Interesting you use microbreweries as an example, since it was a deregulation in the Oregon legislature in 1985 that started them going.

And Oregon agriculture was originally mauled by the importation of California ag products of the big growers, accomplished by the taxpayer subsidies for cheap water and irrigation projects down there.

Moral of the story: when government leaves people alone to do what they want, and does not steal their money, enterprise thrives (especially at the small business level), diversity in products expands and local economies do well.

Well Paul,

It's interesting that in the same post you say that California farmers were helped by taxpayer subsidies for "cheap water and irrigation projects," but then you go on to say small business can thrive when government doesn't "steal their money." Hmmmm... So where did California get the "taxpayer subsidies" for farmers from? Was the state "stealing money?"

I laughed and laughed when I saw this blog post.

Oregon land use laws allow a deferment of property taxes for those properties in Exclusive Farm Use if it is in “production”. 97% of Oregon is in a Farm Use Zone.

Ahh, sure there are supposed to be income criteria on these farms to keep the exemption/deferment – but really there is no assessor’s office in the State that can keep up with this totally. If I were retiring, I might put some effort into my land to save on taxes, and if I was retired and doing this, I too could claim to be a “full time farmer”.

I believe there are some more farms now than before, but I don’t think it is really that dramatic. I think where ever those statistics came from might just have included a few thousand “hobby” farmers.

One must really watch these statistics. For example, just because Oregon has more desert than irrigated land doesn’t mean we aren’t an agricultural State. Or, just because Oregon has 1000% more desert than Mississippi, doesn’t make Mississippi more of an agricultural State than Oregon.

Real statistics would report how many acres are in cultivation now versus then, how many head of cattle now versus then, and productivity numbers. If a thousand acres of productive land had one farm then, and that same thousand acres has now been parceled into 50 farms each with 20 acres, do we really have 50 times more farms?

"When we started, our customers were almost all either earth-muffin hippies or urban yuppie gourmets," says Doc Hatfield [of Country Natural Beef], 67. "I don't mean any insults by either of those descriptions, but that's how it was. It's getting more mainstream now. I don't think Burgerville customers really fit into either of those categories."

Funny, at one time or another, I could have fit either the earth-muffin or yuppie gourmet profile and tonight, stuck for something for dinner in a hurry, I drove into Burgerville because of their use of natural beef, etc. So it works both ways.

By the way, it could very well be that there is more acreage in food production now. And certainly among many agricultural sectors, there is more production per acre. I'm sure someone has the stats.

The wine industry alone has accounted for substantial increases in both number of farms and amount of acreage under cultivation. And most of this acreage devoted to vinyards is on land previously deemed unsuitable for agriculture. The growth of Oregon's wine industry is a strong case for the LCDC, because without land use regulation, most of Yamhill, Polk and other Willamette Valley counties would be blotted by leapfrog subdivisions.

I live on about three acres outside of Dundee. This year, we were getting a small antique restoration business off the ground and neglected our farming, though we quadrupled the number of laying hens we have. Also the weather this year really messed up our orchard. I suppose you could consider us a "hobby farm" now, but next year, we will be utilizing all of our acreage for food production.

Actually, you don't have to claim to be a full-time farmer to get a tax break. The break may be figured on acreage, but for our small plot, all we have to do is sell a measly $600 a year, and half of it could be for our own use. We do considerably better than that just off our egg production.

This data and interview point to something that I've possible mentioned here before. With our farms being close to their customers, our shock when "Peak Oil" is considered in progress will hopefully give Portland an edge when it comes to food allocation and distribution.

If the time comes, I would hope that Portland will not be going through the food riot I envision happening elsewhere.

Funny how a set of 1970's land use planning laws could actually save lives in other ways besides cleaner air and water.

We live in interesting times. I'm glad I live here.

Ray Whitford

<h1></h1>

I think it is so much more serious in a worse way. But then, I would ...

Just the simple headline, "Saving Oregon's Farms by Shopping Local," turns out clueless. More reflective might be: "Saving Shopping Locals by Oregon's Farms."

The farmers are not the ones needing to be saved from starvation. Or unemployment. Local shoppers, meaning whoever drives to the grocery store. The newswire has an update on the situation -- the good news is there's no gas, the bad news is there's no grocery store.

Okay, okay, no one wants to hear it. Maybe here is a way to imagine it, sort of a worst-case emergency drill for civilians. Don't go in to work today as if everything's closed since the stand-down lock-down, and that includes your place of business. Turn off all your electricity, as if it was ... until further notice, stay tuned. Well, but you don't have a battery-powered tv. Or radio, Or flashlight. With batteries. That's okay, add that the stores are closed. For the time being, stay tuned. How's that working for you? Well, at least you don't have to go in to work. Go ahead and plan your day -- live! eat! drink! sleep and be merry. And imagine the next morning it is still like that. Go ahead and plan your day.

Now, where was the closest Oregon farm we saved ?

<hr/>

It was major good to see this in The Sunday Oregonian, (but in the Editorial Opinion section ?!!!! Well, it was "balanced" by a positive economic report, like "... the engine was running fine when the vehicle went off the cliff ...") After the oil runs out, The coming permanent scarcity of fossil fuels will touch off a seismic cultural shift

Many will be stranded in the suburbs as grocery store shelves empty. Others will lose their jobs as our oil-dependent economy withers. ... there's great resistance to any suggestion that our comfortable lifestyles might change; we Americans ... Cities, even neighborhoods, will become more self-sufficient. Agriculture will play a heightened role in everyday American life. Cities such as Portland will have to find creative ways to feed their residents.

Rural folks have the advantage of more open space for crops, but, like city dwellers, they'll have to learn how to grow their own food. Farm populations have been decimated by the impact of large-scale corporate farming and the globalization of agriculture. [Emphasis added.]

And how much Oregon farming have we saved? Oregon Agriculture tops $4 billion commerce.

And where is the nearest farmer's farm, anyway?

<h1></h1>

<h2>Thank you for that last link, Tenskwatawa.</h2>