With constrained water availability, extreme temperature fluctuations, variable soil quality, and a short growing season, raising food in the high desert is uniquely challenging. However, those challenges are nothing compared to those our society faces if we do not keep agriculture close to home, even in the high desert, and practice it in a regenerative way.

Oregon’s land use planning system is key to overcoming these difficulties. Our land use laws preserve agricultural land in large blocks to ensure the ongoing provision of healthy food for our communities. This policy keeps farmland available for an array of different crops across the state, with most farmland owned by family farms.

Across 15.3 million acres of land, Oregon has 35,547 total farms. Of those farms, 67 percent are 49 acres or less in size and account for 2.3 percent of the area of land in farms and 8.5 percent of the production value. Oregon’s small family farms play an important part in the agricultural economy and local food production.

In contrast, overly industrial agriculture across the globe is a leading contributor to deforestation and loss of biodiversity (source). Through a preference for monoculture crops, it depletes soil of key nutrients (source). The agriculture sector also contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions (source) and consumes vast amounts of water (source), with the runoff of chemical fertilizers and pesticides into rivers, lakes, and groundwater leading to water pollution (source).

Given the significant negative impacts of large-scale, industrialized agriculture, there is also a tremendous potential for a more local, more sustainable approach to agriculture to transform our country, heal the earth, and make us healthier. Consider the upsides of a sustainable approach to agriculture:

Restored Soil Fertility: Regenerative agriculture techniques like crop rotation, polyculture, and organic composting help restore soil health, sequester carbon, and improve water retention.

Lower Carbon Footprint: Locally sourced food reduces the need for long-distance transportation and energy-intensive storage, cutting down on fossil fuel use. Small farms also tend to rely less on energy-intensive machinery and practices.

Water Conservation: Sustainable farms use management practices like drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting that help reduce water consumption and promote better water efficiency.

Better Community and Public Health: Keeping agricultural production nearby builds community resilience by supporting the local economy, creating jobs, and fostering food security. Organic farming encourages diverse, pesticide-free crops that contribute to a healthier diet.

Sustainable agricultural production is a neccessary solution to many of our most pressing environmental threats (source). And, fortunately, land use laws in Oregon that protect farmland play an essential role in the provision of local food and in the ability of farmers and ranchers to make a living.

OUR NEXT LIVABLE FUTURE FORUM EVENT

This fall, Central Oregon LandWatch’s Livable Future Forum is serving as a place for discussion and dialogue about the key environmental issues of our time, biodiversity loss and climate change chief among them. We’re talking about solutions that we can put into place locally, with a focus on the land use policies that play a key role in shaping our future reality.

For our next Livable Future Forum event, Farming the High Desert, we’ve convinced four of our region’s busiest farmers and ranchers to head into the big city and join us on stage for a robust discussion about Central Oregon’s agricultural future. Each panelist brings a thoroughly unique perspective along with deep expertise and lived experience.

Central Oregon LandWatch’s Rural Lands Program Director Rory Isbell will serve as the panel moderator. On the LandWatch team since 2017, Isbell is a stalwart defender of our region’s rural private lands for farming, forestry, open space, and wildlife habitat.

MEET THE FARMERS

Megan Kellner-Rode is an Oregonian through and through, enjoying all things pine-scented and grown in Oregon soil. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism. She spent time on farms both urban and rural, worked the ins and outs of local food nonprofits, wrote for local food publications, has been a board member at Bend Farmers Market, High Desert Food & Farm Alliance, and Central Oregon Locavore, and is the organizer of the Central Oregon Fill Your Pantry event. Above all, Megan loves having her hands in the dirt, cooking, and being with her loved ones.

Sky Sharp is a cowboy who spent 25 years of his life managing cattle on rough desert terrane throughout southern and central Arizona. For the past 10 years, he has worked and managed cattle and land in Central Oregon. Sky is currently the Livestock Manager and Wildlife Specialist for Dry Fly Management Co. in the Lower Bridge Valley near Redmond. He specializes in techniques that utilize cattle to improve the desert landscape to improve habitat for wildlife, decrease desertification, and increase grass production.

Cate Havstad-Casad is co-owner of Casad Family Farms, a first-generation farm and ranch which has scaled from a small 3-acre market farm into managing 1,400 acres of land in Jefferson County.

Kevin Richards grew up on a family farm in Jefferson County. He moved to Washington, D.C. to begin a career in economic consulting and public policy, but he and his wife decided they preferred to raise their young family in a smaller, more rural and diverse community. They have lived in Madras and farmed full time since 2013. Kevin currently farms about 1,500 acres in North Unit Irrigation District where he primarily grows carrot seed, parsley seed, grass seed, hay, and grain. Kevin has volunteered as a board member for the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, Oregonians for Food and Shelter, and the Jefferson County 509J School District. He and his wife, Natalie, are focused on raising five kind, hard-working, and community-oriented kiddos.

MEET OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER

Central Oregon Locavore is Bend’s only indoor farmers market providing access to fresh local food year-round. Their ethos ensures that local growers and makers can lead good lives and expand their operations and that local residents can benefit from locally sourced, nutrient-dense food that is accessible and affordable.

A natural partner for this event, Central Oregon Locavore envisions a robust and diverse local food economy, connecting consumers and producers, utilizing fair and sustainable practices, and cultivating food security for the health and enjoyment of our community.

Our hope is that each Livable Future Forum conversation will help people understand our region’s environmental challenges and issues and get excited about defining and ensuring a more equitable, sustainable, and verdant future in Central Oregon. Purchase tickets to this event.

Learn More

Industrial Agriculture, an Extraction Industry Like Fossil Fuels, a Growing Driver of Climate Change | Inside Climate News
Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture | Science
Deschutes Basin water users scramble to make ends meet in century-old system | Bend Bulletin
California’s Sustainable Farms, Models for Agriculture in Warming World, Need Help Surviving It | KQED/Inside Climate News