WAPATO — A perfect storm of economic challenges is pushing Washington apple farmers out of business.
Small orchardists say they are unable to sustain losses for years on end amid economic conditions they feel will only continue to worsen. The closures are fueling a wave of private equity-backed farmland consolidation.
The trend is the result of an ever-constricting web of factors. They include rising labor costs and stagnant prices paid to farmers, but also dramatic apple oversupply caused by increased farm efficiency and the loss of major international markets due to then-President Donald Trump’s 2018 tariffs…