Story published by AgInfo.net

That is thanks to a bill signed recently by Governor Inslee, and put forward this year by Representative Bruce Chandler of Sunnyside …

CHANDLER … “Essentially what it does is it provides a process for the pear growers of the state to join together and negotiate with food processors for one contract that would cover everybody rather than they each having to work their own deal.”

Chandler says it’s kind of a “what goes around, comes around” scenario …

CHANDLER … “This is actually, when I was first learning to grow pears up in North-Central Washington, it was a common practice, and actually both sides had an organization that selected people to negotiate on behalf of their side and it seemed to work quite well.”

Chandler says he’s not sure why it stopped operating that way other than the pear industry has shrunk …

CHANDLER … “I think there’s only two processors left too, maybe three, but the industry has really become a much smaller entity. It’s almost entirely focused in Washington. There’s a few pears being grown in Oregon still and there’s a process down in Hood River, but really the volume of the industry is a much smaller geographic area than it used to be.”

Chandler hopes it will change things so growers aren’t pitted against each other.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Bruce Chandler says it all changed as the number of pear producers and processors dwindled …

CHANDLER … “And I also think that one of the factors is that the volume of the industry was shrinking and so processors were, I think, tempted to look where there was, you know, in apples or other commodities that might be in larger supply and might have more market potential in terms of volume.”

Chandler says the bill will level the playing field for small growers with a third-party negotiator …

CHANDLER … “My experience in the past was that it really worked well to be able to have them negotiate prices for processing fruit at a level that would allow, first of all, the quality of packed, fresh fruit in the produce markets to be higher quality, and because you can divert the more inferior fruit and sell it and still get compensated for it. You know, I remember years where it was, even for me, it made the difference between profit and loss.”

So moving forward, Chandler says he’s optimistic …

CHANDLER … “What I see it doing is it allows an opportunity for everybody to walk out alive, to survive and prosper. It’s an important part of the industry for both the grower and the processor.”

Representative Bruce Chandler says he was very pleased with the reaction his bill got as it moved through the legislature …

CHANDLER … “There’s a lot of interest and there’s also some reservation. And, I think the testimony in the committees in both the House and the Senate, growers that testified there were all very supportive of it and very eager to try it.”

His bill, Chandler says was educational …

CHANDLER … “One of the things I appreciated during this legislative session was that we were able to have public hearings on it and really, it was an opportunity, I thought, to really let other legislators, particularly urban legislators, learn what’s involved in trying to sell our food supply.”

Chandler says ag bills aren’t easy …

CHANDLER … “There’s a few growers and ag-related people that are members of the legislature, but not very many. It is a different way of doing business than what people are usually accustom to.”

Bottom line, Chandler says Washington state’s growers have a lot to be proud of …

CHANDLER … “I believe that Washington state is known for value, and Washington agriculture is, and you know I’m just interested in doing everything I can to see that it continues to be a leader in value as well as volume.”

The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously.

The bill goes into effect on June 10th.