Many of Oregon's family farms are struggling to stay afloat. There are an increasing number of farmers who need supplemental income to continue with their agricultural operation. Oregon's land use laws can be rigid and farm zone restrictions often prevent farmers from diversifying their income streams. One of the areas of law that is helpful to farmers is the allowance for "agritourism" activities, farm-stands, and commercial activities in conjunction with farm use. These laws generally allow farmers to promote the sale of their crops and farm products directly to the public.

Unfortunately, some of these laws are antiquated and need to be updated to meet the real-time economic needs of Oregon family farmers. In an effort to "Keep Oregon Farming" OPOA is conducting a survey to better understand the needs of farmers and how they are currently conducting agritourism activities.

Purpose of Survey: This survey is intended to provide OPOA's advocacy team feedback and data from farmers around the state regarding agritourism and Oregon's land use laws. This survey will help us advocate for Oregon farmers and provide information to Oregon lawmakers about this topic. No identifying information provided on this survey will be shared with the public. Only OPOA will have access to the raw data submitted. Written comments to legislators submitted on the survey may be shared publicly, though it will be shared anonymously.

About OPOA: The Oregon Property Owners Association (OPOA) is Oregon’s largest property owners association. Our mission is to protect the right of private property owners to make use of their property. We believe over-regulating private property violates one of our most basic civil rights – the right to own and use property without undue influence from government. We believe that options mean opportunity and opportunity means prosperity. We fight for the ability of farm and ranch families to use their land how they see fit and grow their operations on their terms.

For more information about OPOA, please visit: www.oregonpropertyowners.org

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* 1. Where do you farm?

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* 2. Please describe your farm and who farms with you.

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* 3. Do you have a farm stand?

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* 4. If you have a farm stand, what items do you sell out of our stand? (Check all that apply). For the purposes of this question, "farm crops" means any agricultural commodity including animal products.

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* 5. Regardless of Oregon land use law, what items would like to sell out of your farm stand if you could?

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* 6. Do you currently host any of the following activities on your farm? (Check all that apply)

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* 7. Regardless of Oregon land use law, what activities would you like to do on your farm with the public if you could?

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* 8. If you host on-farm experiences, how do you ensure that farming is the primary use of the land and that you are operating "farm-first"?

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* 9. In your opinion, why is allowing and promoting on-farm experiences is important for farmers in Oregon.

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* 10. Do you think that any Oregon land use laws should be adopted, changed, or repealed to better support your farm?

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* 11. What are some potential impacts from agritourism events that should be mitigated to avoid impacts to neighboring farms?

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* 12. If you could tell the Oregon Legislature something about the importance of agritourism or on-farm experiences, what would it be?

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