In the bustling heart of Pike Place Market, amidst the iconic flower bouquets, lies a multigenerational legacy deeply rooted in resilience, pride, and heritage.
Many of the Market’s famous flower businesses are owned by Hmong farm families, who have forged their place in Market history and contributed to the neighborhood’s world-famous image. However, these family farms are in danger of disappearing altogether as they face rising costs, the fallout of urbanization and climate change, and systemic barriers that threaten their livelihoods.
Donate to support the Farm Fund at Pike Place Market Foundation
“It’s not an easy business to be in,” says Xee Yang-Schell, of Yang Farm in Monroe, Washington. “And maybe we make it look easy, but it takes a huge toll to be a Market farmer: physically, mentally, emotionally . . . Some things need to change, or else there won’t be any more farmers at the Market.”
The story of Hmong farmers at Pike Place Market begins in the 1970s when families began resettling from Laos and Thailand as political refugees after the Vietnam War. Drawing from their agricultural heritage, many families embraced farming as a means of survival in their new homeland and began farming land as part of the Indochinese Farm Project.
“My mom joined in 1987 and she started growing vegetables for wholesale,” says Xee. “And then they brought some of the farmers to come to sell at Pike Place Market . . . Around about 1992, 93, 95, my mom started seeing the other farmers with their flowers. And so my mom started adding a few flowers. And then, you know, it just kind of grew.”
Most families farm in the rural valleys east of Seattle on just a few acres of land, and many still have to rent through informal agreements, even after decades of farming and forced relocation.
Our country’s racist history of land distribution laws and racial restrictions reverberate through present-day farming in our region, as white people own 98% of U.S. farmland while people of color primarily perform the labor-intensive work and generate less farm-related wealth. Hmong farmers generally do not have access to land ownership opportunities, and many live under the poverty line, making less than $50,000 a year.
Despite facing xenophobia, language barriers, and limited access to affordable and long-term land, Hmong farmers have played a pivotal role in shaping Pike Place Market into a global attraction. Their farming skills and technical artistry have contributed not only to the district’s success, but also to the spirit of ingenuity in the Market community.
Donate to support the Farm Fund at Pike Place Market Foundation
“I’m just so grateful that our people had a chance to be there and to put their mark on history, and to be able to bring the Market to where it is today,” says Xee.
While tourists and locals admire the vibrant displays of flowers and produce at Pike Place Market, there is a lack of understanding regarding the physical, emotional, and financial toll that farming takes on these families. Working tirelessly, often enduring 15+ hour days nearly year-round, farmers labor under harsh conditions that remain largely hidden from Market visitors.
“My day starts at 4:45 a.m. during peak season,” describes Mary Thao of Xai C. Farm in Snohomish. “So I’m at the Market all day, after I load up and leave the Market, then I drive an hour to my farm. And then once we get to the farm, then I harvest what I can, and then I drive back home and then I will unload what I need to unload. I try to have the van packed up and ready for the next day at the Market. And I’m lucky if I go to bed by 11 pm before I do it all over again. I’d say I work around the clock.”
Though some first and second-generation farmers have taken over their families’ businesses, many of their parents are still working, pulling long hours in the flower field well into their 60s and 70s.
“My family helps me out too,” says Mary. “Otherwise, I would have to hire people to help, but that’s its own issue, because it’s hard to find people and pay them well enough for them to actually stay, allowing us to work.”
Market farmers continue to face rising external challenges, including a lack of equipment and capital to enhance operational efficiency, and limited access to alternative markets beyond farmer’s markets. These challenges have been further exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19, supply chain disruptions, inflation, climate change, and urbanization.
“The weather has definitely been extreme the last few years, it’s either too cold or too wet or it’s just really too warm or too hot,” says Mary. “And there have been supply chain issues as well. Normally we want tulips in the ground like in October before it gets too wet, but last year the bulbs got delayed and stuck on the ship, we didn’t get them until November. It impacts the rest of our season.”
