By Oregon State Senator Daniel Bonham,
Last November, Oregon approved its largest solar farm project in the state, and potentially the nation’s, on nearly 10,000 acres of farmland in Morrow County. Due to a loophole in state law protecting our farmland, these passive landgrabs are set to continue.
Why is this happening? Our ranchers and agricultural industry in our state have been over-regulated into extinction – from high taxes, to oppressive industry mandates, to crippling estate taxes and more. They simply can’t afford to continue.
At what costs? Our ranchers care for our land, they feed our residents – they are the ultimate environmentalists. The mass closures of our traditional farms to turning them into their own mini silicon valleys can have devastating impacts on our quality of life.
Closing down traditional farms impacts food security, the local ecosystems, biodiversity and results in land degradation as well as water contamination. For an initiative that claims to be fighting climate change – this does not seem to be very good for the environment.
Make no mistake, I appreciate the solar industry, but do not feel like we should have to choose between the two. With that said – farmers and ranchers buy local supplies, shop at local stores, and engage locally. Dollars are less likely to distribute locally when out-of-state corporations take in solar profits.
It also puts us at risk of having to export food production or equally dangerous — creating a food production monopoly. By icing out our local and small farms we are literally putting our money where our mouth is – by prioritizing charging electric cars over feeding our families. Instead of pushing our farms into these buyouts, we should be making doing business in Oregon more affordable for our farmers.
From the increase of foreign nations buying up our nation’s farmland, to the government-forced closures of our family-run farm businesses – these actions can no longer be ignored. Stay tuned on this topic.
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