Maximizing Impact Through Collaboration

Six network members shared their organization’s legislative priorities and the connection to diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion as well as shared opportunities for support.

You can watch a recording of the forum or hear from the presenters again this Saturday, February 18 at the OSU Small Farms Conference.

Our panelists included:

• Alice Morrison - Friends of Family Farmers, alice@friendsoffamilyfarmers.org

• Kara Parker - Oregon Organic Coalition, amy@oregonorganiccoalition.org

• Nellie McAdams - Oregon Agricultural Trust, nellie@oregonagtrust.org

• Megan Kemple - Oregon Climate & Oregon Climate & Agriculture Network Network, megan@oregonclimateag.org

• Melina Barker - Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network, melina@oregonfarmtoschool.org

• Molly Notarianni - Farmers Market Fund, molly@farmersmarketfund.org

Key Priorities include:

• Friends of Family Farmers is working on two main bills this session: SB2616 and SB507.

  • SB2616 is the Raw Milk Bill or Small Dairy Modernization, which seeks to license exempt dairies for off farm direct to consumer sales.This provides an alternative entry point for dairy farmers in an industry that is prone to conglomeration and has a difficult to enter grading system for beginning farmers. HB2616 would bring cows to the same licensing potential as goats and sheep.

  • SB507 is the Farm Direct Enhancement Bill. This bill expands and clarifies the existing Farm Direct regulations by opening new sales channels, clarifying and adding products, and raising sales limits to $50,000. The proposed policy was created via a coalition of farmers markets, food hubs, OSU extension, producers, and crop researchers. SB507 is expected to receive a work session soon.

  • Friends of Family Farmers is also supporting a Tier 2 Confined Animal Feeding Operation Moratorium to allow state agencies to address the environmental and social impacts of the largest tier of factory farms. Additionally, FoFF supports several budget requests to the Oregon Department of Agriculture: State Meat Inspection Program (package 220), HB2907 Meat Processing Infrastructure Grant Fund (package 250), and Agriculture Opportunity Grants (package 430).

• Oregon Agricultural Trust is working in support of the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program. This program addresses gaps in succession planning, land access issues, and provides funding for conservation easements.

  • Lack of succession planning may lead to fragmentation or consolidation in farming lands. Beginning farmers and ranchers also face significant challenges in accessing land due to competition from investors and increasing prices in land.

  • Conservation easements are voluntary contracts between the landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits the use of the land. In a conservation easement certain rights of the land are sold or donated. The easement value is the value of the land rights that are restricted by the easements.

  • The 2023 budgetary ask is for $10.8 million. POP 215 is for $10 million towards easement grants and POP 115 is for $800,000 to fund administration. OAT is also seeking to obtain federal match funds.

• Oregon Organic Coalition's priority bills are: SB789 and SB526. The Canola Sunset Bill or SB789 is aiming to place permanent restrictions on growing canola within the Willamette Valley Protected District. Canola presents a large contamination for other grass seeds and would prevent export of those other grass seeds to other countries.

  • SB526 Organic Cost Share Match and Transition Support would create a fund providing state match dollars to organic cost share reimbursements from the USDA. It would also fund education on organic farming.

  • OOC also supports funding an Organic Policy Special Assistant at ODA through SB617. This position would support the implementation of organic practices and interagency integration of policies.

• Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network supports the Healthy Soils Bill (HB2998) and the Natural Climate Solutions Bill (SB530).

  • SB2998 establishes the Oregon Soil Health Initiative to support farmers and ranchers with soil health practices that are congruent with their land and businesses. Soil health practices are determined through four key criteria: keeping soil covered, maintaining the presence of living roots, enhancing biodiversity, and limiting disturbance. The Healthy Soils Bill exhibits bi-partisan support.

  • Natural Climate Solutions establishes a policy direction to advance natural climate solutions on natural and working lands. State agencies would be provided with funding to incentivize and provide technical support for forest owners, farmers, and ranchers to implement natural climate solutions.

    • Both bills have public hearings soon. HB2998 Thursday Feb 16th 3:00 pm. SB530 Wednesday Feb 15th 8:00 am.

• Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network is working to maintain the current $10.2 million in funding for the Oregon Farm to School Grant Program.

