There’s a house bill being considered right now. Your words matter.
The most powerful thing you can do for small and medium farms in Oregon is to take two minutes to share why you want them to be able to survive and thrive.
Stuck on what to say? Ask your kids what they love about going to a farm.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Kat & Jim
Hope Is Here for Oregon Farms — HB 4153
Support HB 4153 – The Farm Store & Agritourism Bill
You spoke up during the DLCD rulemaking crisis - your voice mattered and it was heard. Because of farmers and supporters across Oregon, the Governor paused those rules and provided temporary relief. That pause was welcome, but it was only temporary.
The law still needs a clear, permanent fix so farms can operate with confidence and keep farming. HB 4153 is the permanent solution we’ve been waiting for.
What is HB 4153?
HB 4153 is a bipartisan bill in the February 2026 Legislative Session designed to champion and protect farm stands and agritourism. Click here to read the full bill, see all of the legislative sponsors, and see status updates.
This bill exists because Oregonians spoke out to save their farms. It is a direct result of public support for local food, family farms, and on-farm experiences. We especially want to thank the chief sponsors of HB 4153 for their leadership:
Senator Janeen Sollman (Democrat, District 15, Hillsboro area)
Representative Vikki Breese Iverson (Republican, District 59, Prineville)
Their bipartisan work to support Oregon farms is what good government looks like.
Have a huge impact in five minutes
Contact your legislators
Tell your State Representative and State Senator, “I support HB 4153 because I value local farms, agritourism, and the opportunities farms provide Oregon families.” Find your two legislators here.Share this page
Tag your legislators and use hashtags #KeepOregonFarming #YesOnHB4153 #ProtectORFarmStores
Tell friends, family and neighborsSubmit Testimony Before Friday 1pm
Provide written testimony between now and Friday, February 6th at 1:00 PM. Here's the link to submit testimony.
What This Bill Secures for Farms Like Ours
Current Oregon agritourism law places outdated barriers on farm stands and agritourism. HB 4153 modernizes and clarifies those rules so farms can operate with confidence and keep being local food and community sources.
Protecting Traditions
HB 4153 clearly allows events through farm stand permits — examples including:
Hayrides and corn mazes
Field trips
Classes and workshops
Holiday and seasonal harvest events
HB 4153 gives clear certainty that these activities are allowed, without costly discretionary permits.
The Power of Taste
HB 4153 allows farms to:
Host farm-to-table dinners
Offer grab-and-go treats like cider donuts
Sell local wine, cider, and farm products
All legally and without fear of penalties or income limits.
Guest Comfort
The bill allows farms to:
Use tents for shelter
Use farm buildings during bad weather
This means better experiences for guests and safer operations for farms.
Focus on Families
Without worrying about land-use violations, farms can provide:
Hay bale slides
Play areas
Kid-friendly structures
Ending Income Restrictions
HB 4153 removes restrictive income limits on agritourism and retail items. This allows farms to:
Diversify their income and stay in business
Keep their land farming
One Permit, Not Many
HB 4153 allows farms to do all of this:
Without multiple land-use permits
Without hiring lawyers
Without costly litigation
A Balanced, Common-Sense Approach
Farmers, advocates, and county officials spent months working together on this bill. It was not written in a vacuum. The bill recognizes that more visitors mean more responsibility and includes sensible planning standards. Counties retain authority over:
Traffic management
Parking
Noise
Sanitation
This follows the same balanced framework Oregon already uses for wineries and breweries — adapted appropriately for farm stands.
This is not deregulation — it’s better planning. It supports farmers, counties, and families who visit farms.
How You Can Help HB 4153 Pass
Contact your legislators
Tell your State Representative and State Senator, “I support HB 4153 because I value local farms, agritourism, and the opportunities farms provide Oregon families.” Find your two legislators here.Share this page
Tag your legislators and use hashtags #KeepOregonFarming #YesOnHB4153 #ProtectORFarmStores
Tell friends, family and neighborsSubmit Testimony Before Friday 1pm
Provide written testimony between now and Friday, February 6th at 1:00 PM. Here's the link to submit testimony.
Thank you for standing with Oregon’s small family farms!
“We in Oregon are losing about a farm a day. One of the most fertile places on Earth has a horrible business environment for farmers.”
“The bill eases restrictions on farming operations that seek to vertically integrate their operations to encourage greater direct access to consumers. By adding a “farm store” definition to approved uses on Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) land, the bill reduces impediments to operations that wish to diversify their revenue stream. The bill includes acreage, income, and square footage thresholds while also requiring that a majority of an agricultural operation’s land remains in agricultural production. OFB supports.”
“If HB 4153 fails, and farms can’t diversify their income to stay afloat, we will lose even more (farms). The land will be sold — often to private estate owners or large corporate farms. And when that happens, the gates close.
There won’t be pumpkin patches to visit. No berry fields to wander. No goats to pet or cider to sip. Not because those things are banned — but because the weight of outdated regulations made it impossible for small farms to survive.”
