AG for OREGON

Friends of Polk County strives to protect our resource land (farms and forests) from loss or compromise by non-farm or forest related development.  Several of our board members have been participating in a review and plan of action for proactive land use efforts at the local and state levels with the reactivated group, “Ag for Oregon".

History of Ag for Oregon

In the mid-1980s an organization called “Ag for Oregon” was formed by farmers Lois and Cliff Kenagy and Hector (also legislator) and Kittie McPherson. The group included farmers,
ranchers and forest landowners who were concerned about numerous bills being considered
in the legislature to weaken our land use laws which were intended to protect the state’s resource land and green spaces. Members testified against these bills and met with various governors and legislators over the next ten years. The group eventually disbanded, at which time many of its members joined the newly formed “Farm Advisory Committee” of 1000 Friends of Oregon.

Ag for Oregon has recently been revived by farmers and ranchers who see an urgent need to
improve the farm and forest land protections under our land use system. It is now a 501 C4, a
nonpartisan group of active and retired farmers, ranchers, family forestland owners, agricultural
professionals and supporters of strong protections for farm and forest lands for the many benefits they provide all Oregonians including food and fiber production, wildlife habitat, watershed protection and climate benefits. 

The following four bills were submitted to and accepted by Senator Golden's Natural Resource and Wildfire Committee during the 2025 Legislative Session. 

SB 73: Spot Zoning Reform. Stops the case-by-case rezoning of individual ag and forest properties to residential and industrial use outside a state-authorized planning process.

SB 77: Home Occupation Reform. Closes the loophole that allows large-scale hospitality and entertainment facilities disguised as “home occupations” on land designated for agricultural and timber production.

SB 78: Replacement Dwelling Reform. Limits the conversion of agricultural and forest land to luxury residential development through “replacement” dwellings.

SB 79: Nonresource Dwelling Reform. Prohibits the siting of new houses that have nothing to do with agriculture or forest management in critical groundwater areas, priority wildlife habitat and migration corridors, and on high‐value farmland.

Both SB 77 and SB 78 were granted hearings where many folks showed up to testify in favor but neither bill went as far as the work group stage or a floor vote. Despite some real disappointment, this provided an educational opportunity for the many legislators who know little about rural land use issues and gives some momentum for readdressing these and/or similar issues in coming legislative sessions.

Ag for Oregon will continue to educate and inform all Oregonians about the history of our unique program of farm and forestland protections and its importance to Oregon’s economy and
livability. Click the button below to watch An Oregon Story, a documentary by Jim Gilbert and Joe Wilson that chronicles the creation of Oregon’s landmark land-use laws and the ongoing efforts to preserve its unique environment.