  • The grant funds a non-competitive and competitive reimbursement for Oregon foods, farm to school education, producer equipment & infrastructure, technical assistance, and evaluation.

  • Grant funding is passed through ODA's equity lens with preference points for marginalized populations to ensure equitable access to resources.

• Farmers Market Fund is continuing their work on Double Up Food Bucks. The program provides a 1:1 dollar match up to $20 dollars spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets, groceries, and CSAs.

  • Importance: Food insecurity and hunger is faced by different demographics at disproportionate rates. SNAP's emergency allotments are also ending in February 2023. This will further tax a vulnerable population.

  • DUFB is seeking $8 million in a one-time appropriation through HB2728 and SB555. They plan to transition DUFB to a digital currency, raise match dollars from $10 to $20, expand participating sites, and lift barriers to participation.

If you’re less ingrained in policy but would like to get more involved, we encourage you to join the next Public Policy Skills & Engagement Opportunities Working Group meeting on February 24, 2023, from 10:00 - 11:00 (Add this to my calendar).

The majority of communication through this network is managed through Google Groups. We trust our community and have not had to (in the last couple of years at least) have any formal guidelines. However, we heard from some of you that some clearer guidelines would be helpful. Let’s start with these, please continue to share your feedback with OCFSN staff (aka Shin & Andrew) if something isn’t working.

• The goal of the Google Groups is to connect folks working in the food systems to community and to create a container for helping to organize conversations, coalitions, projects, and more!

• Things we encourage:

  • Use the lists! It’s okay to reach out, you never know what unexpected connection could be made when you put something on the community list.

  • Best practices are to send emails with a clear “call to action” for the recipient. This could include but is not limited to:

    • Register for this event we are hosting

    • Please share xyz with your broader networks

    • Asking for support regarding a specific topic, project, etc.

• Things to avoid:

  • Avoid replying all if your response is not relevant to the entire list. You can take a conversation offline by replying only to the person who has asked the question.

  • Immediately unsubscribing out of frustration at receiving too many emails. We encourage you to modify your subscription preferences to digest or none which will still allow you to access the group content if you may want to engage in.

• Anyone can join the Google Groups, you do not need to be part of a formal OCFSN member organization or working group.

• You can join any of the Google Groups below by simply sending an email which will automatically ask you to opt-into the Google Group.

  • community+subscribe@ocfsn.org

    • Full OCFSN Community list

    • This list is for anyone interested in general network updates, cross-working group collaborations, events, etc.

  • communications+subscribe@ocfsn.org

    • This list is for folks who manage the communications for their organizations. You’ll get access to directly posting events onto the public Oregon Food System Events calendar as well as a notification to add content for each month’s collaborative newsletter (this is the first newsletter we tried this with).

  • cfs-policy+subscribe@ocfsn.org

    • Community Food Systems at the Legislature Policy Subgroup

    • This list is for folks who are closely following or engaged in food systems policy in the Oregon Legislature.

  • food-hub+subscribe@ocfsn.org

    • Food Hub Working Group list

    • This list is for anyone interested in Food Hubs, the focus is within Oregon but we often have visitors from other States

  • public-policy@ocfsn.org

    • Public Policy Skills and Engagement Opportunities list

    • This list is for anyone interested in thinking more broadly about the how/what would impact “building members' individual and collective capacity to influence public policy” – for the Network as a whole, other working groups, and ad hoc collaborations (new example: “OCFSN and the U.S. Farm Bill”).

  • veggie-rx+subscribe@ocfsn.org

    • VeggieRX Working Group list

    • This list is for folks who are involved in Veggie Rx, Produce Prescription, or other food as medicine related topics. Program Operators, medical practitioners, etc.

  • voting-reps+subscribe@ocfsn.org

    • OCFSN Member Organization Voting Reps

    • This list is for Member Organization Voting Representatives and will be used for communications on any votes needed, annual renewals, etc.

  • farmingforthefuture+subscribe@ocfsn.org

    • Farming for the Future Working Group list

    • This list is for organizations working to support Oregon’s farmers and ranchers and the production side of the food system. Subgroups include: Beginning Farmer & Rancher, Climate Resilience & Stewardship, Farm & Land Viability, and Land Connection Technical Assistance.

