USDA issues natural disaster designation for some Oregon counties

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued two natural disaster designations, and they affect several counties in Oregon. Wasco, Hood River, Clackamas, Multnomah, Clackamas, Gilliam, Jefferson, Marion, Sherman and Wheeler counties were listed in the designations. This means that farmers in the affected counties are eligible to apply for emergency assistance.

Extreme weather events in recent years have affected Oregon growers and spurred agency action. Farmers have faced unseasonably hot conditions and drought in the past. In 2021, a heat dome destroyed cherries as they baked on trees. Last year there was a glut of cherries across the West which caused prices to plummet.

Ian Chandler is the chair of the Oregon Sweet Cherry Commission and a cherry farmer. He joins us with more on what this means for fruit producers and how this year’s season is going.

This transcript was created by a computer and edited by a volunteer.

Dave Miller: From the Gert Boyle Studio at OPB, this is Think Out Loud. I’m Dave Miller. Back in August we heard from two cherry growers in the Columbia River Gorge about the disastrous year they’d had. At the time they had just asked Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek to request disaster assistance from the federal government. She did. And recently, the US Department of Agriculture agreed to make two natural disaster declarations that frees up relief money that farmers can apply for. We thought this would be a good time to check back in with one of those orchardists. Ian Chandler is the chair of the Oregon Sweet Cherry Commission, and a cherry farmer in The Dalles. Welcome back.

Ian Chandler: Thank you very much.

Miller: For people who missed that conversation we had last August, what made it so hard? When did you first realize that it was going to be a terrible year?

Chandler: We started getting the early warning signs in about mid-June when all of the crops were coming on at the same time, and the market just started going south on us based on the weather conditions that we had experienced.

Miller: Can you remind us why it was such a potential catastrophe that all of the cherries were ripening at the same time?

Chandler: Yes, sir. Generally, we have approximately a three-month period to sell the United States cherry crop. And everything got kind of compressed down into a three-week window where everything came on. And that was based on California having a late bloom, and then everything in Washington and Oregon, after having a cold spring, we had then some unseasonable heat that then caused everything to bloom at once.

Miller: And my recollection is that this was both a market problem in terms of an instant glut, as well as a labor problem, right?

Chandler: Yes, sir. It really affected a lot of the labor because once we hit an economic threshold where it did not pay to pick the crop, it started affecting workers. There was no work to be had because we could not afford to pick the crop.

Miller: What did that mean in terms of the decisions that Oregon cherry farmers had to make?

Chandler: Well, the decision was a daily conversation with our packing houses and our sales desks that market our fruit for us, to see if we could hit the threshold of at least paying the cost to pick the fruit. It became from trying to make money to trying to keep our workforce going and provide wages for them to keep living. That was the day-to-day decision is whether or not we could meet the threshold to keep paying them.

Miller: Do you have an estimate for the percentage of the crop that just stayed on the trees, that wasn’t picked because it did not make any financial sense to pick those cherries?

Chandler: In my wife and I’s personal orchard, I would say we probably left approximately 40%. But I know of other growers who had to leave upwards of 50%, and some that even didn’t pick any cherries because the market was that bad.

Miller: And for folks that missed this, after a number of years you had spent in this industry, this was the first year for you and your wife as owners of your own orchard. How are you feeling at the end of the season?

Chandler: Well, at the beginning of the season, I was feeling like the smartest guy in the world for buying a cherry orchard. And by the end of the season, I was really rethinking a lot of my life decisions to get to that point. It was a tough first year.

Miller: Did you get any financial assistance? Have you already gotten any assistance before we talk about the recent announcement from the US Department of Agriculture?

Chandler: Yes, sir. In my wife’s unique case, we’re considered first time farmers because we’re new in the industry. So there was through the farm service agency, we have some great farm service agency staff that do a good job of trying to help us find out any support programs that are out there. So we did receive some monies from the federal government to help offset some of the loss through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Miller: Specifically, because you had just bought the farm?

