Since I’ve started to follow the US Farmer and Rancher Alliance, I have been learning so much about how to tell my ag story, why it’s important and some key ways to go about doing this most effectively. So while I was back in New York and attended one of their events, I wanted to share a few facts that really stuck out to me that go along these lines.
- 25% of Americans have questions about their food.
- 49% of consumers think that agriculture is on the wrong track.
- 75% of consumers like farmers, but 42% of them don’t like how we farm.
- 95% of farms are family owned and operated in the United States.
All of these facts point to us as farmers to start to restore relevancy, and to do that the USFRA says we need to start using trust and transparency. I have an idea what that might look like for a company like Monsanto, and I have an idea of what that might look like for a farm or ranch that is trying to keep things in the closet about what they are doing. But for me, transparency and trust is something that I hope this blog tends to address. I am proud of what we are doing our here, and how we are treating the land. And it’s something that I want to continue.
It goes beyond a blog however so I say all of this while in the back of my head rolling around is the testimony that I will give later today at the Oregon capital all about protecting our farmland. I’m off to Salem again, this time it isn’t GMO’s or pesticides or our right to farm. This time it’s a four land highway, a toll road no less, that is threatening to come right through the heart of our beautiful farmland that we have here. Class one and two soils, that I feel we need to protect. And because of all the facts above, I know that I need to be out there, and let people know how we are growing their food and that we are making the most of the great wonderful soil that we are so lucky to have and cherish. If you’re around come listen to Senate Bill 2696 this afternoon at 3pm, it might be interesting to see farmers get up and tell legislatures why this is so important to stop!!
NuttyGrass 
I am curious about this bill….
I think this is a prime example when it’s good to listen to local control. However, I also wonder if a private property owner wants to sell his land for the road is there opposition to that? Or is there public lands that can be used?
Does this bill use eminent domain to cut a path? I also wonder what kind of economic benefit it would bring to the region?
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The point of this bill was yes, to allow a private company using a public/private agreement, to use eminent domain to get the property needed for the project. The developers did come to many of us at the beginning of this project, a few years ago, and they were turned down completely. So that is why they moved on to the legislature to try to get the power to go ahead without landowner’s consent. I have heard that the county won’t go forward with a project if the eminent domain cases reached more than 10% because it is considered too large a burden, this project would be many times that if pursued.
As far as economic benefit, they claim that there would be some. But studies showed that because of it’s “toll road” nature it would do very little for the small communities that it would run through. For our small town in particular, not only was the farm land a huge issue, but also the increase in call volume on our small rural fire department and ambulance service. The small benefits were quickly outweighed by the negatives in this case.
Thanks for your questions Marie!!
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Keep fighting the good fight. If it isn’t one thing it is another, but in the end every effort is worth it.
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