House Bill 4153 Signing Remarks

April 8, 2026 

Thank you all for being here today at Topaz Farms and thank you to Kat and Jim for having us here. Families across the region have come to know this farm as a place to go with their kids to help them experience farm animals and pick seasonal produce, and to have a good time outdoors away from the city.

It’s great to be surrounded by Oregon farmers, legislators, and community members who understand how vital family farms are to our state.

I am excited and proud to sign House Bill 4153 into law because it gives small farms the tools they need to adapt, grow, and thrive in a changing economy.

When our family farms succeed, Oregon succeeds. But farmers today face lots of challenges - rising costs, changing markets, and the need to diversify their revenue streams to stay viable.

This bill addresses some of those challenges by protecting existing permits for farm stands and providing an optional pathway for farmers who wish to expand their retail operations. It will give certainty to farmers who diversify their revenues through agritourism and on-site sales while still preserving and honoring the farmlands that make Oregon special. That matters for farmers, and it matters for our communities. And it helps family farms stay in business for their next generation.

For many Oregonians, some of our best memories happen on Oregon family farms. Here at Topaz, just last weekend, families came so their kids could rummage the fields for Easter eggs. Across the state, farms like this are where kids go to pick out their first pumpkin from a patch. Because of this legislation, places like this will remain open so that Oregonians can come buy and eat fresh Oregon berries right where they were grown, still warm from the sun. These aren’t just nice experiences - they’re how families connect with where their food comes from and how communities come together around the seasons.

Farm stands and agritourism strengthen the bond between rural and urban Oregon. I was thrilled to get a stack of letters and drawings of farms from elementary students in Lincoln City who wrote to me in support of this bill. They shared what the farms in their community mean to them. They wanted to be sure they could get fresh food from the farm nearby instead of having to go to the grocery store. They get it.  

Getting this bill done required listening to farmers about what they need. It also required finding balance to honor our land use system. As your Governor, I’m committed to finding solutions that truly work to support our communities and their prosperity. This bill reflects that commitment and how we can come together to solve problems.

To the family farmers here today and across Oregon: Thank you for feeding us, for stewarding our land, and for being willing to work with us to find practical solutions.