Tina Kotek is counting on farm regulators to help restart the rule-making process on an even keel. “Sometimes when things get proposed, they are misinterpreted and then there’s misinformation, and then there’s fear, and then there’s uproar,” Kotek said. The state government must clearly identify how the farmstand regulations can allow farmers to diversify their incomes while still complying with land use laws, she said. Farmstand regulations for serving cooked meals, selling promotional merchandise and hosting promotional events are broadly meant to ensure such activities remain subsidiary to producing crops and livestock in agricultural zones. As the DLCD’s rule-making progressed, however, some farmers who rely on farmstands claimed the restrictions would be incompatible with their agritourism operations.