Family farms and forests are an economic lifeblood for many of the rural communities in southern Oregon. Agricultural and ranch lands provide food for people, as well as critical habitat for fish and other wildlife. These places are under threat from development, generational transfer, economic pressures, and the effects of climate change. One strategy to ensure working lands stay in production is through the use of conservation easements.

Some local farmers practice methods that are regenerative and sustainable which improves soil health, and in turn, the crops or grazing livestock. Regenerative agriculture also increases the biodiversity of plants, pollinators and beneficial insects. These methods are gaining in practice as a means of dramatically increasing soil organic matter while creating a carbon sink and increasing the land’s fertility and nutritive value. These methods use less energy and non-organic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, thereby making agriculture regenerative, sustainable and profitable.