Communities can work together to solve local problems and overcome obstacles with cooperation, support and motivated individuals. During our Agricultural Reclamation Act tour, we heard many suggestions for how communities could work towards an agricultural system that prioritizes local food production, processing, and distribution as a way to create thriving communities, healthy people, strong social [...]
Written by Melissa Matthewson
The Siskiyou Sustainable Cooperative is an agricultural cooperative in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley marketing organic vegetables through a Community Supported Agriculture program. Ten diverse, small organic farms participate in the cooperative in which each farm specializes in various vegetable crops for the CSA program. The CSA program has 140 members and reaches [...]
If you had asked Ross and Kelly McGarva whether or not they were going to go into the meat processing business a few years back, they probably would not have answered yes. But in 2005, they did just that, taking on Lakeview Lockers, a custom meat processing plant that has been servicing Lake County since [...]
In the fall of 2003, a group of farmers in the Little Applegate Valley came together to talk about the importance of education, mentoring, and internships for beginning farmers. Like so many others, this group got their start in agriculture by interning on numerous small farms across the West, and knew first-hand how quality [...]
We at Friends of Family Farmers strongly believe that everyone has the right to clean and healthy food that is grown in a socially responsible way. That’s why FoFF has decided to lead by example and grow fresh, local food outside of our office for the Molalla Food Bank. We are hoping that other businesses [...]
Meat CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) have begun to spring up as demand for locally and responsibly raised foods has continued to increase. As eaters learn more about the environmental, community and personal health risks associated with raising animals in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), they seek out meats that have been raised in ways [...]
From The Ashland Daily Tidings:
League of Women Farmers shares agricultural knowledge
Network gathers each month for farm tours or discussion
By Kira Rubenthaler – Ashland Daily Tidings – March 07, 2009
When an invasive weed was spreading across Susan and Ken Muller’s farm in Talent, they couldn’t identify the plant or figure out how to eradicate it.
So [...]
The Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project is a consortium of farmers, agencies, non-profits, community organizers and business owners who believe that growing nutritionally dense beans and grains in the valley and selling them to local markets is a great idea. It makes good agricultural and economical sense, while helping establish long term [...]
Around the state, from La Grande to Medford, in the Gorge and along the Coast, meat producers are having trouble getting their products into farmers markets, restaurants and grocery stores. The problem is with the meat processing options in Oregon. Under U.S. law, meat can only be sold for retail if it has [...]
Then so can Oregon!
New Visions for California Agriculture
Two recent events have created unprecedented opportunities for you to help set state food policy.
1. The State, led by the Secretary of Agriculture, AG Kawamura, launched its move toward a sustainable food system by publishing a draft California Agricultural Vision. The vision offers three primary goals: better health [...]
Thanks for visiting! Together we can keep Oregon a great place to live and farm!
Friends of Family Farmers. P.O. Box 1286, Molalla, OR, 97038. info@friendsoffamilyfarmers.org. © 2008