As I write this column, I am at Cultivate’23 in Columbus, Ohio, where Oregon is well represented. More than 60 OAN member companies are exhibiting, dozens of them are walking the show floor, and Oregon’s own Nancy Buley (J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.) and Ryan Contreras (Oregon State University) are cornerstones of the educational lineup.

It’s easy to see how Oregon has built a brand of green industry innovation and quality, strong enough to shine through on any national stage.

Our state did not achieve this position by accident. It has taken decades to build our strong brand. Oregon’s growers have purposefully and perpetually focused on setting and achieving high standards, and have earned a reputation to match.

The Farwest Show was created to bring the industry together and represent our talented grower community. It has all the natural advantages that come with proximity to the operations that make the magic happen. In Ohio, the tour stops were two hours away. In Oregon, you can be deep in Nursery Country just 25 minutes after leaving the Farwest Show floor.

Born in difficult times

Farwest opened its doors as the nation was on edge. This was no easy time in America, economically or otherwise. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo against the United States. OPEC was retaliating for the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military. They also sought leverage in the post-war peace negotiations.

The embargo acutely strained a U.S. economy that had grown increasingly dependent on foreign oil. The efforts of President Richard M. Nixon’s administration to end the embargo signaled a complex shift in the global financial balance of power, giving oil-producing states more stroke. It triggered a slew of U.S. attempts to address the foreign policy challenges emanating from long-term dependence on foreign oil.

Through the vision of OAN presidents Ray Klupenger and David Brown, the Farwest Show began its mission on behalf of Oregon’s nursery industry. At that time, we were selling $200 million worth of material annually. That wasn’t bad for the day, but Oregon’s governor at the time (Tom McCall) and the Oregon legislature did not even recognize this growing agricultural segment as part of agriculture.

This did not dissuade OAN leaders. They knew it was vital to build legitimacy in the eyes of the customer. They knew they needed a strong brand. Enter the Farwest Show — a vehicle for showing off what was happening in Oregon.

Exponential growth

By the time Farwest reached its 25th anniversary, efforts to market, promote and gain recognition for Oregon’s nursery quality and production capacity had really taken hold. OAN President Terry Thornton (1998) and the board pushed to grow Oregon’s brand and reputation by expanding the show even further.

It was the late 1990s. By then, Oregon’s nursery industry had almost doubled in size, with sales close to $450 million annually. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber was in his first two-term stint as governor. The state was seeing growth in technology at the expense of the timber economy. We still enjoyed low inflation and low unemployment.

For four years, the nation enjoyed the unusual combination of strong economic growth and low inflation. For 1998, the unemployment rate averaged an historically low 4.5 percent, while consumer prices rose a mere 1.6 percent. This year saw U.S. President Bill Clinton caught up in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, resulting in his impeachment by the United States House of Representatives. The seeds of hyperpartisanship began to find purchase.

A standing eight count for the economy

Ten years ago, we saw the economy at its worst. The Great Recession was a double whammy — a severe financial crisis combined with a deep recession. While the recession officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, it took our industry many years to recover.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture tracks the number of active nursery operations in our state. They confirmed that our grower community lost more than 33% of our operations during the Great Recession.

Oregon growers were blindsided. They experienced a strong 2006 sales year, becoming Oregon’s top agricultural sector mark with $1.04 billion. The Great Recession pared that down to $645 million, blurring the line between a haircut and being shaved bald.

Was the brand tarnished? No. Oregon still had quality plants and the infrastructure to increase capacity. We just had fewer growers.

OAN President Carson Lord (2013) identified a shift in how Farwest was perceived. It was a great show, but Oregon growers started expanding their reach into a multitude of trade shows around the country and internationally. Attendees were not forced to come to Oregon to see our material.

That shift is seen to this day. The nation was digging out of a perfect economic calamity and both newly inaugurated President Barack Obama and a reinvigorated Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (back for his second nonconsecutive stint as governor) were working hard to get things back on track.

The post-Covid boom and the Farwest of today

The evolution of the Farwest Show is a mirror to the industry. Through difficulties and challenges with supply chains, government regulation, and price inflation on almost every part of the operation, OAN members continue to thrive.

These are not the good old days when attendees were forced to travel to Portland to experience our bountiful growing operations. Recent OAN leaders, up to and including current OAN President Todd Nelson, have taken a hard look at how Farwest can bring more to the table.

Farwest provides quality education, illuminating tours, cross-generational networking opportunities, and always the opportunity to bump into top-of-the-line growers in the aisles.

Oregon’s nursery brand remains strong. That is quite apparent, considering all the tours that happen in the months preceding and after the trade show. You can also look at the numbers. Oregon’s nursery and greenhouse industry stands tall as Oregon’s #1 ag sector, with sales cresting at close to $1.4 billion.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, freshly elected, recently met with OAN leaders. We talked about how we can work together to educate more students to see ag as a career, earn recognition that our green products are true climate solutions, and flex our problem-solving muscles.

Come experience Farwest. Portland has cleaned up its act, and this will be a great experience for everyone.

Director’s Desk from the August 2023 issue of Digger magazine | Download PDF