Port approves new Port Westward agricultural lease

The Port of Columbia County has finalized an agricultural lease agreement with Craig F. Coleman for 118 acres at the Port Westward Industrial Park.

The property, previously under timber rights retained by Lower Columbia Tree Farm since the Port’s acquisition in 2009, is available for agricultural use following a recent timber harvest.

Over the first year of the lease, Coleman will focus on improving the land for agriculture by grinding tree stumps and removing the woody debris. Coleman will initially plant grass seed and add crops depending on market demand. The lease allows for both crops and livestock grazing.

Coleman started farming in 1982 and farms 1,800 acres with his son near Hermiston, Oregon. In addition to the Port lease, Coleman purchased 300 acres in the Beaver Drainage Improvement Company (BDIC) in 2023.

“The ground we bought will eventually be in blueberries, which is mainly what we do,” Coleman said. “We also raise fifteen different crops that change from year to year depending on economics.”

“We raise quite a few acres of blueberries in the Hermiston-Boardman area, and that’s one of the reasons we came here. The pH is like blueberries native soil,” Coleman said.

“This agreement represents our ongoing commitment to agriculture and local farms,” Port Executive Director Sean Clark said. “This is the Port’s third agricultural lease at Port Westward for a total of 572 acres.”

In 2020 the Port leased 211 acres to Warren and Caryn Seely for mint production and cattle grazing and 243 acres to Columbia River Ranch for cattle grazing.

About the Port of Columbia County

The Port of Columbia County is a special district along the Columbia River in northwest Oregon. The Port offers a variety of sites for industrial lease and development in its 2,400-acre portfolio. More information at www.portofcolumbiacounty.org .