3,618 total traps have been set out of 7,104 expected.

The first round of treatments was completed May 18 with recalls, and the blueberry farm was treated on May 20.

The last school was treated on May 22.

274 administrative warrants for Washington County were obtained in May and then served on June 1 and 2. The administrative warrants are used when ODA has attempted to contact property owners multiple times via multiple methods and they haven’t responded. The warrant allows the property to be treated without contact from the owner.

ODA is waiting for judges to grant 74 warrants in Multnomah County and 31 in Clackamas County.

The number of acres treated thus far:

Washington County, 405 acres.

Clackamas County, 43 acres.

Multnomah County, 63 acres.

Number of seasonal hires made by ODA for the Japanese Beetle Program:

8 temporary workers for trapping in Portland.

1 temporary worker for delimited survey trapping in Salem.

2 borrowed/shared Ag Services workers for delimited survey trapping in La Grande.

Delimited survey trapping:

205 traps set in La Grande.

275 traps set in Salem.

2,700 traps set in the Portland area.

Why it matters: Trapping for Japanese beetle protects Oregon's nursery market access in other states, as well as the plants being shipped. The potential statewide economic losses if Japanese beetle became established in Oregon is estimated at $45.5 million a year (2017) in crop and nursery losses, equivalent to $60 million (2025).

Program outcomes: Beetle numbers dropped by 92% since 2016, from 23,480 in 2017 to 1,918 in 2025.

Add a company video and more company photos.

Upgrade your company description using new rich text formatting tools for extra pizzazz.

Add multiple contacts, which can include sales managers, regional sales reps and other key people you want the industry to know.

Add multiple availabilities as either links or downloads — in Word, Excel, PDF or CSV.

Add multiple locations or farms, so drivers, tour guests and others know where to find you.

When logging in the first time: You will need to set up a new password for your account. Old ones won't work. Go to the site and click the Dashboard link. Then click the “Forgot Password?” link. Then enter the email address matching your NurseryGuide account and click “Reset Password.” You'll be sent a link to create your new password. If you’re not sure which email is on your account, contact NurseryGuide@OAN.org for help.

If you need help: Call the Nursery Guide team at the OAN office (503-682-5089) and ask for Tana, Curt or Beth. We will walk you through what to do.

Why it matters: Springtime is go-time in the Oregon nursery business, but getting on the road right now is getting more difficult with those gas prices. At Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas alone, more than 30 trucks a day are being loaded. A 75 cents/gallon surcharge is adding thousands of dollars in cost to cross-country deliveries. “We had a truck … we were figuring on it costing around $6,000 a couple of weeks ago, and I just signed off on it costing us $8,200 this morning,” said Noah Fessler of Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas. “So [a] massive, massive difference. But we have the order here ready to go and we have to get that product to market.” 

Unfortunately: Oregon has more than 2,000 nurseries and greenhouses feeling the impact of higher diesel prices and it’s not an option to wait out the pump prices.

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As OAN looks ahead to this season, it no longer has that donation in place and would love to connect with members who might be interested in donating a giveaway item for one or more upcoming events.

Plant Something Oregon is OAN’s key vehicle for promoting gardening to the public and connecting consumers directly with our retail nursery members. PSO’s booth presence at events like Plant Nerd Night, Ag Fest, Gardenpalooza, Hortlandia, and Spring Garden Fair allows us to reach thousands of gardeners and encourage them to shop local and support Oregon garden centers.

Donation: OAN is looking for featured giveaway items that will help draw people to the PSO booth. It doesn’t have to be a planter, it could be any eye-catching gardening piece that makes people stop and say, “Ohhh, I love that.” The item draws people to our booth and is awarded to a randomly drawn email subscriber after each event. It’s a simple and engaging way to grow our audience for the benefit of the industry. If you’re interested in donating a prize, contact Tana at TKlum@OAN.org or 503-682-5089.

How to help: The HPSO is asking plant lovers for help to protect the Leach botanical collection by considering a monthly donation. Those can be made online at LeachGarden.org/Support/Monthly-Giving. The garden is also in need of skilled volunteers to help keep the collection healthy and beautiful. To volunteer, contact Volunteer Manager Annie Winn at AWinn@LeachGarden.org.

Patti’s approach to team management is rooted in individualized support and professional development, the article said. She views her role as a facilitator of her employees’ long-term success, both in and out of the nursery. By prioritizing the person over the position, she fosters a culture where team members feel valued as individuals, not just names on a spreadsheet.

