Nursery and greenhouse plants continue to be Oregon’s top agricultural product, but the recession has caused a huge drop in sales.
Nursery and greenhouse plants continue to be Oregon’s top agricultural product, but the recession has caused a huge drop in sales.
Nursery production was valued at about $667 million in 2010, nearly 40 percent less than 2005, when the industry topped $1 billion. The nursery industry rides development, and the housing market crash and recession reduced the demand for landscaping in subdivisions, parks and offices.
Grass seed sales — also closely tied to development — have dropped by nearly 50 percent since 2008. Production value then was $510 million, but in 2010 it was $256 million. Once ranked second in production value, it’s now sixth. Farmers are holding on to surplus grass seed from previous years, and the amount of acreage planted in it has taken a tumble, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
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