The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business is proud to present its annual Focus: Agriculture + Viticulture magazine inserted in this month’s edition.

In a departure from years past, the Focus magazine stands alone for 2020. Under normal circumstances, it would be the 2020-21 edition. With the Covid-19 crisis upending the American economic landscape, there are just too many unknowns to predict 2021. 

But there’s plenty to discuss now. Our writers tackled exports and trade wars, the labor outlook and the forecast for the region’s most iconic crops – apples, asparagus, cherries, hops, potatoes and both wine and juice grapes.

And in the best can-do spirit of Mid-Columbia farming, a local farm bureau has launched a seven-days-a-week produce stand in Pasco to highlight Franklin County produce while fostering the farm-to-fork connection.

In Season Produce (Facebook: @Inseasonpasco) is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 4921 W. Court St. As of press time, it was selling produce such as asparagus, cherries, strawberries, onions, radishes and some greens.

James Alford, president of the Franklin County Farm Bureau, reports it will add raspberries and blueberries this month, with sweet corn and melons on track to arrive in mid-July.

Our writers found plenty to keep growers, processors, packers and distributors busy this spring. Growing conditions were favorable. But thanks to Covid-19, markets are in turmoil, the airplanes that ferry cherries, apples and other crops to Asia aren’t flying, and labor promises to be more of a challenge than ever.

Farmers and ranchers can expect some relief, courtesy of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which allocates billions to farmers and ranchers whose operations were affected by the pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has $19 billion for direct relief through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and other relief efforts, including a direct food buying program that sends produce to struggling families.

The USDA is accepting applications for the food relief program through Aug. 28 for producers whose losses qualify for support. Local producers can contact their Farm Service Agency offices in Prosser and Pasco for details.

Readers will learn that the difficult trade wars of 2019 turned out surprisingly well for Washington growers. Agricultural exports came under threat in 2019 when trade wars and retaliatory tariffs raised the cost of apples, cherries and hay. Agriculture is Washington’s most exported category after airplanes.

In the end, Washington pulled ahead in 2019, with the value of exports slightly exceeding levels recorded in the pre-trade-war years of 2018 and 2017. Even the state’s agriculture export director expressed surprise.

Asparagus benefited from less competition from Mexico and Peru and proved popular with people cooking at home. Alan Schreiber, president of the Washington Asparagus Commission, said prices hit a record high though farmers were waiting for temperatures to heat up to bring the crop along.

But potatoes were suffering after processors canceled contracts, leaving thousands of planted acres with no buyers, as Andrew Kirk reports. Labor is another perennial challenge. Kirk explores the outlook for H-2A guest workers and the impact of social distancing on farmworker housing this growing season.

Jeff Morrow examines the world of apples, the $3-plus billion MVP of Washington’s $10.6 billion agriculture sector and the potential impact of the industry’s newest star, the Cosmic Crisp variety introduced in 2019 after years of development at Washington State University.

Eric Degerman of Great Northwest Wine shares his expertise on wine grapes. He also examines the world of juice grapes.

Both types of grapes are dealing with an oversupply. One expert proposes that Washington vineyards should be pared back to 2013 levels to bring supply in line with demand. About 30 percent of Washington’s wine grapes went unharvested last year and not just because of an early hard frost.

Vineyards and wineries have a big hole to dig out of. Wineries have about 31 million unsold cases in their inventory – two vintages worth.

Concord grape plantings have been on the decline but are getting a bounce thanks to the pandemic.  Parents sheltering at home with their children reached for the peanut butter and jelly to feed their kids, driving up demand for grape jelly produced from Washington-grown Concord grapes.

The outlook for the hops grown in the Yakima Valley is cloudy.

Americans couldn’t drink beer in restaurants, bars and taprooms closed by the pandemic. Customers are consuming more at home, but not enough to offset the drop. Many are turning to lower-priced brands made with fewer hops.

Hop growers no longer expect a modest increase in production.

Agriculture represents 12 percent of the Washington economy. The Journal of Business team hopes you enjoy learning more about the role the 1,600-plus farms of Benton and Franklin counties play in this essential industry.