Field Trips/Local Area

Here’s a preliminary look at the field trips to get you excited about your trip to Oregon. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on the registration page which will be available in early February. All field trips will take place Wednesday, June 18th, 2025. Each field trip will leave from either Corvallis or Eugene, as noted below. We are also working on a field trip or two leaving from Portland.

There are many other destinations that can be visited without a ticket and some can be walked to. We will provide a list of our favorites soon.

Field Trips Leaving from Corvallis

Market to Farm to Winery (22 places, 9am to 4pm)

We begin with a visit to the Corvallis Wednesday Farmers’ Market. From there we’ll board vans to go to Gathering Together Farm (GTF).  GTF is a certified organic vegetable and fruit farm that began in 1987. They grow over 50 different types of vegetables of over 300 different varieties.  They sell to individuals at their Farmstand and several farmers’ markets, as well as to local and regional food co-ops, markets, and many premier restaurants in the Corvallis and Portland areas. Their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership program includes over 350 households in Philomath, Corvallis, Portland, and Newport. A tour to GTF usually involves walking through the fields, tasting veggies that we find along the way, talking about our food system and how GTF participates. We will eat at GTF’s restaurant where you can order off the menu ($15 -$20, not included) and afterwards visit award-winning Lumos winery. 

Cost $44 

Farmstead Creamery Ice Cream Social (11 places, 1pm to 4:20pm) 

Visit a farmstead creamery (Grassward Dairy) focused on rotational grazing. Meet the cows and calves and hear about running a farm to consumer dairy from their herdspeople. See the process of making ice cream and then partake in different flavors of the delicious dessert. 

There is a lot to say about this operation and Aimee wants to make sure that she addresses the interests of the group. So, please email her your specific interests at grassward.dairy@gmail.com. Put Farmstead Creamery Ice Cream Social in the subject line. 

Cost $28  

Tribal Food Sovereignty Tour (22 places, 9am to 3:30PM)

We will visit the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation approximately 1 hour from Corvallis and engage with tribal staff about tribal history and tribal food sovereignty work. We will begin with a guided tour of Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center; followed by a panel presentation about various aspects of tribal food sovereignty in the community. Likely topics include collaboration with Oregon State University Extension on food preservation, protection and restoration of cultural landscapes, and information about specific cultural foods of the Willamette Valley. Following the panel we will have lunch alongside our tribal hosts (provided as a part of the cost of this tour. Vegetarian and Meat options being planned. Additional dietary needs to be shared ahead of time.)  We will then be led on a community tour of Grand Ronde by David Harrelson, Cultural Resources Department Manager for the Tribe. One of our stops will be at the Tribe’s Native Plant Nursery that has been in operation for 10 years now, where we will get to touch and taste local varieties while also considering the deep time connections between people, plants, and place.  

Cost $35

Sustainable Seafood at the Coast (22 places, 8:15am to 4:30PM)

You will be picked up at the Conference Center (LaSells Stewart) at 8:15am and ride out to Newport where Angee Doerr will give an informative dock walk, pointing out the different types of fishing vessels. You’ll walk up the hill to the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center and have time to learn about the history of fishing in Newport. Lunch will be catered by Local Ocean (which sources directly from 30 local boats) and you’ll hear about the restaurant’s transition into an employee-owned trust. Then, we will make our way up Yaquina Bay to two new local food system ventures: the Central Coast Food Web and Oo-Nee Ranch . On the way home, we’ll stop briefly at Oregon Oyster Farm. 

Cost $70 

From Field to Retail: Local and Diaspora Foods (22 places, 9:15AM to 3:30PM)

We begin at Corvallis’ well-loved First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op where participants can buy their picnic lunch. Down the road we’ll get a tour of Ejido Oso Honey Farm. Working with a diaspora from the indigenous community of Santiago Nuyoo, Oaxaca, Ejido Oso is a multilingual community produce project that grows and adapts traditional food crops to a PNW climate, including corn, quishtan, various quelites, ayote negro, and more. Ejido Oso works in partnership with Oso Honey Farm, which produces over 15 unique honey varietals here in the Willamette Valley and Coast Range. Join both longtime Beekeeper, Henry Storch, and Produce Manager, Laura Bennett for a full spectrum farm tour and honey tasting. A little farther down the road, we’ll visit Tyee century farm and winery. 

Cost $26

Hands-on Grain Processing (16 places, 1pm to 4pm)

Join Andrew Ross in Room 022 of the Crop Science Building for a fun and hands-on trip through various aspects of small-scale grain production and processing. See different grains, grind them into flour, make flakes, bake breads and other grain-based foods. Pair these with legume-based accompaniments. Experience elements of the challenges of small-to-medium scale grain processing and production typical of local to regional grain chains.  

Discussions throughout the session on the use of grain- and legume-based foods as components in plant-forward diets aimed at improving public health and well-being. Also, discussion of the impacts of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on plant food nutritional status. 

NOTE: This is a facility that processes wheat.  

Cost $15

Field Trips Leaving from Eugene

Eugene Food History and foothills winery (11 places, 9am to 3pm)

We will start with breakfast at local restaurant (TBD). After eating, we will head over to Farmer’s Union Coffee and hear about the history of the building (it was the site of Lane County’s poultry and egg co-op in the early twentieth century) as well as the company’s commitment to ethical sourcing and employment practices.   

Afterwards, we will continue our tour of facility by heading next door to Down to Earth (the building used to be the grain mill for regional farmers, and the present occupant is a company that makes their own compost and soil amendments, sells gardening and beekeeping supplies, etc.)  At 12:30pm the group will drive to Walnut Ridge Winery in the foothills of the coastal range. From 1pm – 3pm we will enjoy an al fresco lunch and wine tasting at Walnut Ridge. 

Cost: $50

Local Places of Interest

The Corvallis Farmers’ Market will be running Wednesday and Saturday and we plan on organizing activities there!

There is much to do in and around Corvallis, Oregon located in the Pacific Northwestern United States. In less than an hour you can visit the spectacular Oregon Coast or go on an adventure in Central Oregon.

Many different breweries make their homes in or near Corvallis. View a list of breweries here.

If you like wineries – go here to explore all the award winning wineries that Oregon has to offer!

City of Corvallis, the Willamette Valley, the State of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest are full of attractions for visitors of all ages. We encourage you to spend extra days at your own convenience to explore the area.