On Real Estate & More – November 2019

One of the things many people enjoy about living in Jackson County is the rural feel of the area and its open farmland. But as evidenced over the last year, a lot of that farmland is being planted to hemp, which is unmistakable at harvest season, when the plant has a very distinctive smell and worker vehicles are lined up the street for the harvest.

Farmland in Oregon is zoned Exclusive Farm Use (EFU). EFU zoning allows for a wide variety of farm-related uses, but the primary intent is to make money from farming. This is in stark contrast to rural residential zoning, where obtaining a profit in farming is not allowed.

Farming generates considerable revenue in Oregon. Oregon’s top five agricultural products have been greenhouse and nursery products, cattle and calves, dairy products, hay, and ryegrass. EFU zoning allows for more than just production of crops, it also allows for such uses as cattle ranches, dairies, wineries, farm animal production like goats and chickens to aquaculture. Horse enterprises, bee keeping, 4-H projects, as well as turf and landscaping businesses are considered “farming.” EFU zoning even allows for businesses such as agri-tourism, events such as weddings and gatherings, and rodeos. EFU lands can even be potentially developed as destination resorts, mines, schools, b&b’s, golf courses, and a variety other uses, even solar power and wind utilities.

In Jackson County, hemp has taken over as the most widely-grown crop. That has been a concern for some; that hemp is crowding out other agricultural crops, such as pears and grapes, which is what our area has been traditionally known for. Some are also bothered by the smell at harvest time, as well as the large amount of water required to grow hemp.

An environmental concern with hemp production is that growers use a lot of plastic on crops to suppress weeds and keep water in the soil. Best practices for growing hemp are under development. OSU recently started a hemp research center, whose purpose is to understand how to efficiently and sustainably grow hemp and develop its use in new products.

Most of the hemp grown in Oregon is used for cannabidiol (CBD), the most common active ingredient in cannabis. Unlike marijuana, CBD by itself does not have a psychoactive effect. While hemp can be used for a variety of commercial and industrial products, including rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation, biofuel and even as an alternative to gravel in concrete, its main use for CBD oil products is what most growers are focusing on. CBD oil is now sold as a treatment for anxiety, pain, inflammation and restless sleep. It is in food, lotions, lip balms and dozens of other products.

While some residents have concerns over Jackson County’s primary new farm crop, it must be realized Oregon’s EFU laws have helped to control urban growth from leapfrogging across our rural landscapes. Those laws have protected farms, rural communities, and our state’s $12 billion agriculture and related industries.