Oregon Has Created ANOTHER Scheme To Destroy Family Farms

Democrats in Oregon have become very inventive in their decade-plus quest to shut down small, family owned farms so that Big Farm, who donate millions to them each election cycle, can completely take over all farming activity in the state.^ Their latest scam, which became effective January 1, 2025, will not only damage small farms, but will also damage Oregon’s tourism industry.*

According to the OSU Extension Service, agritourism has become a financial lifeline for small farms, many of which are hanging on by a thread after years of inflation, drought, & labor shortages not to mention the Covid lockdown. This “clarification” of the rules & regulations, is seen by many as a death sentence. Oregon politicians & bureaucrats claim they are protecting farmland; but what they are really doing, and they know it, is shutting down the families who give that land its life.

ANOTHER SCAM TO RUN SMALL FARMERS OUT OF BUSINESS

In Oregon, it’s still legal to install a solar farm on agricultural land. But don’t even think about selling marionberry jam from your neighbor’s fruit stand, hosting a flower-arranging class, or serving soup under a tent. Under the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development’s new Farm and Forest “Modernization” Rules, small farms are being crushed beneath a bureaucracy that calls this “clarification.”

Effective January 1, 2025, the rules impose sweeping restrictions on what qualifies as acceptable farm stand activity in Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) zones. The agency claims it’s about “protecting farmland,” but the details tell another story. Oregon’s new DLCD rules are quietly strangling agritourism. From pumpkin patches to farm dinners, small farms face new limits on events, food sales, and even what they are allowed to sell under a tent. The rules claim to “protect farmland,” but they will destroy the families who give the land life.

DLCD’s new rules redefine “promotional events” to only include activities that directly feature a farm’s own product. That means:

• Allowed: A peach farm hosting a peach butter demo.

• Banned: Hayrides, petting zoos, live music, or craft workshops, unless they have an educational component or directly promote a specific product.

This rewrite completely excludes the very activities that make agritourism viable.

FALL FESTIVALS NOW REQUIRE A PERMIT OR A LAWYER

The rules also cap farm-to-table events at just 17 per year. [Seventeen? I am sure some bureaucrat who has never held a job in the private sector has an asinine reason for that figure.] Hosting more? You’ll need an agritourism permit and must pass a “farm impact test” which would take months to obtain. The new rules also place restrictions on the number of attendees at farm events. This, of course, will reduce the profitability of large-scale agritourism activities such as festivals.

The DLCD rules don’t stop at events. They also include:

• A ban on selling non-farm-made goods under temporary structures like canopies or tables used less than 90 days/year. So unless you grew it, you can’t sell it, even if it’s from the farm next door.

• A rule that farmers may only sell products made from ingredients grown on their property. No cross-selling local jam, cider, or honey.

• Expanded power for local governments to charge fees, revoke permits, and impose seven-year compliance reviews.

• Income Caps: The 25% income cap on farm stands (where only 25% of revenue can come from non-farm products) will discourage farmers from expanding agritourism offerings, as it limits their ability to sell value-added products or host events.

Democrats are making regulations so strict no small farm can make enough profit to continue running their activities. These farmers say they will go out of business, which means they will be forced to sell their little farms to Big Farm.

THAT, of course, is what Democrats want!

^Democrat politicians and bureaucrats don’t like small business owners because most are independent-minded, and they tend to lean Right politically. In 2019-2020 Democrat Governor Kate Brown, my law school classmate, and all the Democrats in the House and Senate, tried to enact the cap & trade scam to wipe out all small businesses that used large vehicles. There were enough Republicans in the Senate to stop it. Then Democrats’ miracle happened:

The Chinese Communist Party released the Covid virus. Brown immediately forced virtually small businesses to close. Walmart’s, Costco’s and Democrats’ big donors were allowed to stay open. When Brown finally opened up the state, over two years later, 70% of small businesses had been eliminated. The current governor, also a far Left Democrat, has now concocted a way to diminish the 30% who are left.

*According to Artificial Intelligence, Oregon has a thriving tourism industry, playing a significant role in the state's economy. It's a major employer, a leading contributor to the gross state product, and a driver of small business development. In 2024, Oregon's travel industry generated $14.3 billion in economic impact, supporting 118,500 jobs and generating $650 million in state and local tax revenue, according to Travel Oregon Industry.