As Central Oregon’s economy and tourism industry boomed a decade ago, dozens of rural landowners capitalized on Deschutes County’s lack of regulations for events held on farmland, turning horse- and hay-filled properties into wedding sites, wineries and more.

The recession nixed many of those plans. In 2010 and 2011, Deschutes County received just one permit application for events and other commercial activities on farmland. But since the start of 2012, the county has received 65 of these permit requests. A majority are for construction projects, like homes that are not farm-related. But more than a dozen sought permission for things like annual horse shows and music festivals on Tumalo farm properties, wine-tasting events in Terrebonne, and bed and breakfasts east of Bend, among others.

Many of the proposals have drawn concern from neighbors — often farm owners themselves — over noise, traffic and litter affecting their agricultural operations.

A Tumalo property owner hired a lawyer after hearing neighbors Peter and Gwen Newell wanted to hold as many as three horse competitions a year on their 20-acre hay farm, prompting a county public hearing last week.

It came two weeks after a hearing on 4Peaks Music Festival’s proposal to increase attendance to 1,000 people at its Tumalo event this summer. With a 500-person cap on attendance in recent years, the festival has drawn dozens of noise complaints from neighbors, though most have come from one individual.

County and state officials say an improving economic climate, and a pair of Oregon laws implemented in 2012, are responsible. The bills for the first time defined events considered to be “agri-tourism,” held on farmland but aimed at bringing in revenue through events. The laws allow up to 18 agri-tourism events on a property in any year, so long as they meet state and local restrictions and don’t take away from the land’s agricultural value.

What’s uncertain is how the activity will change over time, in light of the clearer guidelines and improving economy. The increase has caught many by surprise.

“I can’t recall a time when this has been so prevalent,” Jon Jinings, a Bend-based staffer and 17-year employee with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, said.

If noise is kept under control and pollution kept to a minimum, events like weddings can be a major tool for farmers looking to supplement their incomes, Deschutes County Commissioner Alan Unger said.

At the same time, officials are wary of a return to the early 2000s, when at least 10 landowners held multiple weddings on their land without county approval. The county didn’t start cracking down until 2007, not before neighbors brought a host of complaints ranging from late-night noise to negative impacts on livestock breeding.

“We didn’t have a clear path to allow those kinds of activities,” Deschutes County Community Development Director Nick Lelack said.

State laws preserving farm properties have been in place since the early 1970s, as population growth pushed new subdivisions increasingly onto rural land. Farm preservation is one of the land conservation department’s main focuses, the department’s farm and forest specialist, Katherine Daniels, said.

The 2012 changes open up more opportunities for recreation on farmland.

“But we do have a general concern across the state with the uptick in numbers of events, and their potential cumulative impact on farm operations,” Daniels said. She said other parts of the state are dealing with increases similar to those in Deschutes County.

The county went even further than the state in 2012, adding provisions to county code that clamp down on events running more than 30 consecutive hours, and forbidding events on land less than 10 acres.

The county’s additions have struck a sort of balance between the opportunities events can bring property owners, and the larger mission to preserve farmland, Lelack said.

“We’ve clearly defined what agri-tourism is and what commercial activities are allowed in the county,” he said.

Unger said he’s confident the recent county statutes will prevent a repeat of 2007, when the unsanctioned weddings drew numerous complaints and had the county resorting to a letter campaign warning owners against illegal events. Of the 65 commercial permits applied for since the start of 2012, 38 have been filed in the last year.

But with clearer guidelines, Unger said county staff have more tools to weigh the pros and cons of each application.

“I’ve heard from farmers that one of their biggest challenges is people living next door or close by creating a challenge for their farming practices,” he said. “Having said that, these events are kind of sporadic in nature, and I think they work for some of these (property owners) in terms of providing more income for their families.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, eglucklich@bendbulletin.com