Tree Fruit Trade: An Agricultural Economist Reviews Fifty Years of Washington State's Key Orchard Crops

Longtime agricultural economist Desmond O'Rourke wrote Tree Fruit Trade as both a tribute and a cautionary tale. Along with personal anecdotes, he describes major players and organizations, and chronicles challenges like the 1988 Alar scare, changing regulations, food trends, and the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. He discusses the emergence of new threats, from the growth of Walmart to rising competition from China, and explains how the intrusion of electronics, sensors, and computerized technology has forced family-owned firms to absorb new, specialized employees. He recounts battles to gain foreign market access and the ongoing campaign to ensure adequate labor for a growing footprint. He analyzes how the availability of adequate water and a large expanse of Columbia Basin flat land allowed the industry to dramatically increase production, achieve new levels of productivity, and design orchards suited to modern tree architecture.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Washington State University Press
Published: 06/30/2022
ISBN: 9780874224122
Pages: 294
Weight: 1.23lbs
Size: 8.98h x 5.98w x 0.79d