December 2025 Newsletter
Published December 16, 2025
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We are excited to share resources and reflections from OCFSN’s 10 Year Anniversary Convening. It was great to host so many from the network and for those of you who were not able to join us in person, thank you for honoring your bandwidth and we hope you’ll join us when we gather virtually in January (see below).
You can find slide materials in this2025 OCFSN Convening folder
Conflict Exploration Workshop: Please fill out this feedback survey if you attended and reach out if you’d like a copy of the slides.
In the meantime, if you aren’t already on our listservs, we encourage you to read this page on How to Join OCFSN’s Working Group Listservs to stay connected to the OCFSN Community and Working Group specific email lists.
If you’re not sure where you fit in, send us a note and we’ll try and help you find your place or at least other resources to keep you going!
If you have any feedback to share from the convening, please use this form.
A great big thank you again to:
AJ and Medicine Rock for beautiful and intense welcome drum circle
Salishan Coastal Lodge for hosting such a beautiful space and meals
Karen of KF Curates for event production
Mika of M. Martinez Photo for Grief, Gripe, & Glory art installation & videography
marita deLeon of ur higher selfie for Conflict Exploration workshop
Claudia Morales of Terra Soma for Strategic Planning expertise
Central Coast Food Web (CCFW) and Tel-tvm' Siletz Tribal Farm for hosting tours
Central Coast Food Web for sourcing ingredients from Caravan Kitchen (Kale and Collard Greens), Frog Hallow (Carrots), Miss Yvonne (Sablefish), Safe Harbor Seafoods (Tuna Loin), Lovin Seafood (Tuna Loin), Gibson Farm (Brisket), Moondog’s Farm (Asian Pears), Dry Farmed (Apples), Fog Hollow Farm (Whole Chicken). Pears from Gorge Grown Farmer Collective and trail mix from Hummingbird Wholesale.
Ecotrust for sponsoring photography and Dan of Dan Rice Photography for the beautiful photos.
Volunteer notetakers, registration desk, session facilitators, art piece set up and tear down, OCFSN Leadership Team and Board, and everyone who pitched in to make this event a success!
All of you for sharing your time, curiosity, and wisdom with each other
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Register on Zoom for our virtual mini-convening on January 21 from 10:00-noon. We plan to cover the following:
What is OCFSN, how it works, and how to engage with the network
How OCFSN amplifies and connects food systems work in Oregon
Working group highlights from 2025
Recap of key projects
Terra Soma, our strategic planning consultant, will continue the participatory Strategic Planning process by sharing the feedback gathered during the November Convening and continuing the Mission, Vision, and Values review and update. See details on the Strategic Planning process below.
OCFSN Strategic Planning Process and Next Engagement Opportunity:
With support from our contractor, Terra Soma, OCFSN is currently undertaking a strategic planning process, which includes three phases:
Taking Stock: Hearing from organizational stakeholders and exploring key documents to produce a Taking Stock Brief, which summarizes issues, challenges, opportunities, and strategic priorities voiced by OCFSN stakeholders. This phase provides OCFSN stakeholders with the opportunity to explore current and future issues and needs and recommend future directions. (September - December 2025)
Planning: Incorporating findings from the Taking Stock Brief and stakeholder reflections on the Brief and identifying strategic priorities, objectives, strategies, and associated metrics (January - March 2026)
Drafting: Developing, refining, and endorsing a strategic plan draft that includes mission, vision, values, strategic priorities, objectives, strategies and metrics (April - June 2026)
At the November 2025 OCFSN Convening, many attendees participated in lively small group discussions, reviewing the draft Taking Stock Brief and exploring relevant key questions to inform the final version of the Brief and the upcoming Planning phase.
We'd like to hear from you! If you haven't contributed your perspectives on the Taking Stock Brief, or have more to contribute, this brief questionnaire is the place! To answer the questions contained in this form, please review the Taking Stock Brief. All questions refer to this document. You will need to review the Taking Stock Brief prior to completing the survey. Please have your feedback completed by January 9th.
Thank you Convening Sponsors!
Center for Resilient Agriculture & Food Systems
The Roundhouse Foundation
Oregon Food Bank
Trillium Community Health Plan
Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization
Meyer Memorial Trust
USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program
Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc.
Kelley & Co.
