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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, July 28, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
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OUR VIEW
Preserving farmland must be a priority
M
ark Twain is credited
with telling readers to
buy land because, he
warned, they aren’t making more
of it. Unfortunately, farmland sold
too often is put to other uses and is
lost forever.
A new report from the Ameri-
can Farmland Trust warns that the
Pacific Northwest stands to lose
more than half-a-million acres of
farmland to urban sprawl by 2040
unless cities make smarter develop-
ment choices.
Between 2000 and 2016 alone,
roughly 11 million acres of farm-
land has been lost or fragmented by
development.
Across the Northwest, as many
as 527,185 acres of additional
farmland may be lost to urban and
low-density residential develop-
ment by 2040 — particularly in
rapidly growing metro areas around
Puget Sound, Portland, Spokane
and Boise.
Washington would be the hard-
est-hit state, losing 238,614 acres
of farmland under the worst-case
scenario. That is an area roughly 4
1/2 times the size of Seattle.
Oregon would lose up to
Capital Press
Houses sprout up on former farmland.
FARMlANd IS MORE THAN JuST A PATCH OF
GROuNd WITH STuFF PlANTEd ON IT. ONCE PAVEd
OVER ANd dEVElOPEd, IT CANNOT BE REPlACEd.
142,267 acres of farmland, while
Idaho would lose up to 146,304
acres.
Reporting by the Capital Press
has shown that when urban devel-
opment moves into rural spaces
more than farmland can be lost. As
areas fall to other uses, the overall
viability of the local ag infrastruc-
ture comes into jeopardy.
As fields give way to housing
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Adaptability
O
regon’s independent gubernatorial can-
didate Betsy Johnson assures the vot-
ers that she will take the best ideas from
both major parties. This is not an empty
promise.
She learned from former President Don-
ald Trump to reject responsibility for her
wrongdoing after rear-ending another vehi-
cle with her car in 2013. Johnson rejects
accountability. She wants the state (tax-
payers) to pay for that crash, because she
claims to have been on the way to the Capi-
tol, where she was in the Legislature.
What other “best ideas” will she take
from Trump?
ERHARD GROSS
Astoria
Where will they go?
T
he recent article (July 21) about the
trailer park in Ilwaco, Washington,
is an eye-opener. Elderly people who are
living there are being evicted by the new
owners. Where will they go?
So much attention and money is given
to the street people. We’re so politically
correct that they have been elevated to
the “unhoused.” The tourists have priority
in this region. Housing is being built for
low-income workers.
Assisted living is expensive, and not for
everyone. The old folks worked and paid
taxes. They raised families. They don’t
deserve to be left out in the cold.
Hopefully, someone will care enough to
recognize this sad story. Please.
BERNADINE THOMAS
Warrenton
Truth and consequences
‘T
he dog ate my homework” is a fun
excuse for students. After reading an
article in the July 19 edition of The Asto-
rian, I learned that Betsy Johnson, a can-
didate for governor, likes fanciful excuses,
too.
development, conflicts between
homeowners and farms increase.
New residents don’t like the dust
and smells associated with farm
production, complain about farm
machinery on the roads and trucks
during harvest time.
And, as developments break up
the landscape, farmers find it ever
more difficult to move equipment
from field to field.
We can’t fault farm families for
getting the highest value for their
property. Where there are buyers,
there will be sellers.
As an alternative to develop-
ment, we favor easement programs
that allow owners to sell their
development rights and realize the
market value of their land while
preserving it for farming.
We encourage state legislatures
to fund those types of programs
while taking steps to rein in urban
sprawl.
Preserving farmland must be a
priority.
When developers look at farm
and range land, they see “empty”
spaces with nothing on it. They
see parcels for subdivisions, apart-
ment buildings, shopping malls and
restaurants.
Farmland is far from empty. It
provides the food that sustains us
and the fiber that clothes us. It is
a vital strategic resource. It is, as
Thomas Jefferson said, the wealth
of the nation.
Farmland is more than just a
patch of ground with stuff planted
on it. Once paved over and devel-
oped, it cannot be replaced.
LETTERS WELCOME
Letters should be exclusive to The
Astorian. Letters should be fewer
than 250 words and must include the
writer’s name, address and phone
number. You will be contacted to
confirm authorship. All letters are
subject to editing for space, gram-
mar and factual accuracy. Only two
letters per writer are allowed each
month. Letters written in response
Instead of accepting responsibility for
rear-ending a car in 2013, and causing long-
term injuries to its driver, Johnson found
lawyers to shield her from legal conse-
quences of her driving.
Will anything ever be her fault if she’s
elected governor? Will she look for ways
to avoid responsibility for her mistakes?
According to that same article, Johnson
believes homeless people need to show
more personal responsibility. Does she lis-
ten to herself?
to other letter writers should address
the issue at hand and should refer to
the headline and date the letter was
published. Discourse should be civil.
Send via email to editor@dailyasto-
rian.com, online at bit.ly/astorianlet-
ters, in person at 949 Exchange St.
in Astoria or mail to Letters to the
Editor, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR.,
97103.
We’re seeing too many wealthy or polit-
ically powerful people getting away with
behavior that would land the rest of us in
big trouble. According to the article, the
injured woman says she signed an agree-
ment not to criticize Johnson. She might
need to keep silent, but I don’t.
I’m appalled by Johnson’s effort to avoid
responsibility. She doesn’t deserve my vote
— or anyone else’s. Oregon deserves better.
LAURIE CAPLAN
Astoria