Earlier this month, an 80-acre subdivision in Corvallis was voted down by Ravalli County's Board of County Commissioners after holding three public hearings packed full of neighbors and valley conservationists offering hours of oppositional public testimony.

The Calf Creek subdivision was the second attempt by land owners, Robert, James and Stephen Foley to turn their historically agricultural land into residential developments, a move seen by farmers as one of the biggest threats to Ravalli County’s shrinking agricultural acreage.

Subdivision proposals like Calf Creek are not unique in the valley and, while agriculture is still the largest contributor to Ravalli County’s economy, there has been decline in farms and farmland over the last decade.

Between 2017 and 2022, Ravalli County

See Full Page