East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District
Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District
Oregon Farm to Institution Collaborative
AgWest Farm Credit
OCFSN Updates
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Thank you to 2025 Leadership Team members who are stepping off!
Christina Bentrup and Katy Giombolini
OCFSN is recruiting for new Leadership Team members who represent member organizations and guide the work of OCFSN. OCFSN has grown and matured since its inception 10 years ago and since acquiring 501c3 status in 2022. The Leadership Team has the responsibility to ensure OCFSN is successful in its mission to bring people and organizations together to build trust, develop common purpose, and create collective capacity to build a just and resilient Oregon food system.
Our goal is to have diverse and equitable representation of historically underserved communities; urban, rural, and regional perspectives; and other lived experiences on the Leadership Team. We also welcome all levels of experience. You don’t have to be an “expert” or an Executive Director to serve on the Leadership Team.
Current regional representation on the Leadership Team consists of representatives from organizations working in Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Central Oregon, Southern Willamette, Portland Metro area and statewide. We are encouraging nominations from organizations with BIPOC leadership who directly serve their communities.
Who are we looking for?
People who identify as a person of color, lgbtqia+, or non-binary
Geographic representation in areas not currently covered by current Leadership Team (see above)
Human Resources/People & Culture
Development/Fundraising
Legal Expertise
What is required to serve on the OCFSN Leadership Team?
Any person that represents (staff, key volunteer or board members) an OCFSN member organization and who is approved to serve on OCFSN by their organization is eligible to join the LT.
You are asked to attend our monthly Leadership Team meetings and serve on a committee as needed.
Individuals elected to the LT commit to serving a 3-year term, with a maximum of two terms.
Accepting applications and/or nominations through January 30, 2026
$2,000 opt-out stipend to your organization
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OCFSN is currently looking for 1-2 board members to join in March 2026. Our Board of Directors is made up of 5-7 members.
Who are we looking for?
People who identify as a person of color, lgbtqia+, or non-binary
Development/Fundraising
Legal Expertise
What is required to serve on the OCFSN Board?
A minimum of one board seat must be filled by an elected Leadership Team representative and two board seats filled by individuals from member organizations. Additional board seats can be made up of other individuals with community or issue representation, or legal, accounting, public relations, or other skills and experience deemed beneficial to achieving the OCFSN vision, mission and equity statement.
Accepting applications and/or nominations through January 30, 2026
$2,000 opt-out stipend to you or your organization
The new term begins March 2025.
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Annually, OCFSN member organizations must reaffirm their commitment to OCFSN membership as outlined in the OCFSN bylaws (found at ocfsn.org/vision-mission). Current OCFSN member organizations, please use this form to renew their membership for 2026. All organizations that renewed their membership through the 2025 Convening Registration form have already renewed for 2026 and do not need to complete this form. See below for a list of 2026 member organizations. If you have any questions, please reach out to shin@ocfsn.org and/or andrew@ocfsn.org.
OCFSN members have the responsibility to participate in votes for OCFSN Leadership Team members and new member organizations. Historically, this looks like 2-3 votes per year.
From the OCFSN bylaws - "Section 5. Voting Rights: OCFSN Members will be asked to vote to confirm new members, elect members of the LeadershipTeam, and to decide other matters of priority, policy and governance referred by the Leadership Team or the Board of Directors."
Current 2026 Member Organizations (if your organization is here you do not need to complete the form)
Adelante Mujeres
American Farmland Trust
Black Food Sovereignty Coalition
Cultivate Oregon
Ecotrust
Familias en Acción
Farmers Market Fund
Food Roots
FoodCorps
Friends of Family Farmers
Gorge Grown Food Network
Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. and Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization (EOCCO)
Growing Gardens
High Desert Food & Farm Alliance
Klamath Grown
North Coast Food Web
Northeast Oregon Economic Development District
Oregon Agricultural Trust
Oregon Climate & Agriculture Network
Oregon Farm Corps
Oregon Farm to School Network
Oregon Farmers Market Association
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Health and Science University
Oregon Organic Coalition
Oregon State University Center for Resilient Agriculture and Community Food Systems
Oregon Tilth
Outgrowing Hunger
Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon
Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad
Portland Fruit Tree Project
Rogue Valley Food System Network
The Next Door Inc.
