Concerns Over Oregon Farm Rule Proposal
I am president and chief economist at Economics International Corp., an Oregon-based consulting firm that provides economics services to private and public sector clients. I am also a senior scholar at the International Center for Law & Economics, focusing on antitrust, competition, and telecommunications policy. I have been engaged in several matters involving Oregon’s agriculture industry, and my article on agricultural marketing orders was published in the top-tier Journal of Law & Economics.
I urge you to reject the proposed new rules for farm stands (OAR 660-033-0130). While the goal of improving clarity and resolving neighbor conflicts is understandable, these proposed rules are the wrong solution. They would create significant new costs and restrictions that would harm Oregon’s small farms, weaken rural economies, and stifle the very innovation that allows these family businesses to survive.
Oregon’s small farms face a crisis. As shown in the table below, from 1997 to 2022, the number of family or individual farms has decreased by 15%, while the number of corporate farms increased by 33%. The proposed rules would worsen this problem by adding new barriers that make it harder for small farms to survive.