As the Lower Sugarloaf and Labor Mountain wildfires filled the Wenatchee Valley with thick smoke earlier this fall, growers faced a new challenge during apple harvest: a lack of sunlight.
Francisco Sarmiento-Torres, a professor in the agriculture program at Wenatchee Valley College, said while the valley is nearing the end of apple harvest, smoke has affected both fruit color and working conditions.
“We did get impacted by color because of the smoke not being able to let the sunlight go through,” Sarmiento-Torres said. “With the Honeycrisp (apple), we want that nice bi-color, those red hues mixed with the yellow. Without the sun, that pigment just doesn’t come in as strong.”
Sarmiento-Torres said fruit color is critical for market value. Apples that lack color are often less appealing to buyers and can sell for lower prices. Washington state is also one of the top apple-producing states in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“I had a few workers that needed to end early because not only did it slow the coloring of apples, but it slowed the actual harvest itself,” said Jeromy Riggs, a farmer in Douglas County. Riggs grows apples like Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Cosmic Crisp.
Riggs has been farming for over a decade and manages over 40 acres. He said an apple’s color is a way companies sort and grade them. The price he takes home depends on if the apple’s color is right.
“If it’s a lower coloring apple, if the color is just not there, it just doesn’t pay,” said Riggs.
State officials said agricultural employers in Central Washington have largely complied with wildfire smoke and heat safety rules this season.
Steven Yunker, statewide safety compliance manager for agriculture at the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, said his agency has conducted dozens of inspections since June.
“When we assess, we’ve found largely that companies have been in compliance and are meeting the requirements of the rule,” Yunker said. “We haven’t seen violations related to heat or wildfire smoke.”
He said the state’s wildfire smoke rule requires employers to monitor air quality, provide training and protective equipment, and encourage workers to use respirators when smoke levels rise.
For now, Torres said growers are hoping for clear skies as the last apples come off the trees.
“Hopefully, we got lucky,” he said. “We just want to make sure we can finish the harvest strong with good color and healthy workers.”
Reneé Diaz may be contacted at [email protected]. Collaborative reporting is supported by NWPB, The Wenatchee World and Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.