Ten Rivers Food Web
Tualatin SWCD
Umpqua Valley Farm to School
New or Pending OCFSN Members
We currently have a backlog of pending new members. Our goal is to process those membership applications by the end of January 2026. Thank you for your patience as we catch up on those applications.
OCFSN is always accepting applications for new members. You can learn more about that process here, and to apply to be a OCFSN Member organization, please complete this form.
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Like any nonprofit organization, OCFSN is governed by organizational bylaws. In November 2025, the OCFSN Leadership Team and Board voted and approved an amendment to ARTICLE X – BOARD OF DIRECTORS of the OCFSN Bylaws to change the qualifications and make-up of OCFSN’s Board of Directors.
In the original OCFSN bylaws three Board members needed to also be Leadership Team members. The Bylaws have now been amended to require that there be one Leadership Team member who is also a Board member and an additional two Board seats that must be filled by individuals from member organizations.
This change keeps true to the original intent that at least three Board seats are held by representatives of member organizations while not over burdening Leadership Team members by sitting on both OCFSN governing bodies. OCFSN staff, Board President and Leadership Team Chairs regularly attend both Board and Leadership Team meetings, and all meeting minutes are shared between the Leadership Team and the Board. This is the first OCFSN bylaws amendment since the organization’s nonprofit incorporation in 2021.
Links for OCFSN governance Documents:
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The last Oregon Veggie Rx Census report was completed in 2023. This summer, the Veggie Rx working group gathered information to create the 2025 Oregon Veggie Rx Census. The goal was to:
Capture a snapshot of programming in Oregon, before federal funding priority changes impact programs in the state.
Give programs visibility, help program operators in the network connect with each other.
In this year’s survey, we also asked Veggie Rx programs to indicate if they would like to be added to a directory for new program participants to find them. We will plan on adding that information onto our ocfsn.org/veggie-rx by the end of January.
Working Group Updates
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Missed a meeting? You can find recordings of working group meetings on OCFSN’s Youtube Channel and other materials in our Public Google Drive.
Stay looped into the latest news for each of the working groups by joining the mailing lists: How to Use OCFSN Google Groups. -
At th November meeting, Tracy Harding introduced the new Oregon Food Hub Network Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Resource Library. These SOPs are designed to be downloaded and customized to the needs of your hub. To learn more about using the SOP resource Library, check out the November meeting recording and folder with transcript and chat transcript.
These are public documents in our public resource folder. As always, please feel free to share with anyone you like.
Additional advocacy opportunity: I have attached some information about potential OSU budget cuts that would impact Extension. Let your Oregon legislator know the importance of OSU Extension programs to you, your hub, and your producers. Learn more here.
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ICMYI: Our last quarterly meeting of 2025 was in October, watch Meeting Recording and find the Slide Deck Here. Thanks again for the presentations from Kaila Luttrell with UC-VEG, Machayla Fortin with AboutFresh, and Gina Zatairan with OHSU. We appreciate your contributions to the continued learning and collaboration within this group!
A good way to get an overview of this past year is to read through the Veggie Rx / HRSN Learning Collaborative presentation from the November Convening.
Our next quarterly meeting will be in 2026. Join the Veggie Rx google group to stay up to date. You can join by emailing veggie-rx+subscribe@ocfsn.org. You will receive an automated email back which a “click here to join group” if you get an error message, use the reply to the email option and just send back a blank email.
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At the November BFR meeting we discussed passage of FY 26 agriculture appropriations bill and another year-long extension of the previous Farm Bill and what the impact of that will be on Oregon and your programs. Next meeting Feb 19 at 10am we will try to get an USDA or policy expert to provide more clarity on what appropriations and Farm Bill mean for funding programs - Zoom, Calendar Link (there is a new calendar link and Zoom for 2026. Please update your calendars.)
The next Farm Viability meeting is Jan 28 at 2pm. The agenda is TBD. Zoom, Calendar Link
VAPG webinar recording - OCFSN hosted Rich Schwartz, Alder Street Consulting, who did an info session for producers on Value Added Producer Grants (Application Window: January 15 - April 15, 2026). It was very informative and I think would be valuable to service providers to review the presentation and learn more about this funding opportunity.
