In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Change.”
Last January, things were looking gloomy for farmers on Seavey Loop Road. They’d already had to stand up to corporate-organized concerts in Buford Park to the west, and the City of Springfield was planning an industrial park to the east (Scribbler’s report, 1/31/15).
The concerts were banned, after a three-day event hosting 27,000 mostly out-of-state celebrants with music so loud it rattled houses 5 miles away. County authorities agreed with local residents — that’s enough of that.
The industrial zone seemed like a done deal, though.
Nevertheless, the neighbors rolled up their sleeves.
Lo and behold.
The city decided they didn’t need quite as much land as they thought, and other sites were better suited.
Well, well.
We have precious little farm land remaining in the hands of American farmers. I’m thankful this land remains as it should be. For the most part, we can forget the family farm. Those days have been gone for several generations throughout the mid-west.
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We’re still 85% small to medium-sized farms, but factory farms are moving into Oregon. The manager of the biggest factory dairy in the nation was just appointed to Oregon’s Board of Agriculture.
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In DC we always called the Dept of Agriculture the ‘last great plantation.’ My Dad, a rancher for over 60 years, always teased me about why the bureaucrats who ran the Dept of Ag didn’t have to work on snow days like he did. Of course, it’s politicians who went to congress to promote their own agenda that have made fortunes from agriculture. It’s rampant throughout Kansas, Nebraska, OK, TX, Arkansas, and on and on. It’s no wonder we aren’t going to have food to eat.
Before I moved to DC, I saw the factory farms taking over the central valley of CA and it wasn’t a pretty picture.
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Wow, a victory when you least expect it. Always the best kind.
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Yahoo.
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It’s heartening to hear of a WIN for the people for a change. Lovely area you live in!
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One neighborhood at a time. Yay.
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By the way, I can’t seem to get to any of your blog posts after Sept. 13. I get the e-mails, but can’t get the posts at your site.
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Great news! 🙂
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Blissful success, J.B. — peace, privacy and produce. The holy trinity of agrarian happiness.
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I wonder if more people pushed back could they win, too?
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I believe so.
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45 years ago, the owner of my neighbouring farm decided to hold a performing arts festival. Back then, almost all the villagers protested. It still continues to this day, and this year close to 200,000 people were on site. Nowadays, almost all the villagers look forward to the event. Change!
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Yes, certainly. Difference here though is that your event was initiated by a neighboring farm. Smaller events still happening at this venue, but the big ones, where a large outside company does all the promotion, pockets a lot of the income, are harder to get rolling. Not all events are alike either. The event that cause the tip-over, “Kaleidoscope,” turned into a scary, drug-ridden, 24-hour a day nightmare. The opposite of the Oregon Country Fair, held not far away, which draws tens of thousands every year. But, as you say, change comes in many forms, and we just can’t see how things evolve. Cheers —
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PS — The mushroom and wildflower festivals, also drawing thousands, carry on, too. It’s a regular festival center out there.
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Great photos, great story! It seems nobody likes change until afterwards, then nobody wants to change from that!
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Change is hard. Especially the quarters and dimes.
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Hahahaha! In places like Indonesia, where bread costs 34,000 rupiahs, they don’t even use coins for change!
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That’s a great story of struggle with satisfying ending for the people 🙂
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We are eager to explore the Mt. Pisgah area in the coming weeks, and its always inspiring to hear about the concerned individuals that help keep more or less natural areas that way. This past summer in Arrowbear Lake, California, we got talking to a man on the hiking trail who happened to be one of the people who founded the local land trust in the 90s to keep the swimming hole and hiking trails behind our rental from being turned into a 200-unit housing development. They successfully petitioned the Forest Service to buy up the parcel for sale, which has keep the area free from development to this day.
Our forays toward Eugene so far have all been related to getting our car serviced, so it will be nice to make the time to see the area without a to-do list driving our visit 🙂
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Mt. Pisgah itself has become a stair master for many college students, but weekdays are fairly quiet, especially if you take back trails. Don’t miss the arboretum itself, which is offers easy, flat walks, and if it’s rainy, views of pond turtles. Also — the county charges $4 to park now! Credit card machine available. That’s sad, but what can you do?.
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