A day in the fields

The asparagus plant must be harvested seven days a week to produce a very perishable crop for the fresh and frozen markets, plus some for pickling. There is a competition among growers for good cutters who can make good money at the back-breaking task of cutting the stalks at the right size, cut with care to protect the younger stalks and with delicate handling to protect the final product.

Section:Gallery

Sun., May 21, 2017

As the sun begins to peek above the horizon, asparagus cutter Juan Chavez works by headlamp in the field of farmer Gary Larsen in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco on Friday, May 5, 2017. Coming off a hot day Thursday, Chavez is happy that there are a lot of spears to cut. "I'm making money today," he said.

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Asparagus cutters are barely visible as they work alone, harvesting long rows of plants seven days a week on the fields of the Columbia Valley on Friday, May 5, 2017. Asparagus dominates the farming scenes of Central Washington for a little over two months a year because the perishable crop must be cut, cooled, packed and shipped every single day. It takes dedicated farmers and thousands of workers to bring in the crop.

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As the sun begins to peek above the horizon, asparagus cutter Juan Chavez pauses to trim his handful of asparagus spears with a practiced swing of his knife in the field of farmer Gary Larsen in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco on Friday, May 5, 2017. Coming off a hot day Thursday, Chavez is happy that there are a lot of spears to cut. "I'm making money today," he said.

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In the dark early morning, Juan Chavez sharpens his asparagus knife with a file Friday, May 5, 2017 at the farm of Gary Larsen north of the Tri-Cities. The cutters work in the cool early morning to avoid the heat of the day.

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As the sun begins to peek above the horizon, asparagus cutter Luis Gasca harvests by headlamp in the field of farmer Gary Larsen in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco on Friday, May 5, 2017. Coming off a hot day Thursday, there are a lot of spears to cut.

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Spears of asparagus await early morning harvesting Friday, May 5, 2017, at the farm of Gary Larsen north of the Tri-Cities.

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As the sun begins to peek above the horizon, asparagus cutter Luis Gasca works by headlamp in the field of farmer Gary Larsen in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco on Friday, May 5, 2017. Coming off a hot day Thursday, there are a lot of spears to cut.

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Above: As the sun begins to peek above the horizon, asparagus cutter Luis Gasca works by headlamp May 5 in the field of farmer Gary Larsen in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco.

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Farmer Gary Larsen walks through his asparagus field after the morning harvest Friday, May 5, 2017 on his farm north of the Tri-Cities.

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The future of asparagus farming might be illustrated by this 300-plus acre asparagus field operated by Gourmet Foods, is producing near record amounts of product, shown Friday, May 5, 2017. The loss of other large food processors from the Columbia Valley opened the way for Gourmet Foods to move in and pack asparagus.

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Farmer Gary Larsen, left, looks over his asparagus field after the morning harvest Friday, May 5, 2017 on his farm north of the Tri-Cities.

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Judging by the height and density of salable spears of asparagus, this field, owned by Gary Larsen, who farms north of Pasco, Wash., 2017 will be a good season, shown Friday, May 5, 2017.

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First year asparagus, skinny with lacy tops, is planted in double rows, a technique that may increase yield and make it easier to harvest, is shown in a newly-planted field in the Columbia Valley north of the Tri-Cities on Friday, May 5, 2017. It takes three years before an asparagus field can produce a full harvest.

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Farmer and researcher Alan Schreiber, left, and Gourmet Foods agricultural manager Phil Clouse, right, rib each other while standing on Gourmet Foods massive asparagus farm in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco on Friday, May 5, 2017. Clouse was once a manager for food conglomerate Green Giant, but the company moved its Washington operations to Peru during a major dip in asparagus production in the early 2000s. The dip allowed Gourmet Foods to move in and fill the void, but asparagus is still down in production overall, though bouncing back.

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Hector Lopez, a veteran foreman who works for farmer Gary Larsen, inspects harvested asparagus fields for spears that should have been cut, or which were cut and dropped by the wayside in the cutter's haste Friday, May 5, 2017 in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco. Bilingual foremen like Lopez are a critical part of recruiting, training and managing labor needed for the asparagus crop.

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Perfect spring asparagus tops peek out of a wooden crate as they are prepared for shipment to retailers Friday, May 5, 2017 in the packing shed of research farmer Alan Schreiber. With most of the asparagus crop going to fresh sale, the appearance and packaging are very important.

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Hector Lopez, the foreman on Gary Larsen's farm in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco, Wash., holds up some purple asparagus, a variety that is not unlike the green variety, but which might catch the eye of food enthusiasts at the supermarket. Lopez is a Texas resident who travels to Washington for farm work. Photographed Friday, May 5, 2017.

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Research farmer Alan Schreiber shows some of his white asparagus, which is grown and harvested below ground level, on his research farm north of the Tri-Cities area of the Columbia Valley, shown Friday, May 5, 2017. White asparagus is popular in Europe, but not grown much in the United States. These stalks are left over from a research project run by Schreiber.

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Asparagus cutter Rene Agosto empties his bucket into large plastic box in the field of farmer Gary Larsen in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco on Friday, May 5, 2017. At 62, Agosto is one of the older cutters still working full-time during the asparagus season.