Friends of Family Farmer’s goals of the Capital Assistance for Local Farmers (CALF) Project were to bring together service providers and funders (both grant makers and traditional loan providers) to create a mutual understanding of the available technical assistance and resource offerings available in the state, to gather data on the true barriers to the success of the smallest producers in our agricultural system, and to develop some tools and recommendations to move this work forward in the immediate future. This CALF Project Final Report is the culmination of this two year project and FoFF is honored to present the findings of the group and opportunities for future research and technical assistance. The CALF Community of Practice developed four recommendations as a jumping off point for further action. Read the full report to read about those recommendations and the rest of the findings - CALF Project FINAL REPORT - 2025.pdf
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The CFS at the Legislature Working Group met on Thursday Dec. 11. The group shared updates on priorities and plan for working group meetings for the 2026 Legislative Session and in this document. Please add your policy or agency tracking updates in that document. This will be the beginning of the 2026 “bills to watch” tracking sheet.
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Thursday, January 22nd, 11:00-12:30 OFIC Working Group will have its first quarterly meeting of 2026 covering updates to Institutional Land Access research, Value Chain Coordination news and the National Farm to Cafeteria conference - come to learn about subwork groups and how to stay up to date with farm to institution in Oregon!
If you are interested in being added to the OFIC listserv, please email oregon-farm-to-institution-collaborative+subscribe@googlegroup.com
Our current OFIC documents and resources are linked here
If you have a key resource for either producers or institutions regarding farm to institution to be added to the webpage, please email Aliza McHugh at ofic-coordinator@ocfsn.org
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Visit OCFSN's calendar page for details on all the food systems related events on our radar.
January 15-16 Food Solutions Summit https://rvfoodsystem.org/summit
January 29-30 Oregon Farm to School Conference Learn more and register here
February 21 OSU Small Farms Conference https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/smallfarmsconference/
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[Due December 31] New Seasons Community Program Application
Focused on organizations in the Portland Metro area. Learn more and apply here.
[Due January 15] National Batching Deadline for Major NRCS Conservation Programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced the establishment of a national January 15, 2026, batching deadline for the first funding round of key conservation programs. This national batching date ensures producers have a clear, consistent timeline for participating in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). This includes the new NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program, which provides targeted Farmer First assistance through EQIP and CSP. NRCS programs are continuous sign-up programs, but due to the government shutdown, the agency is implementing an initial national batching period to ensure producers have access to funding and support.
[Due January 30] Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is now accepting proposals for project ideas as part of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) for 2026. The USDA will make approximately $2 million available to agriculture industry associations, producer groups, processors, commodity commissions, non-profits, for-profits, and local government agencies in Oregon. Funding for Oregon's program is contingent upon federal funding for the SCBGP. The USDA defines specialty crops as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticultural, and nursery crops. For the 2026 SCBGP Request for Proposals, ODA uses a single-phase process called the Grant Proposal Application. ODA will offer online, recorded, virtual training to give applicants an in-depth look at the program and explain the grant-writing process step-by-step. Details, including the online training, are posted on ODA's website. https://oda.direct/SCBGP
[Reviewed Monthly] AgWest - Farm Credit’s Rural Community Grant
AgWest Farm Credit is dedicated to enhancing the economic and social wellbeing of rural communities across the West. Their Rural Community Grant program offers funding to nonprofit organizations working on projects that improve rural areas in Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Eligible projects include facility improvements, equipment purchases, and capital enhancements to support community infrastructure and prosperity.
[Due January 31, 2026] Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program Works
The FSCSC program provides financial assistance for specialty crop operations that incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. This program helps offset costs to comply with regulatory requirements and market-driven food safety certification requirements. More info
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Policy Development and Litigation Support Manager - Columbia River Inter Tribal Fish Commission. Learn more here.
Tilth Alliance in Washington is looking for multiple team members including a Natural Yard Care Project Manager: Garden Hotline Educational Resource Specialist, Community Kitchens Program Project Manager, Field Production Manager, and Natural Yard Care Project Manager: Garden Hotline Environmental Specialist. Learn more here.
Senior Conservationist and Conservation Technician at EMSWCD. Apply by Friday, December 19. Learn more here.
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The Oregon Hunger Task Force (OHTF) has been tasked by Governor Kotek's office to examine and map out Oregon’s food safety net network. Oregon’s Food Assistance System Report published in November 2025
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Our next newsletter will be published February 2026.
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