The Hop Industry and the 'Cinch Game'
As Yakima’s hop acreage nears 1,500 acres, local growers struggle against predatory contracts and one-sided dealer practices.
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Wm. Uhlman & Co., hop merchants of San Francisco, notify The Herald that one of their representatives will soon be in Yakima to contract crops. Yakima growers now have over 1,500 acres in hop yards, making them an important figure in the market. However, there is persistent trouble with contracts that act like a 'sieve'—allowing dealers to avoid paying top prices if the market fluctuates. Unscrupulous dealers fill contracts with technicalities that place the grower at the mercy of the buyer, often resulting in expensive litigation. Growers are encouraged to band together as a unit to command better prices and protect themselves against dealers playing the 'cinch game,' where color and grade standards are manipulated to force the grower into a compromise. A reform contract is being suggested that specifies merchantable quality and requires inspection on the grower's premises.
“Unscrupulous dealers are disposed to fill their contracts with conditions, stipulations and technicalities which place the grower at the mercy of the buyer.”
The struggle for fair contracts between farmers and big agricultural processors remains a central tension in the Yakima Valley. Much like the 1892 call for collective bargaining, today's growers still face the challenge of shifting power dynamics against corporate buyers.
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