Every grower we talk to is very busy shipping nursery stock — seemingly more so than in years. It would make sense that state inspectors who issue certificates for these shipments, when needed, are busy, too — and they are, according to Gary McAninch, manager of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Plant Division. He sent out the following shipping notice this morning:

Spring shipping is really getting busy for both the nursery industry and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). For ODA inspectors this means full days of scheduling and providing certifications for shipments going out of state and out of country. Last-minute “emergency” certifications can be very disruptive to their schedules, which are often set several days in advance. If at all possible, please give your ODA inspector at least 2 working days notice of any shipments requiring a certificate. This will give the inspector enough time to work you into their schedule. Thank you and have a great spring.