The Seasonal Squeeze: When Fruit Meets Factory Floor

When consumers bite into crisp apples or savor sweet cherries, it’s easy to overlook the workers behind them. However, for thousands of farmhands in Washington state, the end of harvest season means the beginning of unemployment – a stark reminder that even in an era of permanent products, the workforce is often anything but.

Borton & Sons, a major fruit grower, plans to release 928 farmworkers, mostly H-2A visa holders, on November 8th. This marks the end of another harvest cycle and highlights a trend within the agricultural industry. These seasonal layoffs are nothing new in agriculture, but what’s noteworthy is Borton’s characterization: all 928 departures will be considered permanent – at least until the company decides to hire again.

Washington state has been at the forefront of this trend, with over 14,800 seasonal farm workers losing their jobs between 2024 and 2025. These layoffs often go unreported but when they surface, it’s a sobering reminder that even in a time of abundance, many workers are little more than temporary accessories to the production process.

The federal H-2A program was designed to address labor shortages in agriculture by importing foreign workers for temporary or seasonal jobs. However, as these layoffs show, even with such measures in place, farmworkers remain vulnerable to harvest schedules and market fluctuations. Their employment is often tied directly to crop yields and consumer demand – a precarious connection that can quickly turn into permanent unemployment.

The consequences of this system are far-reaching. Not only do workers struggle to make ends meet when laid off but their families and local communities also bear the brunt. This cycle of boom-and-bust employment has become all too familiar in Washington state’s agricultural belt, where farmworkers often live paycheck-to-paycheck with little access to social services or job security.

The Borton & Sons layoffs serve as a stark reminder of the human cost behind our fruit-filled grocery stores and supermarkets. By acknowledging these workers’ struggles, we can begin to rethink the way we produce, consume, and value food – not just in Washington state but around the world. This requires more than just industry goodwill; it necessitates a fundamental shift in how we approach food production – prioritizing worker welfare alongside profit margins.

For consumers, this highlights the need for greater transparency in agricultural production. We should demand clearer labeling on our grocery store shelves about where products come from, how they’re made, and who made them possible. This means more than just industry goodwill; it requires a fundamental shift in how we approach food production – prioritizing worker welfare alongside profit margins.

The Borton & Sons layoffs represent a missed opportunity to redefine the relationship between consumers, workers, and agricultural producers. In an era where permanent products dominate our shelves, perhaps it’s time for us to ask more from our food system: not just what we eat but also how we grow, harvest, and value the people behind every juicy apple and crunchy pear.