia Basin flat land allowed the industry to dramatically increase production, achieve new levels of productivity, and design orchards suited to modern tree architecture.