Her knowledge: “I’ve never known someone as young as Alexa and with as short of a horticultural career who absolutely knows her stuff,” said Mark Leichty, director of business development for Little Prince. “From the very first day I met her, I kind of recognized Alexa as a savant of sorts who brings to the table an extraordinary amount of knowledge on how to grow plants.”

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The numbers: Grower surveys gathered by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) show that Oregon sold $1.3 billion in horticultural crops in 2024. That included $889 million in nursery stock, which was enough to outsell California ($708 million), Florida ($679 million), Texas ($259 million), New Jersey ($244.7 million) and all other states. 

Drilling deeper: Nursery stock as defined includes woody material such as broadleaf evergreens, coniferous evergreens, deciduous flowering trees, deciduous shade trees, deciduous shrubs, and fruit and nut plants, plus ornamental grasses, and several similar crops. Oregon leads the way in most of these. The state is #1 in sales of conifers ($233.3 million, 27% market share), deciduous shade trees ($197.9 million, 24%), deciduous shrubs ($149.6 million, 18%) and flowering trees ($86.8 million, 20%). Oregon is second in broadleaf evergreens ($105.2 million, 11%), third in fruit and nut plants ($71.7 million), and fourth in ornamental grasses ($8.4 million).

Additionally: Oregon is the top grower of cultivated Christmas trees in the nation as well, with $119.2 million in sales (25% market share).

In horticultural specialty crops overall, Oregon was behind California ($3 billion) and Florida ($2.2 billion) but ahead of all other states. Horticultural crops is a broader category that includes all nursery stock categories, plus other crops like cut flowers, potted plants, bedding plants, Christmas trees, food crops grown under protection, cut cultivated greens and others.

Reaction: “Oregon has long been a leader in high quality nursery and greenhouse material, and the new numbers show that hasn’t changed,” said Patrick Newton, president of the Oregon Association of Nurseries and owner of Powell’s Nursery, a wholesaler based in Gaston, Oregon. “Our state is blessed with ideal conditions for growing plants, and talented growers who deliver on our state’s natural promise.”

More info: The USDA Census of Horticultural Specialties, at 500+ pages, is a treasure trove of data on plant sales. It can be viewed and downloaded here.

Why it matters: This funding would go directly to ODA’s Insect Pest Prevention and Management (IPPM) Program, allowing the agency to hire, train, and deploy staff to conduct the critical statewide trapping program during flight season (June–September). This is about protecting Oregon agriculture and restoring confidence in our regulatory framework.

Without this funding: 

• Oregon risks long-term market access challenges.
• Continued shipment through the 2027 shipping season becomes uncertain.
• The $1.2 billion nursery and greenhouse industry faces serious economic repercussions.
• Family farms and specialty crop producers across the state will feel the impact.

What to say when you call/email:

• Be polite but firm and indicate you are a constituent of theirs.
• Introduce yourself and your operation, and number of employees.
• Ask him/her to support allocating $1.8 million to ODA’s Insect Pest Prevention and Management Program in the final short session spending bill.
• Explain that this funding is necessary to strengthen Japanese beetle eradication efforts during the 2026–2027 shipping seasons.
• Explain that the previous statewide program achieved 95% statistical eradication and was working. When the governor did not prioritize funding in the recommended budget and the Legislature failed to include it in the final bill, the program ended, staff positions were eliminated, and the trapping effort stopped.
• Explain that protecting Oregon’s Category 1 market access status is critical for our ability to ship plants and specialty crops out of state.
• Explain that without timely funding, Oregon agriculture risks significant economic loss and long-term market share.
• Emphasize that this investment protects jobs, interstate plant health, and the stability of Oregon’s agricultural economy.
• Briefly explain how Japanese beetle regulations are affecting your business.

Read the full Action Alert

Updated information on shipping to Colorado:

If your nursery is NOT located in the former eradication zone (treatment zone):

• Colorado will recognize Oregon’s statewide trapping data for certification until June 1, 2026.
• Beginning June 1, the nursery must begin its own compliance program (trapping or treatment).

If your nursery IS located in the former eradication zone (treatment zone) and conducted nursery-level trapping in 2025:

• 2025 negative trapping data will be accepted.
• The nursery must continue trapping in 2026.