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Agustin Zavala, an asparagus cutter, harvests asparagus spears in one of farmer Gary Larsen's more productive fields Friday, May 5, 2017. Because the day before reached 97 degrees or more, there is a dense growth of asparagus to harvest Friday. Harvesters work in small groups, but far enough apart that it is a solitary job, hours of bending over without rest.

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Purple asparagus, a novelty type that is grown and harvested alongside green asparagus, awaits pickup after harvesting Friday, May 5, 2017 in the field of farmer Gary Larsen, who farms in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco.

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Giant cold rooms like this one at Columbia Valley Family Farms north of Pasco keep aparagus fresh after harvest and before processing for fresh sale or preserving by pickling, shown Friday, May 5, 2017. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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Sandy Lehrman, who handles much of the marketing for Columbia Valley Family Farms looks at the tags placed on a boxes of harvested asparagus which are being weighed at the company offices in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco on Friday, May 5, 2017. The harvested product can be traced back to the field and the crew that picked it using a paper trail that also helps dictate what each harvesting crew should be paid.

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Forklift driver Jaime Rodriquez, left, loads the scales with freshly-harvested asparagus while Morgan Lynch waits to grab the paper that indicates where the product is from and which crew harvested it Friday, May 5, 2017 at the Columbia Valley Family Farms office north of Pasco. Lynch is part of the family that owns the company.

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Obed Cortez, who works for Columbia Valley Family Farms near the Tri Cities, stacks boxes of freshly-harvested asparagus Friday, May 5, 2017, before they are put through the hydro-cooler, an ice water bath that helps preserve the spears. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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Jaime Rodriguez Jr. moves fresh-cut asparagus from field boxes to the packing line at Columbia Valley Family Farms on Friday, May 5, 2017. The packing line is all women, but men are hired for the jobs requiring more muscle. Jaime and his father, Jaime Sr., drive from Texas to work the asparagus season in Washington.

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Jaime Rodriguez Jr. moves fresh-cut asparagus from field boxes to the packing line at Columbia Valley Family Farms on Friday, May 5, 2017. The packing line is all women, but men are hired for the jobs requiring more muscle. Jaime and his father, Jaime Sr., drive from Texas to work the asparagus season in Washington.

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In the fresh produce packing plant at Columbia Valley Family Farms plant north of Pasco, Wash., it takes many hands, virtually all Hispanic women, to sort, clean, trim, bunch and pack the days harvest of asparagus for shipping to retailers May 5, 2017.

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At Columbia Valley Family Farms, workers lay out asparagus spears for inspection, cleaning and trimming May 5 in the pickling plant north of Pasco. Twenty-five percent of Columbia Valley’s asparagus is pickled.

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At Columbia Valley Family Farms, women crowd the processing line where the freshly-harvested asparagus is washed, trimmed, sorted for sized and packed for fresh sale Thursday, May 4, 2017 at the firm's packing plant in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco.

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A young packing line manager Erika Hernandez talks about working for Columbia Valley Family Farms in their fresh produce packing plant Friday, May 5, 2017. She, like many young farm workers, uses her bilingual skills to help manage the large Hispanic workforce at large employers like Columbia Valley, but they also have opportunities to go to college and try other careers. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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Practiced hands bunch fresh asparagus and put them into jars for pickling at Columbia Valley Family Farms north of Pasco, Wash., on Friday, May 5, 2017. The plant puts out Fosters brand pickled vegetables.

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Jars crammed with fresh asparagus and the pickling spices ride a conveyor to where they will be filled with water, capped, then cooked in the jar before being labeled as one of Foster's pickled farm products Thursday, May 4, 2017 at the Columbia Valley Family Farms north of Pasco.

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Jared Filbrun, left, and Eduardo Licon stack pickled asparagus, a specialty food that goes around the nation, Friday, May 5, 2017 at the pickling plant of Columbia Valley Family Farms north of Pasco, Wash.

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Sandy Lehrman, who handles much of the marketing for Columbia Valley Family Farms looks at some of their pickled products in a warehouse at the company offices in the Columbia Valley north of Pasco Friday, May 5, 2017. The pickled asparagus, green beans and carrots are a popular hors d'oeuvres and addition to a Bloody Mary drink.

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At the Country Mercantile, which features locally grown and packaged foods at its location on Highway 395 north of Pasco, Wash., Foster's pickled asparagus and beans are featured on a display shown Friday, May 5, 2017. Foster's is the brand name for Columbia Valley Family Farms, a large family asparagus growing and packing operation in the Columbia Valley.

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Growing asparagus stalks emerge from the dusty soil of the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. It's the start of asparagus season in the Yakima area, an approximately two-month period where the plant must be harvested seven days a week to produce a very perishable crop for the fresh and frozen markets, plus some for pickling. There is a competition among growers for good cutters who can make good money at the back-breaking task of cutting the stalks at the right size, cut with care to protect the younger stalks and with delicate handling to protect the final product.

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Seen from the air, the growing asparagus is hardly seen as dawn peeks over the mountains in the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. The asparagus harvest is ramping up late this year because of the long winter.

