Oregon
Oregon continues to lose farmland, some advocates say that raises red flags
From 2017 to 2022, Oregon lost 4% of its farmland. The state is the second highest among western states with the most decrease in farmland behind Washington, which raises red flags for some agricultural land conservation advocates.
In Oregon, there are now more than 35,000 farms and ranches — a decrease of 5.5% — on 15.2 million acres of farmland, which is down 4% from 2017. That’s according to the newly released 2022 Census of Agriculture conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture every five years.
Within those five years, Oregon lost over 660,000 acres of farmland despite land use laws that restrict development unrelated to agriculture on land zoned for farming.
Golden fields and storm clouds, over a farm in Dayton, Ore., July 17, 2023. Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Oregon’s land protection laws are enshrined in Senate Bill 100, which passed in 1973. The foundation of the law is a set of 19 statewide land use planning goals. One of them, goal three, requires counties to identify farmland, designate it as such, and zone it as exclusive farm use, or EFU.
Inside the fight between Oregon leaders to create a revolutionary growth management system
Greg Holmes, the land use director for 1,000 Friends of Oregon, said the reasons Oregon is losing farmland are varied. He notes not all Oregon exclusive farm use zoned land is farmed and not all land being farmed is zoned as EFU, so the USDA’s census of how much Oregon farmland has been lost can be different than the state’s.
Still, whichever way it’s counted, Holmes said, the rate at which Oregon is losing its farmland is concerning.
One of the reasons for the loss is EFU land being re-zoned for urban use — though it’s not much. Since 1989, about 28,000 acres of farmland have been rezoned, according to the latest farm forest report from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.
A bigger reason is that Oregon has increasingly permitted more non-farm uses on EFU land without changing the zoning, putting farmland out of production. Holmes said that has allowed landowners and developers to misinterpret the law to develop golf courses, dog kennels or wedding venues — none of which are related to farming, according to Holmes.
“There are people out there that are taking advantage of the different interpretations to do things that are taking farmland out of production,” Holmes said. “That’s concerning.”
Jim Johnson, the land use and planning coordinator for the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said farmland loss also could be due to more utility-scale solar developments on farmland and a years-long drought that has forced some farmers, especially in central Oregon, to cease production on their land due to a lack of water.
Still, Johnson said, non-farm uses of farmland are by far the biggest factor for the loss, which can add up over time.
“Oregon has a very good land use system in place to protect agricultural land, and historically overall it’s done a good job,” Johnson said. “But what the numbers show is that there’s been a weakening of the program from a lot of different angles.”
Holmes said it might be time to revisit the state’s land use planning program and tighten laws surrounding what can and cannot be developed on farmland.
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 14, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 14 drawing
02-04-10-48-56, Mega Ball: 22
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 14 drawing
1PM: 6-3-6-3
4PM: 7-0-0-9
7PM: 2-0-6-0
10PM: 2-5-1-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. — Oregon State Police are asking for additional witnesses to come forward after a three-vehicle crash on Highway 20E in Deschutes County left two people seriously injured.
Troopers responded at 12:47 p.m. Friday, July 10, to the crash near milepost 41. A preliminary investigation found a westbound 2013 black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck pulling a single-axle utility trailer attempted to pass a black Dodge 4500 towing a trailer. Police said an eastbound Hyundai Elantra tried to avoid a collision with the Chevrolet, lost control in the gravel on the eastbound shoulder, veered into the westbound lane and collided with the trailer pulled by the Dodge 4500.
The driver and passenger of the Hyundai were flown by air medic to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The crash affected traffic for about five hours. The driver of the Chevrolet was cited for careless driving and unsafe passing.
OSP is asking anyone who may have seen the Chevrolet driving westbound on Highway 20 at the moment of, or prior to, the collision to contact the OSP Northern Command Center dispatch at 800-442-0776 or *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone. Callers should reference case number SP26-255130.
The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday declined to review the Oregon Court of Appeals’ decision upholding Multnomah County’s ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products.
Legal challenges have so far delayed the ordinance from taking effect since it was passed four years ago. It was not immediately clear when the ban would go into effect.
“Flavors are one of Big Tobacco’s biggest tricks to hook the next generation of Oregonians on their deadly products,” Christina Bodamer, who leads the Western states region of the American Heart Association, said following the court’s decision.
The Board of County Commissioners originally approved the ordinance banning flavored tobacco and nicotine products in December 2022 to take effect Jan. 1, 2024. But the ordinance hit a roadblock: a court challenge by the 21+ Tobacco and Vapor Retail Association of Oregon, e-cigarette retailer No Moke Daddy LLC, and vape shop owner Paul Bates.
It has been working its way through the state court system since. The Multnomah County Circuit Court upheld the ban in September 2023. The state Court of Appeals continued the pause on implementation February 2024, before upholding the ban in an April 2025 decision. The Supreme Court’s denial of review marks the end of the saga.
The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a similar restriction in Washington County in May. That now sets up both ordinances to go into effect, which will together ban flavored tobacco and nicotine for one-third of Oregonians. A similar ban failed in the Oregon Legislature in 2025, dying in committee.
Tobacco use is the top cause of preventable death and disease in Oregon, according to the Oregon Health Authority. More than 8,000 Oregonians die from tobacco use each year.
Supporters of the ban argue that flavored tobacco acts as a gateway for underage use. According to Flavors Hook Oregon Kids, a coalition of more than 60 organizations that support the ban, 81% of Oregonian kids who’ve used tobacco started with flavored products. And flavored products are much more popular among kids and young adults than older adults, OHA says.
Richard Burke, executive director of the 21+ Tobacco and Vapor Retail Association of Oregon, tells WW the group is disappointed that the Supreme Court did not take up the case. He argues that banning flavored tobacco “has effectively granted a monopoly to the black market,” where flavored products are often laced with more dangerous substances.
“We agree with the goal of keeping these products out of the hands of minors,” Burke says. “But this is an overcorrection that will result in unintended consequences as has been shown by attempts to institute flavor bans in other parts of the country.”
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