The Hop Growers' Struggle

In King County, a grower addressed the hop growers of the county, urging the formation of a stronger and bolder organization to protect their interests. For the past month, a number of articles have appeared in the press referring to the yield and prices. Generally, the season has not been favorable in Western Washington. The past two weeks were hot and dry, and the land dried up, the vines scorched, and the hops are now thin on wet land. For many farmers, the prospects of a good yield between an average yield and a very poor one are slim. A year or two ago, a yield of 2,000 pounds to the acre was the common average. This year it will be much lower, and on the average, not more than 1,000 pounds can be expected from old yards. In the past three years, prices have been from 30 to 40 cents per pound. Because there has been a general shortage of the crop throughout the world, the London market has been willing to pay high prices. Why then have our farmers not received higher prices? The answer is that the buyers are so organized and consolidated that they can, to a great extent, rule prices here. Many growers are not in a position financially to handle their crops without assistance, and money is obtained upon crop security, practically leaving the buyers in control of both the price and the quality.