The Science of Better Farming
Lee M. Lampson’s annual report details how cooperative marketing and disease testing transformed Benton County agriculture in 1916.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Lee M. Lampson, the county agriculturalist, provided an outline of his office's work during the year, highlighting that marketing has been a major factor alongside improvements in farming. In 1914, the Kennewick-Richland strawberry crop averaged $1.75 per crate, with only half going through a single organization. By 1916, thanks to the agricultural office’s efforts to consolidate marketing, 95% of the crop was sent through one agency. This reduced price-cutting and distribution costs, netting the grower $2.43 per crate—an increase of $34,419.27 over the 1915 crop. Following this success, growers of early potatoes organized under the same plan, netting approximately $6,000 more than in previous years. Lampson also helped stabilize the Kennewick co-operative creamery by reorganizing its stock and assisted in a state-led program that tested 1,250 dairy animals for tuberculosis, saving farmers over $1,250 in costs while improving local herd health.
“With no price cutting by different factions and by saving in cost of distribution, it was possible to net the grower $2.43 per crate for the 1916 crop.”
This report highlights the origins of the Kennewick-Richland agricultural industry, emphasizing the move toward the cooperative models that defined the region for decades. The push for centralized marketing to gain price leverage is a precursor to the modern logistics and supply chain debates facing Tri-Cities growers today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.