Pear Relief in Oregon
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek asked for a federal disaster designation for pear growers in the Columbia River Gorge to assist with severe crop losses.
In a letter to the USDA, Kotek requested emergency credit disaster loans and additional federal support like the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program, as well as direct purchases of Northwest pears.
But her opponent in November’s race for Governor, Republican Christine Drazan says that’s fine, but …
DRAZAN … “Let’s be honest about what we’re facing here today. A letter to Washington is not enough. We cannot wait for Washington D.C. to act on this issue, and the actions that they would take would not be enough to save our family farms today.”
Unfortunately, Drazan says for the growers facing crisis-level challenges this year, time is not on our side …
DRAZAN … “Federal loans can take months, sometimes years to arrive and not every grower will qualify. We have the tools available today at a state level and we should be using all of them. These growers need help now.”
2025’s devastating season resulted in $40 to $45 million in losses, caused by the worst pear psylla pest infestation in almost 50 years, excessive summer heat, and constrained irrigation.
Growers say it costs about $300 to produce a bin of pears, but some varieties are expected to return only a fraction of that amount, activating state help that would include emergency funding.
