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4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017 For sale: ‘There’s an impact to the historic social fabric’ Continued from Page 1A ORE. 97 umbia Jo Biggs hn iv e y R Wasco r Riv e Arlington Da conversion is a concern espe- cially in areas with “amen- ity values.” Daggett’s scenic Wallowa County is an exam- ple, “Where the primary reason to live out there is to be there, and the secondary reason is to farm,” Johnson said. Ag property purchased to be a recreational site, he said, infl ates land values and makes it more expensive for farmers and ranchers to buy or rent. New owners who aren’t interested in farming them- selves might gain more rev- enue by enrolling land in the federal Conservation Reserve Program, in which they receive payments for taking it out of production, rather than leasing crop land to other farmers, said Walter Powell, a Condon wheat farmer. In that case, there’s a reduction to the farming infra- structure: the seed and fertilizer dealer, the equipment store, local employment and more, Powell said. Jim Wood, a cattle rancher near Post, in central Ore- gon, said the biggest threat to high-desert cattle ranching is the fragmentation of grazing ground. Ranching in his area requires big acreage to be eco- logically and economically sus- tainable, and segmentation or development for other uses cuts into that and increases land prices, Wood said. “If you overgraze, this land- scape is quick to be unforgiv- ing, and you’re going to be out of business,” he said. Oregon’s land-use laws — adopted to preserve farm and forest land from urban sprawl — generally preclude rapid, wholesale development of agri- cultural land. Statewide, counties approved 473 houses on farm- land in 2014 and 522 in 2015, the most current fi gures pro- vided by the Oregon Depart- ment of Land Conservation and Development. Daggett acknowledges an argument could be made that the “highest and best use” of her family land could be as a “view property.” But ownership changes can ripple deep in rural communities. “This is very personal for me,” said Daggett, who was Wallowa County’s planning director in the late 1990s and, Area in detail 19 r 206 SHERMAN 97 Cottonwood Canyon State Park Eric Mortenson/EO Media Group Cattle graze along Highway 97 south of Biggs Junction. Observers say sales of Oregon farm and ranch land, sometimes involving thousands of acres at once, can change the social fabric of rural communities by shutting off traditional uses of the land. With the av- erage age of producers now 60, a study estimated 64 percent of Oregon farm and ranch land could change hands in the next 20 years. ironically, now sells real estate. She said her son had hoped to run cattle on the family land, but now leases land from oth- ers. “Like a sharecropper,” Daggett said. The giddy buyer who called her husband in the Caymans has yet to build a dream home on the property. It appears someone is leasing the pastures. “There’s an impact to the historic social fabric, there’s this disruption socially,” Dag- gett said. “It’s more than a question of who’s buying,” she said. “It’s who’s buying, and then what?” Big properties Some of the listings car- ried by Whitney Land Co. are breathtaking. The Pendle- ton -based real estate company specializes in farm and ranch properties, especially big ones. Until the owner took it off the market this spring, one of Whitney Land’s offerings was called the Kinzua Ranch in Wheeler County: More than 39,000 acres with a $28 million asking price. The property included much of what used to be the tim- ber holdings and former com- munity of Kinzua, a company mill town that ceased operation in 1978. Timber industry reps have expressed interest, but the property hasn’t sold yet. Whitney Land Co. has other big properties to sell, including the Maurer Ranch at Clarno, along the John Day River, which is listed for $19.7 million. It includes more than 29,000 deeded acres plus 18,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service grazing leases, which hold signifi cant value. The property has been in the same family for more than 90 years, has been used for cattle, grain and hay production, and includes nine fenced pastures and eight miles of river front- age. The owners may break it into smaller parcels and sell it that way, said Todd Longgood, a Whitney broker. While cautious about char- acterizing possible clients, Longgood said Oregon farms and ranches catch the atten- tion of what he called “corpo- rate ag” or “intense ag” buyers. Some potential buyers are look- ing for “longterm holds,” fi g- uring the land will increase in value and they can resell later; others pursue crop land “know- ing there will always be a mar- ket for food.” Some buyers bring with them the resources to develop or expand irrigation systems, critical for high-value crops. “In the corporate ag world, there is more money