By Oregon Family Farm Association,
Eighteen makers of beer and hard cider are campaigning to help older Oregon farmers protect their land from development today and in the future, and they’re holding events to raise awareness of disappearing farms and ranches.
Generations of families eking out a living from the land have juggled work in the fields with full-time jobs simply to pay their bills. Some have abandoned the effort and sold their property for development.
Last year nine breweries joined the nonprofit Oregon Agricultural Trust’s Cheers to the Land campaign and raised $12,000. This year, twice as many breweries and cideries joined the fall campaign, agreeing to sell their ale and cider and donate the profits to the trust to help permanently protect ag land and help older farmers with succession plans.
The trust purchases development rights from farmers to prevent use of the land for construction of more residential, commercial, or industrial buildings.
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