Miguel & Jose part of Major workforce that prunes cash crop in Wasco County

Feb 26

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., Feb. 26, 2025 — Miguel Abesada and Jose Misael Avalos were greated by a warm winter sun this morning in East The Dalles as they pruned cherry trees at Wade & Rufener Orchards just south of Adventist hospital.

Miguel, 43 and Jose, 43 are working on a single family farm with 100 acres, a rarity anymore in the Cherry Industry that sees orchard operations managing acreages in the thousands.

Wasco County is home to some 8,000 acres of cherry trees, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service county profile for Wasco County. It is the leading producer of sweet cherries in the state.

So here’s some sweet math. If there are 200 trees per acre (conservative estimate) that means there are 1.6 million cherry trees planted in the county.

So, how many branches have to be pruned annually?

And who does all that work?

Work or not, The Dalles is in for some primo weather, according to the National Weather Service. You can expect 60 degrees Fahrenheit for a high for the next three days with dry sunny skies.