The Potato Boom Grips the Yakima Valley
High demand from the East pushes potato and alfalfa prices to record levels, prompting local growers to organize for better market share.
The returns received by the ranchers in the Yakima valley, especially on the reservation, where the principal crops are alfalfa and potatoes, are proving very satisfactory. Not only is the price good but there is every indication that it will go higher. Potatoes are selling now in the Yakima valley at $23 per ton f. o. b. loading station. The impetus is directly traceable to a large accumulation of orders from the East. There are those who think the grower is making most of the money, for the market has now reached the danger point. On the other hand, there is a quiet and unobtrusive element believing that only the sky is the limit. All of the ranchers in the valley who want to make some of the early potato money that has been going to Richland, Kennewick and other points should attend the meeting that has been called for next Monday night at the school house. Lee M. Lampson, county agriculturist, will be present to explain how growers worked together to ship in car lots, resulting in thousands of dollars in profit.
“There are those who think the grower is making most of the money, for the market has now reached the danger point. On the other hand, there is a quiet and unobtrusive element believing that only the sky is the limit.”
Agriculture remains the backbone of the Mid-Columbia economy, though the scale of operations has shifted from horse-drawn wagons and local schoolhouse meetings to international supply chains and digital markets.
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