• To unsubscribe from any Google Group, you can click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any of the emails received from the group. We also encourage you to modify your subscription instead of unsubscribing if the content is still relevant for you.

Add these to your calendar by visiting the Oregon Food Systems Calendar.

FEBRUARY

• February 16 | 10:00 - 11:30 am: Beginner Farmer & Rancher Subgroup Quarterly Meeting

• February 23 | 10:30 - 11:30: 2023 Veggie Rx Pre-Survey Working Session

• February 24 | 10:00 - 11:00 am: Equity Assessment Discussion Space - open to everyone

• February 27 | 10:00 - 11:00: Public Policy Skills & Engagement Opportunities Working Group Meeting

• February 28 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm : Food Hub Working Group Monthly Meeting

MARCH

• March 2 | 3:30 - 4:30: Equity Assessment Discussion Space [BIPOC+ only]

• March 3 | 10:00 - 12:00: Veggie Rx Mini-Convening

• March 23 | 4:00 - 5:00: Climate Resilience & Stewardship Subgroup Meeting

• March 28 | 1:00 - 2:30: Food Hub Working Group Monthly Meeting

APRIL

• April 19 | 1:30 - 2:30: Farm & Land Viability Subgroup Meeting

• April 25 | 1:00 - 2:30: Food Hub Working Group Monthly Meeting

Grants

Visit our Grants page to learn more about the below:

• The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Request for Applications (RFA) is now open for fiscal years (FY) 2023!

• You can find the Nutrition Incentive RFA here. Applications are due by May 4, 2023 at 5PM EST / 2PM PST.

• Hold tight for the Produced Prescription Program (PPR) RFA. It is currently scheduled to be released in February 2023.

Jobs

Visit our Jobs page to learn more about each of the below:

• Co-Executive Director of Development & Communications at Rogue Farm Corps. Apply by Feb 15.

• Farmer Training Programs Manager at Rogue Farm Corps. Apply by Feb 15.

• Regional Manager (CO & OR) at Kitchen Sync Strategies. $72k. Apply by Feb 15.

• Development Director (Apply by Feb 15) at High Desert Food & Farm Alliance.

• FoodCorps service member applications are open through Mar 27.

• Donor Engagement Manager at Ecotrust.

• Executive Director at Farmers Market Fund. Learn more here.

• Team Supportive Co-Executive Director at Hunger-Free Oregon. Learn more here.

• Director of Microenterprise Programs and other roles at Adelante Mujeres.

• Communications Coordinator and Director of Finance & Administration at Oregon Rural Action. Learn more here.

• Market Programs Coordinator and Garden Education Specialist at Tilth Alliance. Learn more here.

• Contract Organizer with Friends of Family Farmers.

• Statewide Organizing Manager, Grant Accounting Manager, and more at Oregon Food Bank.

Internships/Fellowships

Visit our Internships page to learn more about each of the below:

• Apply by March 1, 2023 for the E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Program. The program brings faculty and staff from Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Hispanic-Serving School Districts to Washington, D.C., where they meet with USDA leaders, learn about the federal government, and share their insights with students and colleagues in their home institutions and communities.

• Farm Apprentice - Host Farms via Rogue Farm Corps

Events & Workshops

Find more info on the Oregon Food Systems Events calendar.

• February 16: Down to Business: Farm Employment Action Hour - Farm Commons

• February 18: Small Farms Conference - OSU

• February 21: Local Food Buyer and Seller Match Maker - Gorge Grown

• February 25: Rogue Farm Corp’s Changing Hands Workshop in Salem. Scholarship available by need.

• February 26: PNW CSA Share Fair - PNW CSA Coalition

• March 5: Rally Day - FoFF

• March 7: Sexual Harm Prevention Training for Farmers & Ranchers - OSU Small Farms

• March 16: Rogue Valley Food Systems Network Food Solutions Summit

• March 17 - 20: Back to the Root is a PNW regional conference led by and for African and Black- identified farmers, ranchers, urban growers & gardeners, food producers, entrepreneurs, educators, and advocates. Learn more here.