Oregon Public Broadcasting

As a new storm hits the Northwest, many in the region are just starting to tally the costs from December’s storms.

Oregon’s plant- and tree-growing industry says it lost at least $18 million. And that’s on top of a major slowdown in sales because of the recession.

In response, the Oregon Association of Nurseries says it will ask that agricultural disasters be declared in Willamette Valley counties.

Those declarations would give nursery owners access to federal loan assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

John Aguirre is the executive director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries.

He says the industry doesn’t typically benefit from big federal agriculture subsidies.

John Aguirre: “We think federal assistance is appropriate. Nobody quibbled when Hurricane Katrina hit, or any number of disasters hit an industry or community. At a certain level the helping hand of government is important, necessary, and justified.”

Federally-secured credit would be especially welcome right now, because in the winter, nurseries are spending lots of money to care for crops.

But they won’t sell much until the spring and summer.

Oregon’s nursery business produces about $1 billion per year in sales for the state.

It’s the second-largest grower of young trees and plants in the country, after California.