Specialty Crops Economics

WSU-SES/Extension Economics/Crop Economics

---

Washington state farmers produce a diverse set of crops
in a region equally diverse in climate, soil, transportation, and other resources. WSU economists have consistently met the challenge to provide the necessary expertise to support the agricultural community.

The information on this page is both current and historical. If you need additional assistance in obtaining the information for a specific crop, please do not hesitate to contact your local cooperative extension office, or one of the extension specialists.

Apples (on tree fruit page) Agritourism Asparagus Biofuels Cherries (on tree fruit page) Cooperative Financing

Hay Pears (on tree fruit page) Potatoes Straw-to-Energy Wheat & other small grains Wine and Concord Grapes

Apples and Other Tree Fruits

Please see Tree Fruit Economics page

Agritourism

title	author	date	link
Profile of the Agritourism Industry in Washington State	Galinato, Galinato, Chouinard, Wandschneider	2010	pdf

Asparagus

title	author	date	link
Estimated Costs and Returns for Establishing and Producing Asparagus in Washington in 2009	Neibergs, Waters	2009	pdf
Asparagus Production Budget Workbook	Neibergs, Waters	2009	excel
Mechanical Asparagus Harvesting Economic Analysis	Neibergs, Clary, Read	August 2009	Web page, pdf
EB1958: Alternatives to Manual Sorting	Ball,Folwell	June 2003	pdf
Establishment and Annual Production Costs for Washington Asparagus in 2001	Ball,Folwell,Holmes	2001	pdf
Asparagus Research	Ball		Web page
Field Research Projects			Web page
Web Album			Web page
Asparagus Research, Selective Machine Harvester			Web page
Selective Harvester June 2003			Web page
Selective Harvester Trials			Web page
Simulation of Harvesting Asparagus: Mechanical vs. Manual			Web page
Asparagus Harvester Evaluation			Web page
Final Report Asparagus Harvester Trials			Web page
Economics of Alternative Simulated Manual Asparagus Harvesting Strategies			Web page
Alternatives to Manual Sorting Using Selected Electronic Graders in Asparagus Fresh Packing Sheds: a Cost-Benefit Analysis,			Web page

Biofuels

title	author	date	link
Economics of Canola Production in the Pacific Northwest: Painter, Kate and Dennis Roe, 2007.			Web page
Working Paper 2007-17			pdf

Cooperative Financing

title	author	date	link
Options in Financing Agribusiness Cooperatives:: AE 02-4: Research Findings and Conclusions			Web page
The Changing Dynamics of Grain Cooperatives in Eastern Washington: EB 1985E			Web page

Hay

title	author	date	link
2008 Pacific Northwest Hay Market and Export Review and Outlook Report		2009	pdf
Alfalfa reports, management guides, and budgets	Neibergs	March 2010	Web page

Hops

title	author	date	link
2010 Estimated Cost of Producing Hops in the Yakima Valley, Washington State	Galinato, George, Hinman	2010	pdf

Potatoes

title	author	date	link
Potatoes for the Fresh Market: The Costs of Growing and Packing: AE 02-8			Web page
EB1906			pdf
EB2015E: 2001 Cost of Producing Processing & Fresh Potatoes Under Center Pivot. Updated 2006,Columbia Basin, WA.			pdf
The Economic Impact of Potatoes in Washington State: EB1925			pdf
The Economic Impact of a Possible Irrigation-Water Shortage in Odessa Sub-basin Potato Production and Processing: (June 2005)			pdf
The Minimum Wage and Washington Competitiveness in the Potato Industry: ,1999E, (Sept. 2005)			pdf
The Economic Impact of Potatoes in Washington State: EB1953E (July 2006); replaces EB1925 and XB1039.			Web page

Straw-to-Energy

title	author	date	link
Straw-to-Energy			Web page
Electrical Generation & Transmission Cooperative Fueled by Straw: The Prospects for Eastern Washington			Web page
EB1922E: The Effect of the No-Burn Ban on the Economic Viability of producing Bluegrass Seed in Select Areas of Washington State			pdf

Wheat & other small grains

title	author	date	link
Advanced Grain Marketing Techniques: Hedging Soft White Wheat	Taylor	February 2011	pdf
Surviving as a Grain Farmer in Tough Economic Times: A workshop focusing on the farm management tools necessary for survival in a down economy; analyzing and negotiating farm leases; how you can manage financial risks given highly variable commodity and input prices (2 handouts/page; 4 handouts/page)	Neibergs	December 2009	pdf

Wine and Concord Grapes

title	author	date	link
Contribution of the Grape and Wine Industry to Idaho's Economy: Foltz, J., S. Woodall, P. Wandschneider, R. Taylor. 2007. The : Agribusiness and Tourism Impacts. J. of Agribusiness, 25(Spring):77-91.	Foltz	2007	Web page
Small Winery Investment and Operating Costs	Fickle,Folwell,Ball,Clary	August 2005	Web page
Small Winery Investment and Operating Costs, August 2005	Fickle,Folwell,Ball,Clary	2005	pdf
Establishment and Production Costs for Washington Concord Grapes	Ball, Folwell, Watson, Keller	February 2004	Web page
EB1965: Establishment and Production Costs for Washington Concord Grapes	Ball, Folwell, Watson, Keller	February 2004	pdf
XB0997E: Bulk Winery Investment and Operating Costs, reviewed 2004.	Folwell,Castaldi	2004	pdf
XB1015E: Marketing Washington Wines at the Wholesale Level, reviewed 2004.	Grassel, Folwell	2004	pdf
XB1035E: Production and Marketing Risks Associated with Wine Grapes in Washington	Folwell, Gebers, Wample, Aegerter, Bales	2003	pdf
Wine Grape Establishment and Production Costs in Washington, 2003	Ball,Folwell	2003	pdf
Production and Marketing Risks Associated with Wine Grapes in Washington	Folwell, Gebers, Wample, Aegerter, Bales	2003	Web page
Wine Grape Establishment and Production Costs in Washington, 2003	Ball,Folwell	2003	Web page
Summary of Ray Folwell's Wine Industry Research	Folwell	December 2001	Web page
Ext. Bul. 1588: Establishment and Annual Production Costs for Washington Wine Grapes, 1999	Folwell, Cifarelli	1999	pdf
Concord Grape Establishment and Production Costs in Washington, 1996	Aegerter,Folwell	1996	pdf

Contact Info

Karina Gallardo

Email Address:
karina_gallardo@wsu.edu

Office Location:
Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center, Wenatchee
Office Ph: 509-663-8181 x261 
Office Hours: by appointment

School of Economic Sciences, PO Box 646210, Hulbert Hall 101, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-6210,
509-335-5555, Fax 509-335-1173 Contact Us