TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
Baker City, Oregon
A4
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EDITORIAL
Foreign
investors
and real
risks to
farmland
For decades there have been concerns that foreign
investors are buying up farmland in the Unit-
ed States.
That this is a hot-button issue for American
producers and a strategic policy concern for politi-
cians is understandable. Wealthy foreign buyers
make it harder for domestic producers to compete
for available farmland. Well-heeled investors of all
types always push out smaller potential buyers. The
thought of some foreign actor taking control of the
domestic food supply is frightening.
There’s no doubt that foreign investors are inter-
ested in snapping up American farmland. We are
more concerned with what foreign investors are
doing with the farmland they buy than we are that
they are buying it in the fi rst place.
Our reporting of USDA data shows that in the
40 years or so that records have been kept, foreign
investors have bought more than 35 million acres
of U.S. farmland worth $62 billion. In all, that’s an
area larger than the state of New York.
According to USDA staff, outside investments are
on the rise. Filings show foreign holdings of Ameri-
can farmland increased by 141% between 2004
and 2019.
In 1978, Congress passed the Agricultural Foreign
Investment Disclosure Act, which required foreign
buyers to report their transactions.
Foreign buyers have purchased 1.2 million acres
of Oregon farmland — roughly 7.5% of the state’s
farm acreage, according to the 2017 U.S. Census of
Agriculture. The total is 1.5 million acres in Wash-
ington, and just 122,598 acres in Idaho.
The takeover of American farm production by
foreigners is far from imminent. Their purchases in
the last 40 years are equal to 3.9% of the farmland
now in production.
Critics are convinced the reported numbers are
low, and contend without proof that much more land
is being bought than is being reported. They concede
it would be impossible to quantify without combing
through land records in 3,000 county courthouses
across the country.
It is certain the USDA’s numbers are misleading.
Some of the land in question has been sold by one
foreign buyer to another, while others have divested
altogether. Tracking those transactions through
USDA data is diffi cult. Also, not all foreign investors
who have reported a purchase have a controlling
interest in the land.
We agree that foreign purchases should be moni-
tored. It would be a dangerous problem if foreign
interests gain control of U.S. agriculture.
To be clear, we would prefer that U.S. farmland
stay in the hands, or at least the control, of U.S.
entities. But, the more pressing concern is keeping
farmland productive.
Foreign investors are joining domestic companies
that are interested in building alternative energy
facilities or other real estate developments on farm-
land.
Turning cropland into windfarms, shopping malls
and subdivisions is a greater danger to agriculture,
and in turn the country, than a French company
buying vineyards here to make wine.
Once farmland is built over, it’s gone for good. No
farmer, foreign or domestic, will ever farm it again.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Baker City Herald.
Columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions
of the authors and not necessarily that of the Baker City Herald.
A new era at Blue Mountain CC
Blue Mountain Community College
reached an important milestone on
Sept. 7, when we welcomed our new
president, Mark Browning, to our
Eastern Oregon community.
Having had the opportunity to con-
nect with Mark since the BMCC Board
of Education approved his hiring in
July, I am excited for the community to
meet him and for the future of BMCC.
Mark has boundless energy, vision, a
passion for education, and the unique
ability to create, cultivate and enhance
meaningful relationships. I believe the
BMCC Board has made a smart and
wonderful selection in Mark to lead the
college into its next chapter.
But before I hand over the reins to
Mark, I wanted to take a moment to
refl ect upon my time as interim presi-
dent at Blue Mountain for the past
six months.
As many know, this is my second
stint as interim president at BMCC
CONNIE
GREEN
in the past three years. I have come to
love the college, appreciate and value
its faculty and staff, and am grateful
to the students who choose to come to
BMCC and to the community members
who have given so much support to us
over the years.
BMCC has defi nitely been through
its share of challenges over the past
few years, but I am humbled by the re-
siliency of the college’s faculty and staff
through it all. To me, their dedication
to the college shows this community
just how much they value BMCC and
the work they do to support students.
It is not always easy, to be sure, but it is
certainly rewarding work when we see
our students and communities succeed.
Our classifi ed employees deserve a
thank you for being the voice of care
for BMCC. They take time to listen to
our students and to their colleagues.
Thank you to our faculty, who assist
all students to learn, achieve and grow
in confi dence. Their passion for their
content areas empowers students every
day to become passionate for their
own new careers. A huge amount of
gratitude is extended to our exempt
technical employees who asked for
more inclusion, who supported all other
staff during times of change, and who
continued to fi nd ways to keep their
areas functioning.
Thank you to our leadership team,
who assisted me and all our employees,
and believe in our right size, right di-
rection and right growth of the college.
You are all superheroes in my book.
Connie Green, Ph.D., is the
interim president of Blue Mountain
Community College.