available for ag land than there is sup- ply,” he said. Sales add up At Portland State Univer- sity, land-use and urban plan- ning professor Megan Horst is assembling ground-breaking data on Oregon farm and ranch sales. Working with a gradu- ate research assistant, she asked county clerks for information on sales from 2010 to the end of 2015 of land zoned exclusive farm use . Horst is compiling land sales in the eight agricultural regions defi ned by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. In Northeast Oregon, 360,265 acres of exclusive farm use GILLIAM 206 Condon Eric Mortenson/EO Media Group N 19 97 5 miles Alan Kenaga/Capital Press land sold during the 2010-15 land, will pass to new owners. time period. In the Willamette How that land changes hands, Valley, 169,572 acres sold, and who acquires it, and what they along the coast, 13,397 acres do with the land will impact sold. Oregon for generations,” the Oregon has slightly more authors wrote. than 17 million acres of farm- Creating a park land. Over the six-year study In Portland, Sue Doroff period, the acreage sold in the three ag regions analyzed so far nods in understanding at some amounts to only 3.2 percent of of the concerns expressed over Oregon farm and ranch land the state’s total farmland. In some cases, however, sig- sales. People “go to their fear- nifi cant money was involved. ful place” pretty quickly when According to Horst’s fi gures, they hear of big acreages listed the median sales price per acre for big money, she said. Doroff is a co-founder and of Willamette Valley farm use land was $21,909. On the coast, president of Western Rivers Conservancy, which it was $10,299, while has had a very public in Northeast Oregon role in signifi cant farm- the median price per land transitions. acre dipped to $2,451. In 2008, West- The values include ern Rivers bought the permanent crops 8,000-acre Murtha such as orchards and Ranch, along the John vineyards and other Sue Day River 25 miles infrastructure. Doroff north of Condon, for Horst said the sales $7.9 million. The pur- fi gures compiled so far raise issues Oregonians ought chase included an 8,000-acre to be discussing. Among them: BLM grazing lease. The orga- Who has access to agricultural nization then began selling the land, and what happens if food ranch in stages to the Oregon production is concentrated in Parks and Recreation Depart- the hands of the few who can ment for the same price, com- afford to buy large swaths of pleting the process in 2011. Cottonwood Canyon State land? The research follows a Park, one of the largest in the study Horst co-authored with state, opened two years later. fi ve others: “The Future of Ore- The ranch’s barn, corrals and other infrastructure are incor- gon’s Agricultural Land.” The report, produced by porated into the park. Hunting Oregon State University, PSU and fi shing are allowed in the and Rogue Farm Corps, an park, and a grazing manage- advocacy group, noted that the ment plan is in the works. The sale cost Gilliam average age of Oregon farmers County some property tax rev- is now 60. “As older farmers retire enue as the land went from pri- over the next two decades, over vate ranch to tax-exempt pub- 10 million acres, or 64 per- lic park. County Assessor Chet cent of Oregon’s agricultural Wilkins said the property was Megan Horst, a land-use professor at Portland State University, is assembling data on all farmland sales in the state from 2010-2015. More than 360,000 acres was sold in northeast Or- egon counties alone, and nearly 170,000 acres in the Willamette Valley during that time. mostly low-value range ground that was specially assessed. The approximate total yearly tax loss to Gilliam County is $2,080, Wilkins said in an email. In 2014, Western Rivers again bought John Day River property, this time the 14,148- acre Rattray Ranch, and its 10,530-acre BLM grazing lease. Western Rivers is primar- ily concerned with improving water quality and river habitat for salmon and steelhead runs, but Doroff said there are “lots of opportunities” for compat- ible conservation work, crops and livestock grazing. “When we take sensitive lands and make them better, it takes some of the stress off the ecosystem,” she said. The Rat- tray Ranch purchase will pro- vide public river access, hope- fully reducing trespassing problems that bothered other landowners. That and the park opening also bring more eco- nomic activity to nearby Con- don, as visitors choose places to stay and eat. Even though there is some “parsing of the landscape” through sales, Doroff said big buyers are likely to continue traditional uses such as grazing cattle and growing wheat. “Who is going to spend that much and not generate some revenue from it?” she asked. “The adjustments are smaller than the fear.” Seaside: Additional $112 million capital budget for construction was presented Continued from Page 1A students, staff, parents