Shutting Down Small Farms in Oregon

Submitted By: genedieken@yahoo.com – Click to email about this post

First off, I’m very much in favor of small farm and animal operations producing high-quality food and thriving. The recent story (1) featured by OPB Radio about a small producer caught up short by existing water rights laws on the books for more than a century is sad and I hope there’s some compromise available.

Generally, water rights are vastly complicated and probably do need periodic refurbishment.

Here’s what scares me about this issue: Once you’ve gone beyond a certain point of being unmindful about water use and abuse, it’s too late and there’s no going back.

I grew up in Iowa, consistently the number one or two ag producer in the U.S. Over the last 50 years the industrialization of farming, repeated boom-bust cycles, mind-boggling federal subsidies, vast use of chemicals, huge build-out of CAFOs (2), and right-wing governance have created a disaster that’s hard to comprehend. Flanked by the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Iowa has a vast network of creeks and rivers. All but a few dozen miles are now poisoned with nitrates (as is much groundwater) and the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country.

“Well, that’s the Midwest!” you say. We’re luckier or maybe just late to the game. The nitrate problems in Umatilla & Morrow Counties (3) are quite similar to Iowa.

(1) www.opb.org/article/2024/03/13/oregon-enforces-water-rights-small-farmers-feel-consequences/
(2) CAFO = Concentrated animal feeding operation
(3) www.opb.org/article/2022/05/05/groundwater-pollution-eastern-oregon-counties-drinking-water-at-risk-farming-wells/
(3)https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/24/water-pollution-nitrate-eastern-oregon-environment-well-groundwater-umatilla-morrow-/

Here’s a fine book about Iowa’s problems:
The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water: icecubepress.com/2023/04/10/the-swine-republic-2/