Capital Press
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Friday, March 18, 2022
Volume 95, Number 11
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PULLING UP STAKES
Why some farmers are leaving the West Coast
Courtesy of Crystal Otley
The Otley family. Left to right are Sierra, Crystal, Shane and Jacee.
‘THE STATE IS GOING IN A DIRECTION WHERE IT’S HARD TO DO
BUSINESS HERE. IT JUST ADDS ANOTHER THORN IN THE BUCKET.’ — Shane Otley
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
P
ressure was building: The cost
of doing business was escalat-
ing, each year brought new regula-
tions and groundwater supplies in
Eastern Oregon’s Harney County
were steeply declining, prompting
agencies to move toward limits on
well-drilling.
Shane and Crystal Otley, who raise cattle and
hay near the town of Burns, said ranching in Ore-
gon has become more and more diffi cult.
“The state is going in a direction where it’s hard
to do business here,” said Shane Otley, 46.
This winter, the Otleys were also eyeing House
Bill 4002, a proposal in the Oregon Legisla-
ture to end the agricultural overtime exemption.
Shane Otley testifi ed against the bill, estimating it
would increase his business costs by 38%. The bill
passed the House and Senate and awaits the gov-
ernor’s signature.
“It just adds another thorn in the bucket,” said
Otley.
Shane and Crystal have long considered mov-
ing to another state, but until recently, it’s just been
talk.
Now, the Otleys are selling their ranch.
The family received an off er and expect to
close the deal April 15. Meanwhile, they’ve been
visiting other states, looking for the right place to
start fresh.
Shane Otley said leaving won’t be easy. He’s
a fourth-generation farmer with Oregon roots.
But he said he wants to keep his business alive
and give his daughters their best chance at pursu-
ing farming somewhere with lower costs and tax
burdens.
The Otleys aren’t the only farmers leaving
the West Coast. Farmers fed up with the regu-
latory climate in California, Oregon and Wash-
ington have for years threatened to move away.
But is that actually happening? Yes and no.
No, farm experts say there does not appear
to be a mass exodus of farmers leaving the
West Coast states. Calling it that would be
hyperbole.
But yes, farmers are trickling out, and industry
leaders say it’s been happening more during the
past few years.
There’s no single reason. Farmers cite a con-
stellation of motivations for moving: seeking less
crowded places, political concerns, COVID proto-
cols, estate taxes, regulations and associated costs,
opportunities for expansion, “climate migrants”
fl eeing drought and farmers seeking more secure
water supplies.
The common thread is that farmers are moving
to places where they believe their businesses, and
families, can better thrive.
See Leaving, Page 11
USGS to study water priorities for Willamette Basin
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
PORTLAND — The U.S. Geo-
logical Survey is embarking on a
study to better understand water sup-
ply and demand in the Willamette
Basin.
The study is part of a larger eff ort
by the USGS to assess water avail-
ability and infrastructure nationwide
in response to climate change, pop-
ulation growth and other challenges.
To identify gaps in water avail-
ability, the agency is undertaking a
series of 10 Integrated Water Science
studies in basins across the country,
meeting with stakeholders and mon-
itoring interactions among climate,
human consumption and hydrology.
The Willamette Basin was
selected as the fourth IWS study
area, following the Delaware, Upper
Colorado and Illinois river basins.
Tanya Trujillo, the Interior
Department’s assistant secretary for
water and science, said in a state-
ment the Willamette Basin supports
major cities, fertile agriculture and
ecologically important species such
as salmon, “making it an ideal loca-
tion to develop better science for
future decisions that will aff ect both
the environment and people of the
region.”
Nestled between the Oregon
Coast and Cascade mountain ranges,
the Willamette Valley spans 150
miles north to south and 60 miles
east to west. It is home to two-thirds
of the state’s population, including
the Portland metro area, and $2.3 bil-
lion worth of agricultural production.
The basin was chosen “because
its hydrologic and environmental
setting is representative of the chal-
lenges faced by confl icting water
demands between humans and eco-
systems — particularly salmon —
throughout the entire Pacifi c North-
west,” according to the USGS.
Integrated Water Science studies
Capital Press File
See Water, Page 11
The Willamette River fl ows past downtown Portland.
La Nina hangs on, expected to stick through summer
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
ago, chances are nearly double
that the La Nina will still prevail
in June, July and August, accord-
Growing
GENERATIONS
TOGETHER
grousing that the spring is really
cold and wet.”
In February, the climate cen-
ter gave the La Nina a 27% chance
of persisting through the summer.
Now, the center rates the chances
at 53%.
Bond said a La Nina has more
eff ect on Washington winters than
summers.
“By the time you get to summer,
there are some impacts, but they are
weaker,” he said. “I’m not sure it’s
going to be that big of a deal.”
See Weather, Page 11
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The reigning La Nina has more
staying power than expected and
likely will stay through the spring
and into the summer, infl uencing
U.S. temperatures and precipita-
tion for the upcoming months, the
National Weather Service’s Cli-
mate Prediction Center says.
The Pacific Ocean cooled in
early March, strengthening a La
Nina that formed last summer
and had been expected to fade in
the spring. Compared to a month
ing to the climate center.
While a La Nina can worsen
drought in the southern tier of the
U.S., it’s linked to cool and wet
weather in the Northwest.
Washington State Climatolo-
gist Nick Bond said the continuing
La Nina could help the snowpack
have a spring resurgence. The state-
wide snowpack has been dropping
this month and was down to 85% of
average on March 11.
“Our mountains should do pretty
well,” Bond said. “I wouldn’t be
surprised that in a month people,
not necessarily in agriculture, are
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