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Maribel Teran gently cups the tops of several stalks of asparagus as she pushes an asparagus knife into the dirt to cut one off while working in a field at Inaba Produce Farms in the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. She is one of the quickest and most efficient cutters on the farm, which is operated by the third-generation of a Japanese family.

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Before a panorama that includes Mount Adams, aparagus "cutters" pause to empty their buckets into plastic boxes in a field at Inaba Produce Farms Friday, April 28, 2017 in the Yakima Valley. The work is backbreaking and tedious, but skilled cutters can make good money through the two-month harvest, which is seven-days a week. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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Growing asparagus stalks emerge from the dusty soil of the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. It's the start of asparagus season in the Yakima area, an approximately two-month period where the plant must be harvested seven days a week to produce a very perishable crop for the fresh and frozen markets, plus some for pickling.

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On the Inaba Produce Farms' asparagus field in the fertile Yakima Valley, harvest begins about the time the sun peaks over the valley rim in the early morning, shown Friday, April 28, 2017.
Farmer Ron Granholm and his daughter Erica Granholm turn away from blowing dust as a dust devil blows across their farm where they raise more than 100 acres asparagus in the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. In addition to asparagus, they raise several seed crops.

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Thousands of stalks of asparagus poke up from the fertile dirt of the Yakima Valley at Inaba Produce Farms fields near Harrah, Wash., on Friday, April 28, 2017. The vegetable must be harvested every day, seven days a week for two months or more, so there is a dire need for experienced labor to cut the asparagus.

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A stalk of asparagus, not quite tall enough to cut for market, is illuminated by the first rays of daylight Friday, April 28, 2017 at the Inaba Produce Farms in the Yakima Valley.

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As dawn breaks over the Yakima Valley farm of the Inaba family, workers begin to spread out in their respective fields Friday, April 28, 2017. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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Workers head into the fields with a load of empty boxes to be filled with asparagus Friday, April 28, 2017 at the Ron Granholm farm near Harrah, Wash., in the Yakima Valley.

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Nivardo Santiago moves quickly through a field of asparagus in the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. He is a "contract" worker, meaning he gets paid by the piece and if he is quick, he can make more than the hourly workers working a few fields away.

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Farmer Norm Inaba, left, and asparagus harvest Nivardo Santiago load transport boxes with freshly-harvested asparagus at Inaba Produce Farms in the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. Inaba Produce Farms is the family farm operated by Norm and his brothers, who are third generation Yakima area farmers.

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A crew of asparagus cutters moves through a field in the fertile Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017 on the Inaba Produce Farms. The large structures behind them are racks for hops, a very hot crop because of the microbrew craze, to grow on.

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The tool of the trade, an asparagus knife, is what farm workers use to cut down the stalks below ground level, shown Friday, April 28, 2017. They must be kept sharp and the blade replaced periodically.

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Asparagus "cutters" move quickly through a field at Inaba Produce Farms Friday, April 28, 2017 in the Yakima Valley. The work is backbreaking and tedious, but skilled cutters can make good money through the two-month harvest, which is seven-days.

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Employee Beatriz (full name to follow), left, jokes with company president Gary Johnson, right, at Johnson Foods, a large vegetable and fruit packing plant in Sunnyside, Washington Friday, April 28, 2018. She has worked for Johnson Foods for 28 years but is nearing retirement. The work is fast-paced and very tiring. Gary Johnson is 6' 9". Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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Erika Castillo, the grader/receiver at Johnson Foods in Sunnyside, Wash., trims a sample handful from a local asparagus grower to decide what percentage of full price the grower will get Friday, April 28, 2017. A complex weighing and counting formula based on the desirability of certain sizes and the presence of nicked or damaged stalks decides the percentage.

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More than 100 Hispanic workers, mostly women, work on the packing floor of Johnson Foods on Friday, April 28, 2017 in Sunnyside, Wash. There are only two packing plants for the Yakima Valley asparagus growers, though some growers pack their own.

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Flying hands bunch and band asparagus inside Johnson Foods on Friday, April 28, 2017. Asparagus season is ramping up late this year because of snow and frozen ground, but the season generally lasts about two months.

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Careful packing in the field protects the delicate tops of the asparagus stalks at the Granholm farm where they raise more than 100 acres asparagus in the Yakima Valley on Friday, April 28, 2017. In addition to asparagus, they raise several seed crops.

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Asparagus is bunched and sent down a conveyor on a semi-automated line inside the packing building at Johnson Foods in Sunnyside, Wash., on Friday, April 28, 2017. As labor costs increase, Johnson Foods will continue to look at automation to stay profitable.

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On the packing floor of Johnson Foods in Sunnyside, Wash., more than 100 workers wash sort and grade asparagus arriving from the fields Friday, April 28, 2017.

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Freshly washed and graded asparagus heads to the bunching table to be assembled into banded bunches before being crated and sent to a final wash and cool down Friday, April 28, 2017, at Johnson Foods in Sunnyside, Wash. Asparagus harvest is ramping up and presents a challenge to farmers to find asparagus cutters to harvest seven days a week during the two-month season.

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