If your nursery IS located in the former eradication zone (treatment zone) and did NOT conduct nursery-level trapping in 2025:

• Treatment is required until June 1, 2026.
• Beginning June 1, the nursery must establish its own compliance program (continued treatment or trapping).

Stay up-to-date with latest requirements by state

ODA Virtual Town Hall: The ODA is hosting a second Virtual Town Hall on the Japanese beetle from 8:30–10 a.m. on February 20 to discuss the history and current status of Japanese beetle in Oregon. Join the meeting.

Resources:

• View a map of JB detections and trapping sites (2023–2025). (Detections are marked by stars, trapping sites are marked by dots)
• OAN’s Japanese Beetle Resource page
• View OAN’s Japanese Beetle Shipping Requirements page, with a breakdown of requirements by state.

Seeking help in D.C.: Oregon Association of Nurseries President Patrick Newton (Powell’s Nursery, Gaston, Oregon) and OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone flew to Washington, D.C. to seek funding and regulatory relief on the Japanese beetle. AmericanHort’s Rachel Pick and Kamron Newberry were instrumental in scheduling and participating in the meetings.

Meetings: On Thursday, February 5, OAN met with the Senate Agriculture Committee staff in charge of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), House Agriculture Appropriations staff, and a legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) to set a future path for funding measures next year for Japanese beetle. “The main part of the 24-hour trip to D.C. was a meeting with USDA-APHIS Acting Administrator Kelly Moore, Acting Deputy Administrator at USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine Matthew Rhoads, and Associate Deputy Administrator for Plant Protection and Quarantine Samantha Simon,” Stone said. On Friday, Stone and Newberry met with the executive committee of the National Plant Board regarding re-establishing Oregon’s Category 1 status. “A lot is going on behind the scenes with this issue and the Oregon Department of Agriculture will play a major role,” Stone said.

State-specific updates: Idaho and Nevada have updated the Oregon Department of Agriculture on Japanese beetle shipping requirements for nurseries wishing to ship plant material to their states. Visit the OAN Japanese Beetle Shipping Requirements page or the email update for details.

State nursery license fee update: OAN requested and supports an increase in the nursery license fee to deal with the pest. “The OAN is building the capacity for the Oregon Department of Agriculture to reestablish the Japanese beetle program to regain Oregon’s Category 1 status by 2027,” Stone said. “How the money is being utilized has been made public for some time, and the Rule Advisory Committee (made up of several OAN members) is reviewing the details of the rule change and increase. It is important to note that these dollars are not going toward trapping and treatment — but the dollars will be used to help the industry through the new compliance agreements that will be necessary after May 1 (unless you ship into New Mexico, February 1, or Nevada, February 15). The nursery license fee has not been increased since 2017, which is a main reason for the large jump.  

Funding update: Oregon State Sen. Fred Girod (R-District 9, Stayton) is backing a funding push in the final spending bill during the February short session of the Oregon Legislature that would provide $1.8 million for Japanese beetle eradication efforts.

JB compliance agreement: ODA has released the 2026 Japanese Beetle (JB) Compliance Agreement for nurseries shipping related plant material to Japanese-beetle-regulated states. Download it here. Once completed, please email the signed document to Nursery@ODA.Oregon.gov. ODA will review, sign and return a fully executed copy to you.

Certificate of Quarantine Compliance (CQC): Destination states require that CQC certificates be re-issued every 30 days. An ODA inspector will visit each participating nursery every 30 days to verify compliance and issue a new CQC. If you do not know your assigned ODA nursery inspector, please contact: Nursery@ODA.Oregon.gov. Download it here.

Click and go: For states who have communicated their requirements to the ODA, click on the button for the state and compliance requirements for that state will be listed. Information provided on this page will be updated as the OAN receives it from ODA.

View the page at OAN.org/Page/JBStates

Colorado: The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture are actively working to finalize terms for the import of Oregon nursery stock that will provide clear guidance to the industry in accordance with the Japanese Beetle Harmonization Plan. According to an email from CDA notifying industry partners, “While this is being finalized, we have agreed to temporarily honor Japanese beetle trapping data from Oregon as a basis for certifying freedom from the pest.” 

