Assessor increases farm land valuation

Whether it be for grain or grazing, agricultural landowners have seen the valuation of their land jump this year as the county assessor brings values closer into alignment with state averages.

Some area farmers were recently surprised when their yearly assessed land value was returned to them: the value had gone up, a lot.

“Most of my friends were shocked,” said Sandy Ridlington, who lives in Oregon but owns farm land which she rents out near Thornton. “It was across the board. There was no warning.”

Ridlington told the Gazette it was shocking to see such a drastic increase.

“In 2014, it hadn’...