The loss of farmland in Oregon to development and other uses continues, but at a much reduced rate, according to the latest numbers from an inventory of land uses conducted statewide and nationally. While still a concern to agriculture, state officials credit Oregon’s land use laws for minimizing the inexorable reduction of crop, pasture, and range lands. Between 2007 and 2010, the inventory indicates 59,300 acres of crop land was converted to other land uses, including urban and rural development. That’s a loss of 1.66 percent of Oregon’s 3.5 million acres of crop land. However, that is a huge improvement over the 394,000 acres of crop land lost between 1982 and 1987. Overall agricultural land– which includes pasture and range as well as crop lands– decreased by 19,500 acres between 2007 and 2010 (0.13 percent) compared to 217,000 acres between 1982 and 1987 (1.37 percent). In both time segments, the loss of crop land was largely offset by an increase in pasture land, range land, or both. Currently, there is about 15.2 million acres of agricultural land in Oregon. Overall, since 1982, 700,000 acres of agricultural land in Oregon has been converted to other uses at a rate of 4.4 percent. That compares favorably to the national average of 5.5 percent. Neighboring California has lost 2.6 million acres of agricultural land in that time period at a rate of nearly 8.5 percent. To the north, Washington has lost 551,900 acres of agricultural lands to other uses since 1982, a rate of 3.65 percent. However, compared to Oregon, Washington has lost ag land at a slightly higher percentage since 2007.
