December 9th: Give!Guide Celebration with FoFF & Friends: A fun and inspirational evening was had by all as we showcased several Portland based non-profits making a difference in the community through food and agriculture. These local food groups, along with FoFF, were part of the 2014 Willamette Week Give!Guide: Urban Gleaners, Village Gardens, Farmers Market Fund, The Portland Kitchen and Growing Gardens.
November 11th: Truffles: Treasured, Hound-Found, Inoculated. Our panel includes truffle power team Leslie Scott and Charles Leferve, organizers of the renowned Oregon Truffle Festival and truffle cultivation specialists of New World Truffieres; Lisa Brosnan, truffle hunter and truffle dog trainer. Lisa will be bringing one of her Lagotto Romagnolo pups, a rare Italian breed known for hunting truffles, for a live demonstration. Additional panelist may also join in the fun!
November 18th: Bend: Farmers & Chefs working together. Our first InFARMation in Central Oregon took place on Tuesday, November 18 at 5:30 pm at the Broken Top Bottle Shop in Bend (1740 NW Pence Lane, Suite 1). Our panel included Kevin Linde, Chef at Pronghorn Resort; Sarahlee Lawrence, Owner/Operator of Rainshadow Organics in Terrebonne and Dave Flier, Chef/Owner, Rockin’ Dave’s Bagel Bistro. With support from the High Desert Food & Farm Alliance.
October 14th: Discussion about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). We gained a basic understanding of the issues and controversy surrounding these trade policies and the impact on Oregon agriculture. Our panel included Elizabeth Swager, Executive Director,Oregon Fair Trade Campaign, Julia DeGraw, Northwest Organizer, Food & Water Watchand David Delk of Portland Alliance for Democracy and the Populist Dialogues.
September 9th: Food Access: Focused on work being done to get locally grown, nutritious food on the table, create food security, provide economic opportunity and empower people to grow for themselves and for others in both urban & rural areas.
July 8th: Oregon’s Sustainable Wine Industry: Hear from a great panel on a number of issues facing Oregon’s sustainable wine industry. Our discussion will focus on and the individual and collaborative approaches being implemented to protect and nurture resources as well as further one of Oregon’s best known industries. We are delighted to present John Paul of Cameron Winery, Kevin Scribner of Salmon-Safe and Kevin Chambers, farmer and co-founder of Oregon Vineyard Supply.
May 13th: Organic Transition: We’ll talk organics with a emphasis on the transition period and the challenges it presents to both producers and buyers. Our panel includes Education Director of Oregon Tilth, Sarah Brown, certified organic farmer Jim Bronec of Praying Mantis Farm; and James Henderson, Farmer Liaison for Hummingbird Wholesale.
June 10th: Participatory Plant Breeding; Farmer-driven, eater-influenced and researcher-supported on-farm seed selection for taste, nutrition and sense of place. What a mouthful! Join us for a conversation with Anthony Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm; Chef and food/farm advocate, Linda Colwell; and Lane Sellman, Project Manager of OSU’s Culinary Breeding Network: where breeders meet eaters!
April 8th: Bread is Agriculture: Panelists for this tasty talk include Annie Moss of Tabor Bread, Clint Lindsey of Greenwillow Grains and Charlene Murdock-White of Nana Cardoon.
March 11th: The Whey Forward: Alternative Dairy Models: We heard from a panel of professionals in the dairy field. We discussed alternative models of milk production with Organic Valley producer and board member Steve Pierson of Sar-Ben Farms and raw milk producer and advocate, Charlotte Smith of Champeog Creamery. We also learn about the delicious process of turning milk into cheese from Mollalla Cheesemaker Carine Goldin of Goldin Artisan goat Cheese.
February 11th: Oregon’s Land Use System: Join us as we take a look at how the land use system is serving agriculture and explore ways in which it may need to be refined. Our panel includes Mr. Jim Johnson, Land Use Specialist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture; Steve McCoy, Farm and Forest Staff Attorney at 1000 Friends of Oregon; and Greg Malinowski, Washington County Commissioner and certified organic farmer on the urban growth boundary.
January 14th: Oregon’s State Nut: Some say filbert and some say hazelnut. Either way Oregon’s state nut is delicious. Join us as we discuss conventional and organic hazelnut production and the challenges farmers face to successfully produce this local crop, while competing in a global market.
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