and the community at both elementary schools. An elementary teacher will also be added to reduce class size, allow more time to focus on student achieve- ment and narrow the achieve- ment gap, Roley said in her budget message. A full-time social studies teacher will be added at Broad- way Middle School, among other personnel additions. School bond An additional $112 million capital budget for construc- tion of the new K-12 campus was also presented for review Tuesday night. That number grew from the original $99.7 million bond approved by voters in November with the addition of $4 million from THE DAILY ASTORIAN T HURSDAY E VENING A (2) (-) (-) (6) (-) (8) (9) (10) (12) (13) (-) (20) (-) (29) (30) (31) (32) (34) (35) (36) (38) (39) (43) (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) (50) (51) (52) (53) (54) (56) (57) (58) (61) (63) (64) (65) (162) L KATU KOMO KING KOIN KIRO KGW KRCW KOPB KPTV KPDX KCPQ TBS KZJO ESPN ESPN2 NICK DISN FAM FMC LIFE ROOT FS1 SPIKE COM HIST A&E TLC DISC NGEO TNT AMC USA FOOD HGTV FX CNN FNC CNBC BRAV TCM SYFY RFD (2) (4) (5) (-) (7) (-) (3) (10) (12) (-) (13) (20) (22) (29) (30) (31) (32) (34) (35) (36) (38) (39) (43) (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) (50) (51) (52) (53) (54) (56) (57) (58) (61) (63) (64) (65) (162) 6 the state, along with — IBI Architects pro- favorable bond sales vided an update on the and rates. construction project’s The district antici- progress . The district pates paying out $22.5 is soliciting comment million next year while interviewing toward the project, contractor candidates endorsed by voters in Justine Hill to work with archi- November, Business tects to design the Manager Justine Hill said in building. April. During construction, facil- Representatives of Day ities repair and maintenance CPM and Dull Olson Weekes will continue to be addressed at all buildings. The average useful life of the buildings is 45 years, yet the average age of the high school, middle school and Gearhart Elemen- tary School is about 65 years, Roley said. The budget calls for new fl ooring at Gearhart Elemen- tary School; a new roof pack at Broadway Middle School; playground safety measures at Seaside Heights Elementary LISTINGS A - Charter Astoria/ Seaside - L - Charter Long Beach School and improvements at the high school. The budget was approved unanimously without addi- tional comment from the pub- lic, members of the board or the budget committee . A public hearing on the budget will be conducted at the school district’s June 20 meeting. The budget must be adopted prior to the end of the fi scal year in June . Evening listings THURSDAY M AY 18 PM 6:30 7 PM 7:30 8 PM 8:30 9 PM 9:30 10 PM 10:30 11 PM 11:30 KATU News at 6 Jeopardy! Wheel of Fortune Grey's Anatomy "Ring of Fire" (SF) (N) Scandal "Tick, Tock" (N) Scandal "Transfer of Power" (SF) (N) KATU News at 11 (:35) Jimmy Kimmel KOMO 4 News Wheel of Fortune Jeopardy! Grey's Anatomy "Ring of Fire" (SF) (N) Scandal "Tick, Tock" (N) Scandal "Transfer of Power" (SF) (N) KOMO 4 News (:35) Jimmy Kimmel NBC Nightly News KING 5 News KING 5 News Evening Law & Order: S.V.U. "Net Worth" The Blacklist "Mr. Kaplan" Pt. 1 of 2 (N) Blacklist "Mr. Kaplan: Conclusion" (N) KING 5 News (:35) Tonight Show KOIN 6 News at 6 CBS Evening News Extra Ent. 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Fry-Day" Beat Flay (N) Beat Bobby Flay Beat Bobby Flay Beat Bobby Flay House Hunters House Hunters House Hunters House Hunters Flip or Flop Flip or Flop FlipFloVegas (N) Flip or Flop House Hunters House Hunters (N) House Hunters House Hunters Thor (2011, Action) Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth. Thor (2011, Action) Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth. (5:30) Prometheus (‘12) Logan Marshall-Green, Noomi Rapace. Anderson Cooper 360 Soundtracks "Hurricane Katrina" (N) CNN Tonight With Don Lemon CNN Tonight With Don Lemon Soundtracks "Hurricane Katrina" Anderson Cooper 360 The Five Hannity Tucker Carlson Tonight The Five Hannity Tucker Carlson Tonight Shark Tank Shark Tank The Profit "The Soup Market" The Profit "Tea2Go" The Profit "Vision Quest Lighting" Paid Program Paid Program Million Dollar "Don't Touch Me, Bro" The Real Housewives Housewives Atl. "Reunion Part 3" 3/4 Housewives Atl. "Reunion Part 4" 4/4 Housewives Atlanta "Secrets Revealed" WatchWhat (N) Southern Charm It Came From Beneath the Sea (‘55) Kenneth Tobey. The Giant Behemoth (‘59) André Morell, Gene Evans. (5:00) Them! (‘54) (:45) Godzilla, King of the Monsters (‘56) Takashi Shimura, Raymond Burr. Movie John Wick (‘14, Action) Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Keanu Reeves. Snakes on a Plane Julianna Margulies. (4:30) Pompeii (‘14) 300 (2006, Epic) Lena Headey, Dominic West, Gerard Butler. SF Machinery (N) Small Town (N) Rural America 'Live' Steve Lantvit Rural Eve. News Market Journal GA Farm Monitor SF Machinery Small Town Time Life Library
