Is Farmland just Farmland?

 The debate over what events can and can’t be done in the course of conducting business on vineyard land but not other types of farmland in Oregon state is coming to a head in the state Legislature. Like a pressure cooker turned on high this dispute is likely to blow up sooner rather than later. Everybody from state and county government officials to wine industry leaders are working at solving the problem. Last February lawmakers passed a bill clarifying wineries rights to sell non-wine items in exclusive farm use zones, limiting the revenues wineries can generate from such sales to 25 percent of on site wine sales. That bill will sunset in 2013. At the heart of the matter is figuring out how wineries can balance the business of promoting and selling wines while maintaining the integrity of farmland, and who is going to regulate such activities, local or state government. Wineries however aren’t the only ag industry that host events, traditional farms often operate produce stands, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, weddings, and more.  The agriculture industry is quickly diversifying and evolving, legislation needs to keep up.