Richland Strawberry Growers Organize Against Middlemen
Strawberry farmers in Richland are banding together to bypass established marketing associations and are calling for Kennewick growers to unite with them to control local fruit prices.
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Not satisfied with prices obtained through the Yakima Valley Fruitgrowers' association or from any of the independent marketing concerns in Kennewick, the Richland strawberry growers have decided to market their own berries next year. For the purpose of lining all of the growers up into one organization, two meetings have been held in Richland and plans outlined for perfecting the Richland Strawberry Growers’ union. Sentiment in the Richland district seems to be practically unanimous in favor of such a step, and a three-days canvass of the district has resulted in growers of 90 per cent of the entire crop pledging themselves to join the union and stand by it. J. R. Gardner, of the Gardner Fruit company, one of the promoters of the new union, came to Kennewick Wednesday to interest the Kennewick growers in a similar movement. He noted that the salvation of the fruit business depends upon co-operation at the producing end of the line.
“I have yet failed to find a grower who does not admit that the salvation of the fruit business depends upon co-operation at the producing end of the line.”
This 1915 struggle for agricultural cooperative power prefigures the ongoing tension in Washington between independent small-scale farmers and large regional marketing organizations. The drive for collective bargaining remains a central pillar of the region's agricultural politics.
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