2025 A Challenging Year For Oregon Sweet Cherry Growers

The Oregon Sweet Cherry Commission says despite good growing conditions, and a lot of good-looking fruit, this year has been a struggle for many growers.  Ian Chandler, member of the Commission, and grower in The Dalles area says Oregon has become a very difficult state to be a farmer.  

He said growers face a long list of environmental, employment and housing regulations, which put local producers at a disadvantage.  And Chandler noted, when a farmer makes the needed adjustment to those rules and regulations, things change.

“In fact, I believe it's two years from now the state of Oregon has changed our square footage requirements," Chandler said.  "So, we're actually going to lose capacity of housing that we currently have. So, if right now my main camp, I can house 48 individuals. I think after these square footage changes, I'm going to be down to the mid 30s. So that's going to make things even tougher.”

When it comes to the bottom line of 2025, Chandler says a lot of Oregon cherry growers are going to be underwater.

“We had multiple challenges this year," Chalder continued.  "The fruit for the most part was beautiful. It had nice quality, good size...In the beginning we had some labor issues not having enough people up here, which got us off to kind of a slow start, and with cherries, you have a finite window of opportunity to pick them off if you're going to pick them for fresh. It's the same type of finite timing if you’re going to pick them for processors.”

Both Parties Need To Address Issues Facing Oregon Farmers

Chandler said if things are going to get better for the Oregon farm industry, the Ag industry needs to come together and push Democrats and Republicans to make meaningful change when it comes to labor, taxes, regulations and more.

“And along those lines there seems to be some misconceptions about what our labor force actually is," he said.  " Every single person that comes to work on our farm presents documentation, we fill out an I-9, they have photo ID, they have their Social Security number. They come and work, we fill out a W4, taxes come out of their wages.  So, these myths out there about this underground labor force that's being paid slave wages that, doesn't exist.”

Chandler added the Oregon farming community, owners, producers, workers, is made up of good, honorable people that do a great job.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com