Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Updates – Ryan Scholz, Oregon State Veterinarian, Oregon Department of Agriculture

Updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the impacts to small farms, and biosecurity recommendations to protect livestock from infection.

Building Climate Change Resilience Through Peer Support – Maud Powell, OSU Small Farms Program; Addie Candib, American Farmland Trust

Climate change is impacting the emotional and mental well-being of farmers. Session presenters will introduce the concepts of climate stress and grief, describe how they affect farmers, and offer a peer-support model of creating greater resilience within agricultural communities.

Improving Resilience Through Diversifying Forage Species – Shayan Ghajar, Organic Pasture Specialist, OSU

Attend this session to learn more about the benefits of incorporating multiple plant species in your forage mixes and how to address common challenges with managing a biodiverse pasture. Attendees will also hear research updates on forage variety trials focused on warm season forages as well as forage varieties that do well in coastally-influenced pastures.

Adding U-Pick/Cut to Your Farm – Mindi Miller, Kiger Island Blues; Holly Flowers, Lavender Vale Farms

Are you interested in starting or adding U-cut or U-pick? Do you want to know the good, the bad, and the in-between before you do so? This session will go over what to consider before bringing people to your farm for this form of direct sales. Topics discussed will include setup and design, infrastructure, risks to consider, and marketing. You will hear from two farmers who will speak about their experiences opening their farm for U-pick/cut.

Conservation Practices and Financial Assistance Opportunities for Small Farms – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Representative

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has a number of conservation practices that can help landowners of any size address resource concerns. With financial and technical assistance available, implementing sustainable practices can benefit an agricultural, forestland, or Tribal production operation. Learn about the popular EQIP and CSP programs and how to begin your conservation journey. This session will highlight some of the common conservation practices available to and used by small-scale farmers.

Blueberries for Small Farms – Andrea Retano, Ph.D student, Oregon State University; Beth Hoinacki, Good Foot Farms

Blueberries are a popular high-value crop that can be grown successfully on various scales and are well-adapted to the Pacific Northwest. However, blueberries have specific requirements and practical considerations tied to their history and market demands. In this session, we will hear about groundbreaking research and practical advice from Oregon State University Doctoral student and blueberry expert Andrea Retano and about Berries and Birds – An Integrated Approach to Blueberry Production on a Biodynamic Market Farm from Beth Hoinacki of Good Foot Farms..

Water: What Are the Rules for Small Farms? – Victoria Binning, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Water Quality; Rick Cowlishaw, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Water Quality; Katie Kearney, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Confined Animal Feeding Operations; Scott Prose, Oregon Water Resources Department, Assistant Watermaster

Water is important to all farmers, but navigating the state rules around water can be confusing. The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon Water Resources Department would like to share, in plain language, what the rules are for water and what they mean for small farmers. ODA will address agricultural water quality and share information about the new Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) rules. OWRD will provide basic water rights information, with opportunities to dig deeper into specifics with OWRD staff at a table after the session. Rarely do farmers get to have their quantity and quality questions addressed in the same place. This will be an opportunity to do just that.

Just Getting Started? Exploring What to Farm – Teagan Moran with OSU Extension Small Farms Program. Teagan works directly with farmers and ranchers in Linn, Lane and Benton Counties. Supporting beginner farmers and ranchers is at the heart of her work and she personally understands the joys and challenges as she explores for herself and with her family what it means to farm in Oregon. She has a farming background in diverse vegetable production and small scale livestock. You can listen to a podcast she hosts and learn from other Oregon farmers by checking out ‘For the Love of Farming’ https://beav.es/GGL.

As a beginning farmer or new land owner/steward, you need to determine what CAN be grown or raised on your property as well as what you want to produce. This session will cover how to assess natural resources on a property, such as soil and water, to know what your options are and what the challenges could be. We will introduce the basic physical property and personal considerations for livestock, fruit, flower, and diverse vegetable operations. Due to our brief time together, we will NOT be covering production methods, costs of production, or enterprise budgets, however, you will leave knowing what questions to ask in order to take the first step into farming and where to go for those answers.

Farm to School Fundamentals: Getting on a Path to Success with School Markets – Amy Gilroy, Farm to School Manager, Oregon Department of Agriculture; Melina Baker, Executive Director, Oregon Farm to School Network

Are you a value-added food producer, farmer, rancher, or fisher interested in selling to schools but don’t know where to start? Do you have questions about how schools can become a viable market channel for you?

Come learn about resources, tools, and business practices to help you be successful with school sales. We’ll walk through the school food landscape, where the entry points are if you’re just getting started, and pathways to grow your sales if you’re ready to scale. Participants will learn how to set up small procurement contracts directly with schools, prepare to apply for the ODA Farm to School Producer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant, and create a school business action plan to get your farm operation on the right path to starting or expanding school sales.

Expanding Access for Local Food with Online SNAP and DUFB – Amy McCann, CEO, Local Food Marketplace, Inc.; Shelley Schuler, Lane County Bounty

Local Food Marketplace, a software platform provider that supports food hubs and farms around the US, will share how integrating SNAP Match programs like Double Up Food Bucks with Online SNAP have helped farmers around the US diversify & expand their customer bases. Lane County Bounty, a farmer-led food hub in Eugene, will share how Online SNAP has helped them reach more buyers.

Pricing Info For 2025

• Registration $85 per person until Feb. 3rd
• After Feb. 3rd $100 per person
• At the door registration may NOT be available due to venue capacity.