Saving civilization in California
By JAY AMBROSE
Why left-wingers are the way they
are is a distressing puzzle: suppos-
edly compassionate, yes, but either
irrational or selfi sh or both to the point
of outright cruelty, and, over and over
again, big-time winners, taking political
control of California, for instance.
It is mountainously beautiful, the
most populous, richest state in the
union, but also a collection of impover-
ished, unsheltered, often alcoholic or
drug-addicted, mentally ill, barefoot,
emaciated Americans with next to no
care. Civilization calls for something
better than vast numbers sprawled on
San Francisco sidewalks next to their
tents and garbage as if Hollywood
movie producers were preparing a
scene on the state’s imminent collapse.
The decadence is broader than this
skid row tragedy, and so civilization
also calls for the unlikely Tuesday re-
call of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom
who abets bad outcomes by follow-
ing progressive paths with character
sadly amiss. The crucial hope is that
his ejection could begin the reshaping
of essentially a one-party state into
more nearly a two-party state in which
debate is not ideologically enclosed and
there’s compromise, adherence to es-
sential principles and the possibility of
honorable, reformist effectiveness.
A lieutenant governor who became
governor in 2019, Newsom previously
was traffi c commissioner, a city super-
visor and mayor in San Francisco. He
is representative of some of California’s
worst failings, and they go beyond his
cavalier restaurant attendance in dis-
regard of his own COVID-19 cautions.
Here was a signal that this multimil-
lionaire winery owner was above the
common folks and didn’t really believe
in his own rhetoric. The incident sent
signatures on the kick-him-out petition
from 56,000 to about 500,000 in a week
or so, we are informed.
But that’s not the whole story be-
cause many petition signers were fi rst-
off furious because they felt he ignored
the rule of law in treating undocument-
ed immigrants as if superior to citizens
in their rights. While many immigrants
contribute to society, Illegal entrants
usually struggle to make a living, and
the Democratic practice of embracing
them with taxpayer billions can hurt
others. Newsom didn’t fi x things by
removing National Guard troops from
the border.
Wildfi re is another top issue,
and Newsom promised signifi cant
forest-management that only slightly
transpired, as journalists and forest
fi res demonstrated. Thanks to political
deeds mostly excluding GOP interfer-
ence, California has the highest cost
of living in the country, the highest
poverty rate, some of the highest taxes
the rich have ever met and, according
to a 2018 U.S. News study, the lowest
quality of life. Homicides went up 31
percent in 2020 with district attorneys
debating whether to treat criminals
as criminals.
California has as many homeless
people as the rest of the states com-
bined and has spent billions upon bil-
lions to cope with the havoc as home-
lessness has swelled. Newsom’s budget
has set aside $12 billion for new hous-
ing over two years with one dubious
analyst pointing to Los Angeles having
had an ambition of 10,000 units. After
three years, one had been fi nished.
Newsom also has an expensive plan
for personal care for the homeless with
critics saying the resources aren’t there.
In the election, voters will vote “yes”
or “no” on the recall, and then choose
which of the 46 candidates they would
prefer to replace Newsom if he loses.
That would likely be Larry Elder, an
attorney, author, California radio host
and frequent Fox News guest. He is
way ahead in the polls but is also a
Black American targeted by leftist rac-
ists who believe real Black Americans
are all leftists like them. They deride
him despite his being superbly well-
informed and on-target where it counts
most, as, for instance, in favoring school
choice so that disadvantaged California
students learn to do math and read.
Elder could be an exceptional leader,
adding appeal to the Republican Party
just maybe beginning to balance things
out a bit — except that 53 percent of
those polled on Sept. 5 want to keep
Newsom, whose billionaire friends
have enabled whoopee advertising.
Thousands of the less-well-to-do have
been fl eeing the state each year and
may be packing bags.
Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist
for Tribune News Service. Readers may
email him at speaktojay@aol.com.
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Joe Biden: The White House,
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.
20500; 202-456-1111; to send comments, go
to www.whitehouse.gov.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. offi ce:
313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building, U.S.
Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-
3753; fax 202-228-3997. Portland offi ce: One
World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St.
Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-
3386; fax 503-326-2900. Baker City offi ce,
1705 Main St., Suite 504, 541-278-1129;
merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. offi ce: 221
Dirksen Senate Offi ce Building, Washington,
D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-2717.
La Grande offi ce: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La
Grande, OR 97850; 541-962-7691; fax, 541-
963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (2nd District):
D.C. offi ce: 2182 Rayburn Offi ce Building,
Washington, D.C., 20515, 202-225-6730;
fax 202-225-5774. La Grande offi ce: 1211
Washington Ave., La Grande, OR 97850;
541-624-2400, fax, 541-624-2402; walden.
house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State
Capitol, Salem, OR 97310; 503-378-3111;
www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read:
oregon.treasurer@ost.state.or.us; 350
Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-
3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F.
Rosenblum: Justice Building, Salem, OR
97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative
documents and information are available
online at www.leg.state.or.us.