By Kate Prengaman | Good Fruit Grower
Washington and Oregon cherry growers are eligible for emergency loans following crop losses in 2023.
In February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Oregon’s request for a natural disaster designation after the state’s cherry growers lost an average of 35 percent of their crop.
The designation cites two weather events in July that caused crop loss: excessive rain in Hood River County and a drought and heat event in Wasco County, according to a news release from the Oregon governor’s office. Under this designation, growers in the primarily impacted counties and neighboring counties are eligible to apply for emergency loans from the USDA Farm Service Agency through October of this year.
The disaster declarations affect counties in both Washington and Oregon.
Click here for the OR Farm Service Agency.
Click here for the WA Farm Service Agency.