Oregon Agricultural Trust: Mid-Columbia Research and Engagement Report

Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT) is developing their first Strategic Conservation Plan which will guide their farm and ranchland protection work in 2022-2027. Our role was to identify the agricultural interests, needs and opportunities in the Mid-Columbia region (defined as Wasco, Sherman, and Hood River Counties) and identify gaps in current agricultural protection measures along with recommendations to address those gaps. Contextualized with a history of agriculture in the region including land access and ownership distribution, this report starts by examining the existing conditions in the Mid-Columbia Region, utilizing an equity lens. It then details the existing agricultural resources, threats, and existing protection measures in the region compiled from quantitative research and community engagement. This inventory provides the necessary basis for the final elements of the report which include: (1) A description of gaps in the current agriculture protection measures with opportunities for OAT to address those gaps and (2) recommendations for OAT’s conservation planning process and project selection values