Eastern Washington State is the world’s fastest-growing region for blueberry production. Tree fruit growers anxious about the labor market in the coming season would be wise to pay attention to asparagus and blueberry trends. Asparagus, the first crop of the season with significant labor demands, may serve as a bellwether for labor availability in 2012. Blueberries, which begin harvest near cherries, will compete from the same pool of workers, says a spokesperson for Washington State’s blueberry and asparagus producers. “Asparagus is the first potential crop for a labor crunch to show up,” said Alan Schreiber, executive director of the Washington […]