The No. 1 problem facing Washington farmers

When organic wheat farmer Joel Huesby was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s in southeast Washington, many teens sought jobs in the region’s vegetable canneries. He, his wife, his sister-in-law and many friends all worked in a cannery and then each June joined other teens around Walla Walla picking strawberries.

“It was kind of like a rite of passage,” said Huesby. But while he enjoys reminiscing, he also acknowledges that it would be impractical for today’s farmers to depend on teens and other amateurs to pick their crops.

It was nearly as impractical back in the 1960s when Congress canceled the guest worker program to make room for more American workers in agriculture. The temporary worker program was established during World War I as a solution to labor shortages. The program closed in 1922 but was brought back in 1942, with a focus on Mexican farmworkers spending part of the year in the United States.

It continued to evolve until 1964, when foreign workers made up nearly half the American farm workforce. At that time, Congress shuttered the program and encouraged American youth to be patriotic and work in the fields. And those American teens were about as enthusiastic for agricultural work as the farmers were about hiring them.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/09/01/the-no-1-problem-facing-washington-farmers/

That was largely how my teen years were. Many of us found summer work picking whatever crop was in season. Doesn't seem to be as many kids interested in this these days,