Clatsop County Agricultural Planning Conference
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REPORT OP THE Clatsop county Agricultural Planning Conference ContainingCommitteeReport; Approved by Conference Held In Astoria, Oregon, April, 1956. Clatsop County Agricultural Outlook Conference FOREWORD This booklet contains information on the situation and outlook of agricultural enterprises, and some aspects of ruralliving,in Clatsop County. Clatsop County people from the rural areas as well as from the urban areas have made up the membership of committees on Land Use, Land Economics, Dairy, Livestock, Poultry, Mink, and Family Life. The reports contained in this booklet were developed by these com- mittees for presentation at the County Agricultural Planning Conference, held April, 1956, in Astoria. This Conference was organized and conducted by the. county agri- cultural planning council with the cooperation of the Oregon State College Extension Service. Similar conferences had been held in the county at sev- eral earlier periods, the most recent being in 1947. Experience has shown that these conferences are effective in accurately predicting trends in the local society and economy and in influencing developments in farming and rural living. Each of the reports in this booklet is the work of a committee that met several times over a period of months and considered data from a variety of sources in arriving at its conclusions. It is believed that this booklet will be significant and useful as earlier ,similar booklets have been. The publication of this booklet was mode possible through the co- operation of the Clatsop County Court. If additional copies are needed, they can be obtained from the local County Extension Service office at the Post Office Building in Astoria, Oregon. Dr. John Rankin, D.V.M. General Chairman Jack H. Wood County Extension Agent General Secretary Clatsop County Agricultural Outlook Conference PLANNING COUNCIL Dr. John Rankin, William Larson General Chairman Bob Niemi Harold Akerstedt Archie Riekkola J. Richard Gerttula John Reith Palmer Henningsen Chuck Smith Lloyd Ingram Woodrow Wilison Arthur Johnson Lee Wooden Myron Jones Land Economics Land Use Dairy Livestock Committee Committee Committee Committee Chuck Smith, Lee Wooden, Bob Sterling, Archie Riekkola, Chairman Chairman Chairman Chairman L H. Casper Jack Dellinger Harry Ebsen Fred Courtwright Harry Ebsen Jalmer Gerttula Jim Elliott Owen Hess Dick Gerttula Palmer Henningsen Richard Gerttula Henry Hill Arthur Johnson H. B. Howell Herb Howell Bill Meeker Eleanor Johnson R. L. Jones Lloyd Ingram Wilson Porter Howard Johnson Ralph Lamb Walfred Lindgren John Rankin Myron Jones Vern Larson Doug Messenger John Reith R. L. Jones H. A. Pearse Albin Oman Harold Werth William Larson Robert Reed Art Petersen Henry Willener Joel Sarkie John Rankin Harold Turley Fred Rudat, Jr. Harold Werth Dick Sorensen Afton Zundel Poultry Fur Farming Family Life Committee Committee Committee Harold Akerstedt, Woodrow Wilson, Mrs. Maurice Chairman Chairman Hendrickson Ken Donaly Paul Autio Myron Jones Walter Grove Art Fick Mrs. Ridhard Knotts Les Herglund Lloyd Fletcher Mrs. A. L. Sylling Ed Ikaheimo Roland Gregg Mrs. Pete Miller Charles McKnight Gene Noden Mrs. Eli McConkey Bob Niemi Lauri Pernu Ken Meier John Pedersen John Rankin Judy Steele Noah Squires Fae Thompson W. B. Turnow Rev. W. E. Putnam Mrs. Mamie Markham Rev. Wm. Petersen Mrs. Anne Leutwyler Rev. James Rutz Gordon Storaasli Mrs. E. Hunter 4 Clatsop County Agricultural Outlook Conference CLATSOP COUNTY AGRICULTURAL LAND Darkened areas indicate general location of farm lands along the Columbia River, the Coastal strip, and the malor rivers and streams. Farm lands along the Columbia River and near the mouths of the Youngs and Lewis & Clark rivers are protected by dikes from high tides and flood waters. Of the 52,000 acres in farm ownership, approximately 20,000 acres are classed as tillable. The uncolored area is primarily timber land, which is over 90 per cent of the total county area of 525,000 acres. Clatsop County Agricultural Outlook Conference 5 CLATSOP COUNTY Agricultural Services Its Size and People Agriculturalandrelatedstateand The 525,000 acres of Clatsop County federalagenciesservingClatsopCounty are bounded on the north by the Columbia residents include: River and onthewestbythePacific The OSC John Jacob Astor Branch Ocean. Experiment Station, Route1, Astoria. These acres ore populated by 31,000 Federal Agricultural Stabilization and people derivinglivelihoodprimarily from Conservation Program, Room 214, Astoria forest products,fisheries,agriculture and postoffice building. tourist trade. SoilConservation Servicerepresenta- Agricultural landsinclude 51,458 tive, serving the Warrenton Dune Soil Con- gcres in farm ownership, of which 