Jan. 9, 2024
I am a grain/grass farmer in the fertile Willamette Valley of Oregon. Our farm is zoned Exclusive Farm Use and I agree with the need to keep farm land in agricultural use and production. However, I have seen such massive ecosystem destruction from conventional (industrial) farming, that I no longer trust many private farmers to steward their land with respect for natural diversity and soil health. I am not inclined to trust remote investors either, but if the NAC plan includes trained conservation managers to make decisions for natural resources restoration on America's acreages, it would likely be better than what is happening now. Sadly, the days of family farms of manageable size are over and most of our valley is already farmed remotely by large landowners with little proximity or connection to the land. Whether or not the NAC's are approved, it has been a positive wake-up call to conventional farmers that Americans care about the environment and climate change mitigation. There are many good farmers in Oregon that are doing the right thing by their land, but for those who are extracting whatever they want from the natural abundance of their land and returning nothing, it is good for them to understand that dong 'business as usual' for the attainment of individual wealth is no longer acceptable in this era of climate chaos.