On the 19th of May 2025, a rural community in Linn County, Oregon, US, secured a landmark victory against the construction of a massive industrial chicken facility, following a relentless five-year campaign led by residents and farmers. The proposed J-S Ranch, intended to confine 3.5 million chickens for Foster Farms, was set to be built just 350 feet from the North Santiam River — a waterway vital for local communities and fishes.
The campaign began when Teresa Mitchell Clausen, a local farm store worker, learned of Foster Farms’ plans from a land scout. The scout dismissed the concerns of nearby residents, reportedly saying, “Oh, what is that? One or two people? They obviously don’t have any money. We don’t have to worry about them.” Clausen, however, was determined to prove otherwise. She soon joined forces with neighbours, including Kendra Kimbirauskas, to co-found Farmers Against Foster Farms.
Kimbirauskas, Senior Director of Agriculture and Food Systems at the State Innovation Exchange and a lifelong farmer, described the threat posed by the facility, saying to Sentient Media, “These operations are not farms. They’re factories.” She explained that such industrial facilities generate thousands of tonnes of animal waste annually, raising grave concerns about pollution and water quality. “People love that river… People use it for irrigation, they recreate on it, and it serves as a drinking water source for some downstream communities,” she said.
The group focused on challenging the legal loopholes that allowed concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to extract unlimited groundwater and operate near homes and rivers. Clausen observed, “Integrators look for loopholes.” Their efforts, supported by organisations such as Friends of Family Farmers and the Center for Food Safety, culminated in the passage of Senate Bill 85 in July 2023. The new law required stricter water quality standards, allowed local governments to set setback limits, and temporarily paused new groundwater permits for CAFOs.
After years of advocacy and legal challenges, in May, Judge Rachel Kittson-MaQatish ruled the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s permit for J-S Ranch unlawful, effectively blocking the project.
