Small Farm Program Updates

Benton, Linn, Polk and Lane Counties
Hope you all are enjoying this fantastic weather! Great time for being outside. Hope to see you at one of our Dry Farming Field Days in August!
- Melissa, Amy, and Chrissy

Registration Now Open

Visit http://www.2016wisa.org for a full schedule and session descriptions.

Building Resilient Cropping Systems and Conserving Water


AUGUST 19TH FROM 3-7 PM
LASELLS STEWART CENTER, 875 SW 26TH ST., OSU
 
Two Special Lectures:
bringing Life back into Farming      
Brendon Rockey, Rockey Farms, Colorado
 
Dry Farming in Western Oregon     
Amy Garrett, OSU Ext. Small Farms
Dry Farming Collaborative
 
Social hour: 6-7 PM with tapas and no-host bar
Cost: $10, Register Here
For info: tmatteson@bentonswcd.org; 541-753-7208
 
This event is sponsored by: Oregon State University Extension Service - Small Farms Program, Western SARE, Benton Soil and Water Conservation District, and Benton County Farm Bureau.

2016 Summer Food Preservation Classes

Master Food Preservers are offering a 4-part series of hands-on food preservation classes to help community members learn to preserve our fresh, local produce for year-round enjoyment. Each class will focus on a different aspect of safe, healthy food preservation. Information is based on the latest USDA recommendations and will feature current equipment and products. These classes are appropriate for both novice food preservers and those with experience who hope to update their skills and knowledge.

Cost $18 - or $60 for the entire series. Space is limited!

Location: Classes are held at the OSU Linn County Extension office in Tangent, 33630 McFarland Rd, Tangent. Located on the corner of Old HWY 34 and McFarland Rd.

TIME:  Classes are held from 6-9 p.m.

2016 Class flyer w/reg form

Preserving Fruit Products/Boiling Water Canning
Thursday, August 4

Vegetables & Meat/Pressure Canning and Drying
Thursday, August 11

Tomatoes, Sauces & Salsas
 Wednesday, July 20 or Thursday, August 18

Pickle Making
Wednesday, July 27 or Thursday, August 25

New OSU Publications to help farmers navigate Oregon's cottage food laws

Farm Direct – Producer Processed
Oregon’s Farm Direct Law allows farmers to turn what they grow into low-risk, value-added foods like jams and pickles, to sell direct to consumers, without being a licensed food processor. That sentence – like the law itself – has a lot of detail packed into it. This short guide unpacks those details for farmers and farmers’ market managers. (It’s handy for other people, too.)
http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/small-farms-tech-report/farmdirect_producerprocessed.pdf
 
Home Baking Bill FAQ
This year, the Oregon Legislature created the Home Bakery Exemption, which allows people to produce certain baked goods and confectionary items in their home kitchens and sell them directly to consumers without having to be licensed as a food establishment. This short guide explains the basics and answers common questions about the Exemption.  
http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/publications/home_baking_bill_final.pdf
 
Both guides were prepared by Extension Small Farms and Family & Community Health, in consultation with Oregon Department of Agriculture Food Safety. The Home Baking Bill FAQ was co-written by Oregon Food Bank; which led the campaign to create the new Exemption.

Adult Tractor Training Class

Offered at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center.

Sept 13, Tuesday- Advanced/Winter Maintenance Class 8:30-4pm

The Adult Tractor Safety and Maintenance Course is a program designed to teach safety as it relates to driving, using farm equipment, and implements. It offers both classroom and hands-on equipment operations of tractors and their implements as well as maintenance to keep the equipment operational.
 
Contact Derek Wells at 9710801-0324 or derek.wells@oregonstate.edu
with questions, registration forms are linked above.
Four sites in Western Oregon will be hosting Dry Farming Field Days in 2016!

Come learn about dry farming, see crops (tomatoes, squash, melon, potatoes) grown without any supplemental irrigation in the field, observe roots from soil pits in irrigated and dry farmed plots, do side-by-side tastings of dry farmed and irrigated tomatoes and melons, and more!
 