In conversations with Market farmers, a somber truth emerges: the mounting time and energy invested in selling at Pike Place Market may not be worth it for many. As farmers age and their children seek better working conditions outside the family farms, there is a looming risk of losing these essential members of the Market community. To secure a future for farmers at Pike Place Market, there is an urgent need for collective action.
Donate to support the Farm Fund at Pike Place Market Foundation
“It’s a hard life, and I think that without addressing many of these challenges that farmers face, you will get fewer and fewer farmers come to this Market,” says Xee. “It has already started to be that way. I almost feel like we’re being taken for granted, you know, and I think that cannot last if the Market hopes to have farmers for the next century.”
Throughout the Market Foundation’s history, we have strived to support Market farmers and nurture Pike Place Market’s original mission to provide a place for farmers to sell directly to customers. Our Farm Relief Fund was founded after a 1999 hailstorm severely impacted Hmong farmers in the Sammamish Valley, and state and federal disaster assistance was not available to farm families. The resulting support program morphed over the years and is now part of the Market Community Safety Net. More recently, the Market Foundation has expanded support to Market farmers through programs like the Seed and Bulb Program which distributed $500,800 through 85 individual grants to farmers, and the Bulk Buy Program that allows the Market Foundation to purchase farm fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement the food programs of our social service partners in the Market.
“As a farmer, sometimes things can cause a huge chain reaction, and you have to make sacrifices,” says Mary. “We have a lower ceiling, and so if something happens like when a tree fell over and hit our shed on our tractors, the Seed and Bulb Grant definitely helps me as a farmer relax a little bit.”
The past few years of challenges and conversations with farmers have prompted the need for an even more sustainable, long-term fund to invest in the vitality of farmers now and for future generations. This spring, the Market Foundation launched the Pike Place Market Farm Fund, which will offset farmers’ equipment and material costs, promoting efficiency and sustainability for these small family farms. Our program staff are also referring Market Farmers to program partners offering culturally tailored loans and business assistance.
Donate to support the Farm Fund at Pike Place Market Foundation
“This is making us feel like we do matter, that we are an important part of the Market, and we all appreciate it,” says Xee. “It’s a huge financial help, it’s also like emotional support or just moral support for the work that we do. So that is huge.”
To ensure a sustainable and just future for farmers at Pike Place Market, it is imperative that we, as supporters and advocates, take concrete steps to support them. Market customers must recognize that the true cost of the famously inexpensive bouquets is being subsidized by the farmers’ labor and health, and we should be willing to pay more for the true value of the product so that families can gain stability and improve their working conditions.
“Our own costs have gone up significantly,” says Xee. “But there is a lot of competition for such flowers in the springtime, so it’s not so easy to raise your prices to match your expenses without it being noticed.”
Making the Market more sustainable for farmers also necessitates advocating for policy changes that promote land ownership and access to investment capital. Additionally, educating ourselves on the history of the Hmong community and listening to their experiences firsthand is crucial for understanding the real, human investment behind the famous flowers.
“I hope that people can really understand and appreciate the farmers at the Market and make it a viable option as a career for younger folks,” says Xee. “Finding ways to support the local farms and be okay with if they raise their prices, and the understanding that that’s what it takes for them to stay in the Market.”
In launching the Pike Place Market Farm Fund and shining a light on the barriers and inequities that farmers experience, the Market Foundation invites you to join us in investing in Market farmers so they can remain in our community.
“It’s my mom and dad’s story, it’s my community’s story, my history, and my people,” says Xee. “We have been here for a long time, and we are a huge presence in the Market. But you know, you can’t take these things for granted. I just hope that people who come to the Market really appreciate how much work it does take.”
Farmers embody the essence of Pike Place Market – let’s work together to ensure a brighter future for the families who grow the Market’s iconic flowers and produce!
Donate to the Farm Fund at Pike Place Market Foundation
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