Property planned for massive Foster Farms chicken ranch now up for sale
A year ago, the owner of an excavation company proposed building the largest factory chicken farm in the state on a rural farm between Scio and Mill City on the banks of Thomas Creek.
Jason Peters applied to the state’s Department of Agriculture to build “Evergreen Ranch.” He proposed constructing 16 60-by-600-foot barns to house 750,000 chickens at a time for Foster Farms on the 90.3-acre property at 43157 Thomas Drive.
Surrounding neighbors have been fighting it ever since. And now they might have reason to celebrate.
Following a new law passed in the most recent legislative session that puts tougher restrictions on factory farms, the property was listed for sale Thursday for $1.4 million.
The property is owned by Southeast Ag Investments, according to Linn County Assessor records. That company is based in North Carolina, according to Secretary of State records.
“I ain’t got nothing to say to you,” Peters said when contacted by phone Thursday.
New law adds restrictions
In July, Gov. Tina Kotek signed a law that requires people applying for a confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO, to submit water use plans to the Department of Water Resources, Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Quality.
It also capped the amount of groundwater that can be used on the site to 12,000 gallons per day. Previously they could use an unlimited amount of water.
The law also gives local governments the option to require setbacks between any new CAFO operation and neighbors.
Christina Eastman of Farmers Against Foster Farm, a group of Scio neighbors formed to fight the factory farm efforts that pushed for the new law, said she believes the sale of the property is because of the new regulations.
“I think it definitely has something to do with that. Absolutely,” Eastman said. “It was a bad location. Bad location had a lot to do with it.”
According to Oregon Department of Agriculture records, Peters submitted his application for the confined feeding operation in May 2022.
But Peters has yet to provide an Animal Waste Management Plan to the state.
Foster Farms' push into Oregon
Chicken ranchers for Foster Farms have been proposing large “grow out” facilities in the state in recent years.
Another one near Scio at 37225 Jefferson-Scio Drive called J-S Ranch was approved by the state to go forward in May 2022.
That one has proposed to raise 580,000 broiler chickens at a time for Foster Farms in 11 barns on the property on the banks of the North Santiam River.
But it is located down a private dirt road, and it still hasn’t gotten easements to expand that road.
Last Friday, another location that had been identified to potentially house a chicken grow-out facility near Stayton also was put up for sale.
The property at 10963 Porter Road between Aumsville and Stayton hadn’t had an application filed to become a chicken ranch. But plans filed with the county show barns approximately the same size as the ones at Evergreen Ranch.
That location is owned by Hiday Poultry Farms of Brownsville. The 80.4-acre lot has been listed for sale for $1.3 million.
“I just know in my heart that Foster Farms and big chicken have been flying over this beautiful Willamette Valley saying this is real good, saying, ‘let’s start out in this real podunk area called Linn County,’” Eastman said. “Had they picked any other place, I don’t know that the people would have fought so hard.”
Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Property planned for massive Foster Farms chicken ranch up for sale
