We are excited to generate so much energy around Oregon Veggie Rx work and how to collaboratively build capacity! This month, we met to explore a GusNIP grant opportunity that we ultimately decided to wait to apply for, but it created a lot of excitement and attention to focus on where we want to be going as a network. We also received a GusNIP Capacity Building and Technology Grant from the capacity building grant award from the Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE) to support participation of CBOs and community members to help build that vision of working together.

Additional highlights for the Veggie Rx Working Group:

• May Veggie Rx Working Group Meeting: Tuesday, May 16th @ 2pm. Add to calendar.

• To harness the great energy, we are planning an in-person Veggie Rx convening! Please fill out this meeting survey by Sunday, May 14th to help with thoughts/times what would work best for you/your team.

• Masters of Public Health Student, Emily Carlson, has been supporting the working group on a variety of projects, including conducting a program census to better understand the common components of Veggie Rx programs across the state. To include your program, please fill out the census here.

• We met with OHA and worked on strengthening our relationship to support existing Veggie Rx programs.

• Adelante Mujeres' staff, Carla Fisanich and Mayra Hernandez, attended the Food is Medicine Summit in Boston and presented on their community-centered Produce Rx Program.

• The CFS at the Legislature is holding its meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 2:00 PM for the remainder of the session. These dates are May 18th and June 15th. A summary of our previous meeting on April 20th can be found here. We have been focusing on budgets and budget advocacy in these meetings.

• Fiscal impact has been added to the Bills to Watch. If you have more information to add please contact Erik at policy@ocfsn.org.

• OCFSN is included in Bipartisan Drought Relief and Water Security Package (BiDRAWS) in HB 3124, component 4-7 and 4-8 which request Disaster and Drought Resilience Funding and farmers market and food hub funding. Learn more here.

• National Sustainable Coalition Agriculture Coalition: Local Farms and Food Act Strengthens Regional Food Economies Across the US.

  • Local food systems have become ever more important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruption of supply chains worldwide meant that local producers were now critical food systems suppliers for their respective communities across the country. Recently, the Local Farms and Food Act (S1205, HR2723) was introduced to offer reforms to the Local Agriculture Market Program, among other programs, to sustain investments, promote resilient food systems and to adapt to the lessons learned throughout the pandemic. Increased spending in local and regional food systems will help farmers earn more, grow the economy, and build healthier communities. The bill will support the Local Agriculture Market Program, the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Collectively, these programs have helped generate $11.8 billion in local food sales. The Local Farms and Food Act aims to further reduce barriers to entry to these programs.

Members of the Farming for the Future Working Group have been engaged in exciting collaborative work to support Oregon’s environmentally and socially responsible producers! Below are some of the grant proposal writing, educational program developing, and project implementing highlights - oh my!

• The Climate Resilience & Stewardship Subgroup hosted its first tricky topic climate and agriculture conversation on April 28. Mike Badzmierowski PhD, ODA Soil Health Specialist and Jennifer Moore PhD, USDA ARS Research Soil Scientist presented an overview of the latest science in agriculture soil carbon sequestration and current soil carbon research happening in Oregon. Send Andrew an email to get the link for that recording and learn more!

• Led by Friends of Family Farmers, 10 nonprofit and 5 funding partners came together to develop and submit the Capital Assistance for Local Farmers (CALF) Project to the USDA Regional Food Systems Partnership Program in early May. If funded, the CALF Project will make grant and loan programs from government entities and traditional lenders more accessible to small, highly diversified, local market farmers. The Farming for the Future working group helped to inform and recruit partners to strengthen the proposal. If you have exciting collaborative project ideas and need support, bring your ideas to the working group! We are here to lift each other up.

• The NEW Willamette Valley Regional Hub of the Oregon Farm Link Program launched! The program serves eligible land seekers in the mid and south Willamette Valley with one-on-one technical assistance in their farmland search. This program expansion is part of the Transitioning Oregon Farmland BFRDP! Visit the Navigate website to learn more.

Upcoming meetings:

• The next Beginning Farmer & Rancher subgroup meeting is May 18 at 10am. ZOOM LINK

• Climate Resilience & Stewardship subgroup’s next meeting will be a presentation on Water, Agriculture and Climate in Oregon. Stay tuned for presenters and timing for a June meeting.

• Oregon Land’s Use and Farmland Protection Presentation: May 19th, 9am - 10:30am - REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

We want you to engage with this Working Group! Send Andrew an email and he can get you connected to this work.

The 2023 Equity Assessment responses received are being reviewed. We anticipate being able to share responses received and a drafted Action Plan back out to the network by early July. We’ll likely host a virtual mini-convening to create space for discussion.

A random number generator will be used to select three giftcard recipients by the end of this month.

We will keep the assessment form open as we continue to welcome feedback. You can find it on the DEI Committee page.

It has been a busy time for gatherings. In March, the folks in Southern Oregon held the Rogue Valley Food Systems Network gathering.

In April, many of the hubs in the network attended the incredible OCFSN convening hosted by Food Web in Astoria.

For our April meeting, Abigail Blinn and Ella Burke from RVFSN brought these experiences and learnings to the larger group. Review notes here.