The War Over Fruit Marketing
Kennewick growers face a high-stakes choice: gamble on independent shipping or join the pool-based Big Y system.
At a meeting on July 7th, addressed by Hon. W. H. Paulhamus and attended by nearly every grower in the valley, the growers and shippers approved a new working plan. The growers have selected a committee to watch the shippers and compel them to keep faith under penalty of exposure. However, the system relies on the growers themselves, and there is a call for a committee to ensure growers stop shipping on consignment, which is compared to gambling. The Yakima Valley Fruit Growers’ Association argues that independent shipping is a 'long shot' that risks the livelihood of the family and future of their children, whereas the Big Y pooling system ensures the average price across all growers.
“The fruit grower who does this is gambling—and few growers can afford to gamble now.”
This 1915 struggle over agricultural cooperatives mirrors the modern challenges small-scale farmers face against global supply chain volatility. The pressure to 'pool' resources to compete with national markets remains a central theme in Washington's agricultural economy.
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