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Author Archives: Dan Bigelow
Are farmland conservation easements associated with greater farm investment?
In this post, I’m going to present an overview of a recently published paper on the relationship between farmland conservation easements and farm investment. Before I dive into the paper, I first want to provide a brief overview of how … Continue reading
Farmland loss and land development: More on the misuse of statistics from the Census of Agriculture
During last week’s hearing for the Oregon Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire, Kelly Howsley-Glover (President, The Association of County Planning Directors) cited some of my blog posts concerning how to interpret the decrease in Oregon’s farmland reported in … Continue reading
Posted in Agricultural policy, Farmland, Land use, Natural Resources
Tagged Census of Agriculture, farmland, land use, Oregon
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Recent trends in the price of Oregon’s timberland
A large proportion of Oregon’s land is forested. Based on a 2024 Oregon Department of Forestry estimate, forestland covers 10.4-11.3 million acres (about 39%) of the state’s non-federal land. Oregon’s forest products sector is nationally significant, as we consistently lead … Continue reading
Posted in Economic policy, Forest land, Land use, Natural Resources
Tagged forestry, land use, land values, timberland
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Do trends in Oregon’s cropland prices reflect farm profitability?
In agricultural economics, we typically think of the value of farmland as representing the discounted stream of net income (or profit) that accrues to the landowner. This is sometimes referred to as the “fundamental market value of farmland.” Future net … Continue reading
Posted in Agricultural policy, Economic policy, Farmland
Tagged Agriculture, cash rent, farmland, land values
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Do small parcels of farmland tend to sell for more in Oregon?
Note: This post has been updated to reflect a coding error that affected the numbers in the previous version. None of the overall conclusions regarding the differences in land prices between small and large parcels are affected, but it does … Continue reading
Stable statewide cash rents for Oregon mask large changes across counties in 2024
Agricultural producers can gain access to the land they need through two general channels. Some own their land, after purchasing it from another landowner, bidding on it in an auction, or inheriting it from a family member. The alternative to … Continue reading
Latest USDA estimates point to continued strong growth in Oregon’s farmland values
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its latest state-level data on farmland values. The data come from the USDA’s June Area Survey, which asks a rotating panel of producers to estimate the market value of their land. Responses … Continue reading
Posted in Farmland
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Unpacking the 2022 Census of Agriculture
Over the past few months, I’ve been analyzing what the 2022 Census of Agriculture reveals about Oregon’s agricultural sector. Two data points that have garnered attention concern the loss of 667,000 acres of Oregon’s farmland and the substantial 29% gain … Continue reading
Per the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the value of Oregon’s farm real estate continues to climb
In addition to being a fundamental input to agricultural production, farmland and other forms of farm real estate are the most important assets on the farm sector balance sheet. As part of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, producers are asked … Continue reading
Posted in Farmland
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Have Oregon’s urban growth boundaries been too conservation-friendly?
Promoting an orderly pattern of land-use change, particularly when it comes to the conversion of farmland and forests to developed uses, is the cornerstone of Oregon’s statewide land-use planning system. A key piece of our system, which largely traces back … Continue reading
Posted in Farmland, Forest land, Land use
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