18,900 servationDistrict, basement Astoriapost- acres are classed as improved and tillable. office building. Timber land is the major classification, Oregon State Game Commission, area with 95 per cent or more of the county representativeavailablethroughOregon area being commercial forest land. State Police office. Ofthe31,000peopleinClatsop Farmers Home Administrattion,ser- County, 16,200 live in the urban areas of viced from office at Hillsbora, Oregon. Astoria,Seaside, Warrenton and Cannon The State Forestry Department, Wal- Beach.Intheruralnon-farm group are District, Astoria, Oregon. living on the luski 12,000 people, and those CooperativeExtension Work in Ag- farms total 2600. riculture, Home Economics and 4-H. 10,084, Families in the county total Thisprogramprovidestheservices 5600 of which are urban families, 3800 nod information of the Oregon State Col- rural non-farm and 700 farm. These fam- lege Extension Service in cooperation with ilies have an average income of $3,443. Clatson County. Gross agricultural income to the farm Th' FederalExtensionService,the families(before any expenses arepaid) Oregon State College Extension Service and amounts to approximately $3,000,000 an- ClatsoD County cooperateinthe support nually in Clatsop County. ofthis program toprovideservices and Major agricultural enterprises include information from Oregon State College to dairying,livestock production (beef, sheep the people of Clatsop County. and swine), poultry (eggs and broilers), mink Thereare threecountyextension ranching,Astoria bentgrass seed produc- agents working in the fields of agriculture, tion, cranberries, holly, nursery and green- homeeconomics, and4-HinClatsop house products, small fruits and vegetables, County. and forest products from farm woodlands. The County Extensionofficeis lo- Facilities cated In room 214 of the Astoria post office building, wherefreesublect matter bul- ClatsopCountyresidentsarewell letins and additional information may be served by hard surfaced roads. obtained. The SP&S railroad provides rail freight Recreational Facilities transportation to Clatsop County. The ocean beaches and resort facili- Transportation by highway is facilitat- ties, extensive hunting and fishing oppor- ed by U. S. Highway 26 and U. S. High- tunities,thehistoricalattractions,and state parkdeveloornents provkleyear way 30 in an east-west direction. Highway forresidents and tour- 101transverses the length of the county nround recreation ists. along the Pacific Ocean. Climate Five high schools and twenty grade schools, bothrural and urban, serve the Clatsop County residents eniov a mild, some 1400 high school students and 2900 temoeroteclimcitewith a meanwinter grade school pupils. temperature of 47°F. and a mean summer temperature of 60°F. There are some 50 churches in Clat- There are an averaae of 272 frost sop County, representing many denomina- froe days (March 8 to December 5) in the tions. Approximotly six of these are rural area, with somewhat lessin the churches. Neholem Valley. There are about 500 retail stores in Roinfnll averages 77 inchesannual- the county, providfrg a near complete vq fu, with 70 ner cent of thjfaJJiri from riety of products, Noyember througl, March, 6 Clatsop County Agricultural Outlook Conference LAND ECONOMICS COMMITTEE The Land Economics Committee pre- The committee considers a review of pared the following report with the initial tax problems facing the farmers of Clatsop understanding that the Ad-Valorum prop- County will be helpful to all taxpayers in erty tax law in Oregon is the dhief means an understanding of the need for re-ap- of supporting public services at the county, praisal. city, and district level. Farm Taxes The committee further recognizes that Theincreaseof150 per centin under theproperadministrationofthe total county property taxes since1 944 has property tax lawoilclasses of property come during a time when consumers spend- supporting the services in a given district ableincomes have reached analltime under the same millage should pay equally high; values of homes have increased; and according to property value. forestlands have returned valuable saw- logs, pulpwood, and peeler logs from sec- Reappraisal ond growth forests, burned and logged-off The reappraisal program being con- areas that 20 years ago were considered ductedpresentlyinthe county incoop- of little value. eration with the State Tax Commission is The committee felt that farm income intended to establish current market values has not kept pace with the inflated prop- on all taxable property. From this informa- erty values of farm lands and equipment, tionthe county assessordetermines the making it increasingly difficult to meet the assessed values and millages necessary to property tax increases. produce sufficient tax funds to meet the The