"In Oregon they have the "death of organic farmsteads" law, which is a
land-use regulation which dictates that a home cannot be built on agricultural
lands until after $80,000 per year agricultural-income is proven. Lots of
people who raise their own seeds and grow non-mechanically don't need that
much money to meet their needs. The average middle-class income is well below
that figure, and many millions of people would find it a big raise in pay to
get half that number."
It is important to note that the $80,000 rule applies only to the very best
farmland -- soils that are prime, unique, Class I, Class II or that support
certain crops such as orchards. Most agricultural land in Oregon falls
under less stringent rules.
Also, the $80,000 is for gross sales. Given the 80% overhead typical for
farms and ranches, that translates into $16,000 net income -- not a large
amount.
For full details, see the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and
Development homepage at www.lcd.state.or.us.
Oregon has made the firmest commitment of any state to protect farmland and
farming. With its population increasing by 50,000 to 60,000 per year, the
pressures for non-farm use of land are great. Most agriculture cannot
compete for land with developers without the advantage of strong land use
programs.
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".