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Introducing OCFSN’s new Member Services Coordinator
Dear OCFSN Members,
This is Lauren Johnson, your new Member Services Coordinator. I've had the opportunity to meet and work with some of you in the past, and I'm so excited to be back in Oregon as OCFSN's RARE Americorps.
Some of you may remember me from the conversations I led with several of the working groups last year. We talked about how public policy could help them further their goals as a working group. I also attended this past year's Convening to share some of what I learned during those conversations.
Here's a some more about me: I got a bachelor's degree in English Literature, but my heart was always with food and farming, so I often explored those themes in my research. After college, I spent the winter farming in Costa Rica, and then came to Oregon for a RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) Americorps service position in Wallowa County in 2014. My job was to engage with different facets of the County’s local food system, from health care to farmers markets to schools to community gardening programs. I loved it. During that year, I had the opportunity to attend OCFSN's first annual convening. I remember feeling so energized being surrounded by all of these incredible people and organizations working at the forefront of community food systems development. Not only were they implementing what was then fairly new and innovative programming to support community food systems, but they were also engaged in a difficult conversation about how to make that work more impactful. After another year of traveling in India, Nepal, the Netherlands, and Spain, I earned my graduate degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana and focused on food systems policy.
A few items about in-Network communication:
- If you have information to include in the next newsletter, please send it my way: (ocfsn.coordinator@gmail.com). Please include a short blurb and a link to further information.
- As a quick reminder, every working group has space on the website to house meeting minutes and useful materials-- you can send those to me to upload. This space is meant to help you all collaborate and make what you're doing as a working group transparent to other Network members.
- Every working group also has a Google Groups to streamline communications between the group. If you need members added to your group, or if you'd like to be taken off the list, please let me know.
I chose to come back to Oregon to take the Member Services Coordinator position because I love interacting with this group of people. You do incredible work, and I'm so excited to support you.
Have a very happy fall,
Lauren
Lauren Johnson
OCFSN Member Services Coordinator
ocfsn.coordinator@gmail.com
503-560-2548
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OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems seeks to make food systems data more accessible
What are the numbers telling us about Oregon’s food system? Now that the OCFSN Community Food Systems Indicators are established in OSU’s Rural Communities Explorer, Lauren Gwin and Mallory Rahe have created two new ways to make those data more useful and accessible to you, as member organizations and working groups:
- Oregon Community Food Systems by the Numbers fact sheet series: Issue #1, about farmers markets and food access, was originally requested by Kelly Crane, Oregon Farmers Market Association.
- Oregon versions of national food system analyses: USDA publishes national data, but what about the Oregon story? Read our first article about change in the number and distribution of food stores in Oregon
Have an idea for a fact sheet of an Oregon food system analysis? Send it over: lauren.gwin@oregonstate.edu and mallory.rahe@oregonstate.edu.
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Share your farm and food policy priorities!
We invite you to use the OCFSN newsletter to inform Network members about public policy issues and opportunities that are important to you and your organization.
Are you working on any public policy issues that need attention right now? Are you aware of any important measures, bills, or proposals?
If so, please send them my way (ocfsn.coordinator@gmail.com) to share them in the next OCFSN newsletter.
Please use the following format:
• 50-75 word description of policy opportunity including jurisdiction (federal, state or local)
• How this issue connects to community food systems work
• Any opportunity to take action (limit to 2-3 sentences)
• For more information or to get involved contact (name, phone or email) or visit (website)
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Zenger Farm launches Cocina Oregon
The Spanish-language outreach campaign offers culturally specific and seasonal recipes
Cocina Oregon is a Spanish-language website that features culturally specific recipes and cooking videos developed by Zenger Farm’s Community Chefs, featuring seasonal Oregon grown vegetables. It also features resources for connecting with local farms and affordable vegetables, including SNAP Match and the Farm Direct Nutrition Program.
Access Cocina Oregon here
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Communities, Food, Resilience
OSU's Center for Small Farms and Community Food System event now available online
On September 5, OSU Extension and the College of Agricultural Sciences co-hosted “Communities, Food, Resilience,” as part of OSU’s 150th anniversary celebration. The main event was in Portland, and it was also shown at 14 different livestream events around the state. Lauren Gwin, OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems, recruited three dynamic speakers to challenge OSU as Oregon’s public land grant university, to make a big change: from “we feed the world” to “we support the empowerment of the world to feed itself.” The Center’s partnership with OCFSN was a huge inspiration for this event, and the Network was featured in the event program.
- Speakers: David Lewis, Ethnohistory Research; Shorlette Ammons, Center for Environmental Farming Systems at North Carolina State University; and Stephanie Grutzmacher, OSU College of Public Health & Human Sciences. Learn more about them here
- Recording of the event here
- Recommended reading, including The Deeper Challenge of Change: The Role of Land Grant Universities in Assessing and Ending Structural Racism in the US Food System here
- An article about Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde's satellite event
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Ag of the Middle Accelerator
Ecotrust's program now accepting applications
Ecotrust is now accepting applications for the 2018-2019 Ag of the Middle Accelerator Program! This is a two-year, hands-on, capacity-building and business development program. It is designed to cultivate a thriving cohort of mid-sized, independent farms, ranches, and fishing operations in the region that spans from Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.
Applications are due October 5th.
