Gov. Kotek requests federal disaster designation for Gorge pear growers

“[Growers] don’t know how they’ll cover their operating expenses or make it through another season,” said Lesley Tamura, Chair of Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers (CFGC). “This is the type of situation that forces many into debt they’ll never recover from and leaves us leveraging our personal assets in hopes that 2026 will bring a miracle.”

According to CGFG Executive Director Annika Forester, the crisis represents a potential extinction event for many family farms, exacerbating an already fraught agricultural environment, in which layers of piecemeal regulations and labor costs have made it difficult to compete in a global market and left many without the financial reserves to withstand poor returns.

Growers have also witnessed the worst pear psylla infestation in nearly half a century, compounded by excessive summer heat, limited snowpack, and constrained irrigation supply. The pear psylla is a destructive insect that coats trees and fruit with honeydew, leading to black sooty mold that renders pears unmarketable. 

According to the Governor’s Press Office, these combined impacts have caused an estimated $40-45 million in losses and reduced grower revenue by roughly 50 percent. Kotek’s letter asks USDA to make emergency credit available through disaster designation and to pursue additional market relief where possible, including support through the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmer program, USDA purchases of Northwest pears, and other disaster relief and stabilization tools. 

“A disaster designation will not solve every challenge facing growers, but it can put critical federal recovery tools within reach,” Kotek said. “Oregon is ready to move quickly with USDA, growers, and local partners to support the families and communities affected by this crisis.”

CGFG’s listening session last week brought nearly 70 attendees, including pear grower members and executives, researchers, crop consultants, Hood River County staff, State Representative Jeff Helfrich, and Kotek’s Regional Solutions Coordinator, Nate Stice, among others. 

The meeting opened with a review of the pear psylla pest, the damage it causes, and how the extent of the damage only becomes fully known after months in the cooler. Growers then shared frustrations related to the continuous onslaught of new rules and regulations that amount to “death by a thousand cuts,” Forester said. 

Beyond its now fulfilled request for disaster declaration, CGFG is asking the Governor to suspend the implementation of 2027 and 2028 OSHA ag labor housing rules; enforce existing regulations to compel owners of abandoned orchards to remove them and provide funding to help with removal; and establish a workgroup to revisit ag overtime and find a workable system that recognizes the seasonal nature of the agricultural workforce.