The Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP), a top legislative priority of the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT), is poised to receive $2 million in funding for program grants and staffing in the budget for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). While this is short of the $17.3 million ask that was based on growing demand for the program, this allocation would mark a critical first step – laying the groundwork for long-term investment in Oregon’s working lands.
“Protecting Oregon’s working farms and ranches is about safeguarding our food supply, supporting rural families, and ensuring future generations have access to productive agricultural land,” said Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane), a long-time champion of OAHP. “This $2 million investment in the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program is a meaningful step forward, and I’m committed to building on this progress to ensure stronger, long-term funding for this vital program.
Oregon’s farm and ranch land is under constant threat of being lost to development, fragmentation, and conversion to non-farm use. OAHP was designed to address these threats with four grant programs that support both conservation and agriculture on Oregon’s farms and ranches.
One of those grant programs – working land conservation easements – pays landowners to sell the development rights that they don’t need and that interfere with agricultural production and habitat values. These easements are voluntary, private contracts that protect the land, help the landowner access needed cash, and make the land more affordable to future generations. So far, OAHP has protected 9 farms and ranches across Oregon with conservation easements, permanently conserving a total of 12,252 acres of working lands.
“This recommendation is a direct result of community advocacy and key legislators supportive of farmland protection,” said Joe Buttafuoco, Executive Director of the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT). “We’re especially proud of our partnership with Oregon Agricultural Trust and the collective effort of so many who testified, contacted legislators, and shared their stories. This funding brings us one step closer to ensuring working lands remain a vital part of Oregon’s future – and shows what’s possible when we work together across organizations and communities.”
While $2 million won’t meet the full statewide demand for conservation easements on working lands, the allocation would allow OAHP to supplement other funding sources at a time when federal funding commitments are in question. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Land Easement Program (ACEP-ALE) offers permanent protection from development for agricultural lands, but between 2017 and 2022 Oregon received only 0.46%% of these national funds due to the lack of a dedicated state matching grant program. OAHP funding would enable local organizations and landowners to leverage millions of dollars in federal and other support – bringing more conservation resources home to Oregon.
“With the legislature’s appropriation of $2 million for the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP), Oregon is investing in permanent protections for Oregon’s farm and ranch lands,” said Nellie McAdams, Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT) Executive Director. OAT partners with farmers and ranchers to protect agricultural lands for the benefit of Oregon’s economy, communities, and landscapes.
Oregon’s working lands are facing a critical moment: Nearly two-thirds of the state’s agricultural land – more than 10 million acres – will change hands in the next 20 years, yet up to 80% of Oregon farmers and ranchers do not have plans in place to manage that transition.
“Oregon has some of the best soils in the world, but we continue to lag behind other states in funding to protect farm and ranch land,” McAdams said, noting that Tennessee allocated $25 million to a similar state program in May of this year. “This $2 million for the OAHP will help organizations like ours protect agricultural land forever. We hope the momentum for this program continues to grow so that we can protect the farms and ranches that are the foundation of our food system, rural economy, and open spaces across Oregon.”
Though the fund allocation must still move through the final phases of the legislative budgeting process, COLT celebrates this funding and the bipartisan support for working lands conservation in the Oregon legislature.
“The Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program reflects Oregon’s values – supporting the stewards of our land while safeguarding the open spaces and food systems we all rely on,” said Rep. Ken Helm (D-Beaverton). “I’m proud to champion this program and will continue to push for the funding it deserves.”
About the Coalition for Oregon Land Trusts
The Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT) serves and strengthens the land trust community in Oregon. At COLT, we build connections and advance policies that help protect our natural world—our water, wildlife and open space—for all people, forever. This work helps our coalition members—over 30 conservation organizations around the state—do what they do best: protect wildlife and wild places, defend working farms and forests, provide recreation and parks, drive climate solutions and science, champion clean water for all and engage communities to protect our natural world.
About the Oregon Agricultural Trust
Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT) is a statewide, nonprofit land trust that protects working agricultural land and helps farmers and ranchers pass their land on to the next generation. OAT has protected 30,800 acres on 5 properties across the state so far, and has 40 more land projects in process. OAT also advocates for funding from programs like OAHP and educates 1,000 farmers, ranchers, and service providers like attorneys each year about succession planning, working land easements, and farm business viability.