More information and the application can be found here
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OFMA is recruiting
Oregon Farmers Market Association seeks new board members and volunteers
OFMA is an energetic and innovative organization, with an experienced Program Director and 9 active Board Members. We are excited to grow our impact and support the sustainability of Oregon’s agriculture by recruiting innovative, passionate volunteers to join the Board, who share our love of food, health, and community-building. The Board is composed of at-large members who sit on at least one of the following 4 project committees: Executive, Marketing, Fundraising, and Membership.
More information on joining the board here
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Rogue Farm Corps hiring
Seeking a Central Oregon Chapter Coordinator
The Central Oregon Chapter Coordinator will manage RFC’s Internship and Apprenticeship programs in the Central Oregon area. The coordinator will work with RFC’s staff to further develop and sustain the Central Oregon Chapter. The coordinator will facilitate recruitment, promotion, outreach, student placement, scheduling, and evaluation for all students and host farmers in the Central Oregon Chapter of RFC. The coordinator will organize an annual fundraiser event in the Central Oregon area with support from other RFC staff, collaborate with local food system allies, and attend regularly scheduled conference calls, trainings, meetings, and retreats with RFC staff.
Responsibilities and weekly schedule will vary throughout the year depending upon program needs. The coordinator position requires the use of your own private computer, cell phone, and vehicle with mileage and technology access compensation. No health benefits are offered at this time.
Reports to: Education Director & Executive Director
Employment Type: Exempt; 0.6 FTE
Location: Deschutes County
Start date: mid-November, 2018
Application deadline: Listing open until filled. Will begin reviewing applicants by 10/15.
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Case study on Hood River's Veggie Rx
Providence Hood River Hospital and Gorge Grown's program profiled
The Healthy Food Playbook published a case study on Providence Hood River Hospital's Veggie Rx program, an inititiative championed and instigated by OCFSN member Gorge Grown.
Read the case study here
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Farm Direct at Five Years
An Early Assessment of Oregon’s Farm-Focused Cottage Food Law
Oregon's Farm Direct Marketing Law (FDML) is 5 years old! The law allows farms to make some low-risk, value-added products, such as pickles and jams, from farm-grown ingredients and sell them direct to consumers, without extra food licensing. We traveled to farmers markets around the state, interviewed farmers and farmers market managers, finding that farmers are selling a variety of value-added products with no food borne illness linked to FDML products. Interviewees described multiple benefits resulting from the law, such as increased farm income, market season extension, reduced processing costs, test marketing opportunities, and benefits to rural communities that don’t have commercial kitchens and want access to more healthy food options. The main challenge was getting information about the rules: which products can be made and how they can be sold. Oregon’s FDML is a unique take on a cottage food law, which have been increasing in popularity in US states recent years, and seems to be achieving its intended goals.
Read the article here
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Local Link registration now open
A Vendor Fair for Institutional Food Service on November 7 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am at Castaway in NW Portland
Hosted by the NW Food Buyers’ Alliance, Local Link is a local food vendor fair for institutional food service buyers and an opportunity for food service staff to network with regional producers. Last year, Local Link featured 28 vendors and 47% of buyers reported purchasing more local food as a result of the event. This year, Local Link will take place Wednesday November 7th 9-11am at Castaway in NW Portland.
Event registration and more information here
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 US Food Sovereignty Alliance National Assembly
October 12-15th, Bellingham, Washington
YOU are invited to a convergence of grassroots organizations, activists, faith-based community, scholars, union members, farmers and fisherfolk, and other food chain workers from around the world October 12 – 15, in Bellingham, WA, for the IV National Assembly of the US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA)! The Assembly will provide a space to learn about food sovereignty, share struggles and collective wins, and build solidarity.
Register here
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Cottage Food Laws in the
United States
 A new report released by the Harvard Law School Food Law & Policy Clinic
A new report published this week by the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), Cottage Food Laws in the United States, tracks the expansion of state cottage food laws, compares and contrasts the laws in all fifty states, and offers recommendations to foster entrepreneurship, strengthen local food systems, and maintain food safety.
See the summary table for Oregon below, and read the full report here
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"It's hard to be strategic when your hair is on fire"
Research on 27 alternative food movement leaders in Michigan details their "motivation and capacity to act."
The article includes guidance about what’s needed to build the power needed for major change:
- More “time to engage in coalition building and collective debate”
- More space to “co-learn and work out potentially conflicting goals”… “to critically analyze and negotiate a collective direction.”
- “Emerging networks will be most effective if they encourage – and build the capacity of – diverse voices to engage in high risk debates, resolve conflicts, rethink organizational roles, and critique power structures.”
Read the article here
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Oregon Health Authority publishes 2018 State Health Assessment
The report describes health related strengths and leading challenges
The State Health Assessment (SHA) is a tool for anyone interested in improving population health in our state, including governmental and community public health agencies, CCOs, hospitals, health systems, private insurers, businesses, and social service agencies. The report provides a better understanding of how the state is doing as a whole, where your counties fall compared to others in state, and/or may be needing this information to make policy decisions.
Access the full report here
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 HEAL Grant
Grants for HEAL cities in Oregon working on active transportation & healthy food access.
Due November 16th
Grants for ready-to-go projects that improve health & education for children, families & community.
Due October 2nd
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