Background

Thank you for visiting. We are a 501 c(3) organization working to promote and protect socially responsible agriculture in Oregon. With your help, we can keep Oregon a great place to live and farm.

Getting Started

When it became clear that there were not any Oregon-based organizations advocating on behalf of socially responsible agriculture, or helping communities protect themselves from threats posed by factory farms, a group of farmers, rural residents, and concerned citizens banded together to form Friends of Family Farmers (FoFF). The organization was founded in the summer of 2005 and received 501(c)3 status in May of 2007.

FOFF was originally organized in response to the increased pressure being felt by eastern Oregon’s rural communities to welcome out-of-state corporate farms, such Threemile Canyon Farm, a 55,000 head dairy outside of Boardman. However, after recognizing a statewide need, we broadened our vision to establish an organization of food producers, local food advocates, and citizens that come together to promote Oregon farmers who raise food in a manner that is socially responsible, while also supporting and protecting communities that are concerned about the threat of industrial farming in Oregon.

In 2007, we gained statewide recognition for our work to draw the state’s attention to air quality concerns surrounding mega livestock operations. As a result, Kendra Kimbirauskas, co-president of FOFF, was appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on Dairy Air Quality. We have since been asked to report to the Board of Agriculture on our organizational priorities to give family farmers and socially responsible agriculture a voice at the state level.