Colorado certification requirements for imports:

• If negative 2025 nursery level trapping data: Negative detection trapping data from 2025 will be recognized as valid, provided that the nursery continues to trap in 2026. Colorado Department of Agriculture will accept certification issued in this situation. This applies to those nurseries who trapped to meet NM requirements in 2025.
• If no 2025 nursery level trapping data: Nurseries that did not conduct trapping in 2025 must apply treatment to be certified for shipments this year. Once the nursery has one season of negative trapping data, they may then be certified to ship via nursery-level trapping starting in 2027.
• Based on Colorado JB quarantine, it is the responsibility of the importing nursery in Colorado to ensure their Oregon supplier meets these requirements before importing any nursery stock plant material. Nurseries should maintain records of all negative trapping data or treatments for Japanese beetle records inspections.

Montana: No field-grown nursery stock or sod is allowed entry into Montana between Jun 1–Sept 30 (i.e. during the adult flying season) unless the nursery holds a bonded compliance with the Montana Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the bond is to ensure that businesses shipping into Montana from JB infested areas are held responsible if the import of their material is found to trigger a new JB infestation in Montana, requiring the state to initiate an eradication response. Montana has not yet verified the bonding amount.

JB infested areas in Oregon: During the Zoom call on Monday, ODA noted that JB was detected at Portland International Airport and in Lake Oswego. The history of JB in Oregon extends well beyond the 2016–2017 era that is most talked about. For example, JB was first detected in Lake Oswego in 1998. Airports are commonly targeted as high-risk pathways for pest introduction and JB has been detected at and around the airport since 1997. First finds in Multnomah County outside the airport go back to 1992. The largest population of JB was detected in 2016, which triggered the ODA JB Program that was in operation through 2025.

Impacts to counties with JB: Some states are taking extra precaution on shipments coming from three particular counties. Shipments to Nevada — nurseries located in Washington, Multnomah or Clackamas counties, must treat prior to shipment. They are not eligible to ship via a nursery-level trapping regime. The nursery is responsible for ensuring the treatment was performed in accordance with the compliance agreement and label directions. Shipments to Nevada from all other counties are eligible for certification via nursery-level trapping. Treatment options for Nevada include drenches but there are some restrictions on drip treatments.

Click to view a map of JB detections and trapping sites (2023-2025). (Detections are marked by stars, trapping sites are marked by dots)

CQC must be re-issued every 30-days: States are accepting a certificate of quarantine compliance (CQC) as long they are re-issued every 30 days. This level of oversight is required to instill confidence that ODA inspectors are actively monitoring nursery activities. Every 30 days, an ODA inspector will visit the nursery and re-issue the CQC. If you do not know who your ODA inspector is, please email Nursery@ODA.Oregon.gov.

Backup plans: She first turned to running a Pilates studio, but then she became more involved in Columbia Nursery, her husband’s business near Canby, Oregon. The nursery industry gave Staehely the opportunity to explore her interest in politics. Before joining the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Staehely had considered studying political science, and she grew up debating politics with her father, Jerry Simnitt, who operates the Simnitt Nursery near Canby.

A strong advocate: Staehely rose through the leadership ranks at the Oregon Association of Nurseries where she became president in 2024–2025. She advocated for the industry in the halls of the Oregon Legislature, U.S. Congress and with representatives of federal agencies on matters ranging from agricultural overtime to pest inspection funding. She was recognized at the OAN’s recent convention in Hawaii with the Political Awareness Award. Staehely is adept at conveying the varied challenges that nurseries face with transportation, labor and natural disasters, said OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone. “She’s been an exceptional advocate for the industry at the state and federal levels,” he said. “She’s really developed the ability to talk about what it’s like to be a small grower.”

Read more at TinyURL.com/BalletToPolitics.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said she expects farm stand legislation to be introduced in early 2026 that will “clarify this for local government where there’s not a lot of clarity right now.” Kotek suspended the rulemaking process for farm stand regulations in July after a social media uproar broke out over the direction the discussions were taking.

Critics claimed the proposed regulations would be so burdensome as to drive farm stand operators out of business, while farmland preservation advocates argued the controversy was largely sparked by misinformation. Kotek now says she’s “optimistic” that both sides of the controversy will be able to agree on legislation next year that will resolve the uncertainties over what activities are permissible at farm stands. The comprehensive nature of rule-making process “might have created more questions than we needed to have answered,” steering the debate back toward the statehouse, Kotek said during a recent roundtable interview with reporters.

Read more at TinyURL.com/ORFarmStandRules.