Oregon will no longer consider any changes to its farm stand rules, at least for now.

That’s following a public backlash earlier this year, after the agency that manages the state’s approach to land development began to consider new rules for farm stands — where families go to buy fresh, locally grown produce, meat, eggs, or pick berries or pumpkins.

Regulators put a pause to the process at the governor’s request this summer. Land use officials are now hinting they will instead refer the issue to the Legislature.

“The commitment to the issues and passion that was shared during this process is genuine and appreciated,” said Brenda Bateman in a statement, the director of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. “We trust that Oregonians will continue to share their values and knowledge with the legislature as this conversation unfolds.”

A quick look: What’s allowed at Oregon farm stands

The proposed rules were in the draft phase and were meant to clarify what some county planners and farmers say are unclear or vague definitions in the current rules.

Changes to the way Oregon uses its land are often contentious and complicated, and tend to spark fierce debate among property rights groups, farmers and land conservation groups over how to best protect farmland and forests.

Soon after the proposed rules were published, some Oregon farmers took to social media.

A video Topaz Farm in Sauvie Island posted on Instagram gained over 4 million views. Other farmers soon followed, including Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn.

They argued the changes would further complicate a system farmers say is already hard enough to navigate.

While land use regulators said the rules would only affect businesses seeking new farm stand permits, farm owners said the changes could put them out of business. Five hundred and seven farms participate in some form of agritourism in Oregon, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture 2022 census.

Some people on social media understood that message to mean Oregon was trying to shut down small family farms.

A spokesperson at the governor’s office told OPB at the time that they received over 2,300 emails and calls from people concerned about the changes.

“We weren’t trying to imply that there’s a conspiracy to shut small farms down. But we were alarmed and I still think rightly so about the impact it would have had on farms,” Jim Ables, who owns Topaz Farm with his wife, Kat Topaz, told OPB: “I think it just struck a nerve with people that want to enjoy going to farms.”

Ables said farming is not as profitable as it used to be, and allowing more uses on farm land — such as hayrides, corn mazes, farm-to-table dinners or musical events — would help them diversify their income.

“These rules were put into place in the ‘70s when agriculture…a family could actually live off of a small farm, and the economics and consumer habits, everything has [now] changed,” Ables said. “I think there needs to be updates to the agritourism rules and farm stand rules.”

But land conservation groups say when these types of farms become more popular they can bring traffic and noise, and people trespassing on neighboring private property. Those groups say there needs to be a balance so that farms don’t lose their primary function, to grow crops and raise livestock.

Some land policy watchdogs have also argued much of the initial alarm over the rules was not rooted in fact.

The rules were meant to clarify when farm owners need a farm stand permit, when they don’t, or when they need some other commercial agritourism permit altogether.

Gov. Tina Kotek does not have any plans to introduce legislation on the issue in the upcoming 2026 short Legislative session, according to a spokesperson from her office.

“But she looks forward to working with stakeholders interested in a framework that supports locally grown, Oregon-born businesses and our farmers while also preserving Oregon’s historic land use planning system,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to OPB. “The governor believes we need to acknowledge that some of our family owned small and midsize farms need to consider new finance models to continue to deliver the produce we all value in Oregon.”

A spokesperson with the state’s department of land conservation and development declined an interview request.

“At this point, we are going to allow Oregon’s legislative body to move the conversation forward,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to OPB.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/21/oregon-land-use-agritourism/