Tuesday August 2nd  - Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center
4-7 pm:  569 Hanley Rd, Central Point, OR 97502
 
Tuesday August 9th – South Valley
3-5 pm:  OSU Vegetable Research Farm
34306 NE Electric Rd, Corvallis, OR 97333
 
4-7 pm: Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture 844 SW 35th St, Corvallis, OR 97333
 
Tuesday August 23rd – North Willamette Research and Extension Center  4-7 pm: 15210 NE Miley Rd, Aurora, OR 97002

Please RSVP is you plan to attend!

The 2016 Dry Farming Field Days are part of the Growing Resilience: Water Management Workshop Series. To learn more about upcoming sessions and see video recordings of past sessions visit: http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/wmws

Organic Seed Production Webinar Series - FREE

A new webinar series on organic seed production will provide training for seed growers and seed production interns throughout the 2016 growing season (June - November). This series, offered by Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) and the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA), will cover a range of topics, from planting to harvest to the economics of seed production. . They will take place on the third Tuesday of each month. Register once at the link below and attend any or all of the webinars listed below! 

Register now at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1033801889354662914

August 16th: Disease and Pests, Case Study
September 20th: Seed Quality, Harvesting Techniques and Equipment
October 18th: Cleaning and Recordkeeping, Case Study
November 15th: Seed Contracting, Economics, and Policy

Adolescent Use of ATVs in Oregon’s Agriculture and Forest Industries

OSU College of Public Health is seeking input from OSU Extension Service clientele that manage farm, ranch, or forest lands on which ATVs are used by youth, ages 14-17 years old, to perform various work related tasks.

The purpose of this study is to determine how ATVs are used by youth employees in order to produce a Youth Farm ATV Safety, Education, Training, and Certification program. This program will be used along with the Youth Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Education, Training, and Certification program.

You may anonymously participate in the study by clicking the following link or copying and pasting it into your browser:  http://survey.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_e5HOmFjwbwtTG3H

For more information about this study, please contact the principal investigator, Dr. David J. White, by phone at 541-548-6088 or email at david.white@oregonstate.edu.

Pasture Network and Oregon Farm Link

Friends of Family Farmers is excited to announce the official launch of the Oregon Pasture Network. The website is live and we are taking new farmer applications.  If you are farming or ranching in Oregon and utilizing a pasture-based system, we invite you to apply today!  Membership is currently free, and comes with many benefits.

Oregon Farm Link (formerly known as iFarm) is an online resource hub that provides a platform for beginning farmers and land holders to connect hosted by Friends of Family Farmers.
  • Are you a beginning farmer searching for land?
  • Do you have land available for farming?
  • Are you interested in training, jobs, financing options, or other resources?
Check out http://oregonfarmlink.org/

South Valley
Small Farms Classifieds

Pasture Land for Lease
About  15 to 20 acres of pasture just west of Philomath. There is adequate fencing and potential use of existing barn.  Land could be available this fall or next spring, flexible.  If you are interested in learning more, contact Bill Pearcy, 541-929-4041.

Duck Egg Business for Sale
WHITE RIVER DUCKS, a business with active accounts in Portland, Corvallis and Eugene is up for sale due to the owner's health concerns.  If you are interested in such a business venture, contact Joe and Ellen Nieslanik for details.  joenieslanik@gmail.com
Website:   ducks.whiteriverlamb.com
Facebook Page:  White River Ducks

Something you would like to post here in future newsletters? Please contact Amy,  Melissa, or Chrissy

OSU Extension Faculty and Staff

Melissa Fery, Associate Professor of Practice
melissa.fery@oregonstate.edu
541-730-3538

Amy Garrett, Assistant Professor of Practice
amy.garrett@oregonstate.edu
541-766-3551

Chrissy Lucas, Program Assistant II
chrissy.lucas@oregonstate.edu
541-766-3556

Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran’s status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer. These events will be made accessible upon request. If you have a physical disability that requires special considerations in order for you to attend these OSU events, please notify Chrissy Lucas.
Subscribe to Small Farm News, our free quarterly online newletter,