Archives West Finding Aid

The Washington Agriculture Adjustment Act was approved by a special (extraordinary) session of the Washington state legislature in 1933 to aid the state’s farmers during the Great Depression. The Washington Agriculture Adjustment Act comprised a series of marketing agreements establishing market area and price for a majority of the state’s agricultural commodities including berries, milk, ice cream, melons, tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, flower bulbs, apples, prunes, mayonnaise, salad dressing and butter. The state orders were patterned after the national Agricultural Adjustment Act which sought to restore the purchasing power of the American farmer to pre-World War I levels.