Chandler: Yes. So we got some help. But the majority of farms have been around a lot longer and they were not able to access any of those types of help.

Miller: How big a difference did that assistance from the FSA mean for you?

Chandler: Well, it made the decision of how much more debt my wife and I needed to take on. It also took off about a third of our losses for the year. So it did have a sizable impact for our small operation and we’re very thankful for that assistance.

Miller: So let’s turn to the recent news, that the US Department of Agriculture agreed to put out natural disaster declarations, two separate ones, for different parts of Oregon. One of them would directly affect you, you are in the affected area so you could apply for relief. What exact opportunities for relief does this open up?

Chandler: Well to clarify, first I wanna thank Gov. Kotek and her team at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, our FSA staff, and our local officials for really lobbying for us to get this declaration.

But in the short term, it really does not do anything for us. Now it’s at the federal level. So this starts the federal process. But even though we can now apply for emergency loans, those emergency loans are not currently funded by the federal government. So it started the process. But now we have to get at the federal level the program funded to be able to provide that aid. So it’s not going to be a quick process, unfortunately.

Miller: Meaning, there’s a potential road for relief, but it’s up to Congress to fund it? And there’s no time frame for anything like that?

Chandler: Correct. But we’re hopeful. Congress seems to be working pretty well together, so it’ll come together one of these days.

Miller: [Laughs] I want to turn more broadly back to the overall industry right now. How have the last few months been? We’re in the new season, the spring is almost here. How has it been going so far?

Chandler: We’re about three weeks out from bloom, which is a beautiful time to be out in Wasco County or Hood River County or any of the other cherry growing regions. If anybody has an excuse to come out here, it’s really beautiful. We’re going along with our normal farming. The problem is just like everybody else in America right now, we’re dealing with inflation and a rising of our costs and expenses. As farmers, we’re price takers. We can’t really dictate what we get for our crop. So what happens is the price of everything goes up, we hope that we get a better price to keep our margin. But it’s tough in this day and age. We have wages that are going up. But the inability to offset any of that rise in our expenses with selling our crop for more. The middleman takes a pretty big chunk. I don’t think we’re alone in agriculture, that happens in a lot of industries. But it’s just making the emergence tighter and tighter. And it’s hard to survive.

Miller: What work are you doing right now in cherry orchards? Where are we in the work schedule?

Chandler: Currently we’re finishing up pruning on the properties we manage. There’s quite a few operations that still have a lot of pruning to do. And that’s kind of a hangover effect from last year, there not being a lot of resources. So everybody had to wait till January when their next operating lines opened up. So they actually had money to do stuff. Now we’re kind of compressed trying to get the pruning done before bloom. But we’ve had some good weather, so we’re hopeful we’re gonna get everything done.

Miller: I understand that even after the disastrous year last year - your first as an owner - you and your wife took on more acreage this year. Why?

Chandler: Well, what’s happening is the roller coaster of being a cherry farmer in years like last year causing some people to want to exit this industry just because they can’t handle the stress. physically, mentally, or economically. But we have some individuals who are wanting to now enjoy their retirement. So some opportunities came up. And that happens when you have bad years, there are opportunities. You just have to take a big swallow and be willing to take that additional risk on. That was my wife and I.

Miller: Can I ask if you don’t mind how old you are?

Chandler: I am 46 years old.

Miller: What is the average age you think of cherry farm owners in Oregon right now?

Chandler: I would say most of the operations around here, the individuals are in their mid-60s.

Miller: Is there a generational difference in the way you all are thinking about these uncertain times?

Chandler: We’re optimistic. But I believe the margins are smaller from the past generation. And a lot of people, if they’re not born into this industry, it would be hard to get in, with the cost of property and everything else that goes with it.

Miller: Ian, best of luck for you this season. Thank you.

Chandler: Thank you. Come out to The Dalles to visit us sometime. Have a good one.

Miller: You too. Ian Chandler is a cherry farmer and co-owner of CE Farm Management in The Dalles. He is the chair of the Oregon Sweet Cherry Commission.

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