February 2024 Newsletter

Extended version | Published February 2nd, 2024

OCFSN February Newsletter

  • We are excited to be half way through our open application period for the Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program. Applications close on March 1st.

    Now is a great time to share this opportunity again with your farmer networks and producer communities. There is still plenty of time to apply!

    For all details on the grant program visit - https://ocfsn.org/disaster-resilience-grant

    We are also hosting a final online grant info session for producers on Feb. 6th at 10am.

    OCFSN staff will present details and answer applicant questions about the Grant Program. This event will have live interpretation in Spanish. Please share this info session with your farmers as well.

    Please register for this event - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqdeGtpj0jG9eJ5onrZqMFbwooWLaJtMAG

  • As part of the network of USDA Regional Food Business Centers, the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center supports a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system.

    Sign up for to receive updates about events and funding opportunities offered through the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center.

    nwrockymountainregionalfoodbusiness.com

Working Group Updates

  • 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 the January Food Hub meeting we learned about the New Entry Food Hub in Eastern Massachusetts from Alison Arnold. Caitlin Seyfried from Food Works Group shared about our new Program Staff Mentorship & Development Project. We had a conversation about the many ways that hubs provide their farmers with “technical assistance” and areas that hubs might benefit from extra support. Meeting recording, presentation slides, and notes can be found here.

    Apply now for Worker Safety Grants and Infrastructure Grants available through the OCFSN Food Hub Worker Safety and Infrastructure Grant Program. The application period is February 1st through March 15th. Learn more here.

    Upcoming Meeting: The next Oregon Food Hub Club Monthly Meeting is on February 27 at 1:00pm. Zoom link.

  • Since our in-person convening in early November, the Veggie Rx Working Group is contracting with DAISA Enterprises to support work in three priority areas:

    Update our Veggie Rx Working Group strategic plan using the Fidelity, Equity, and Dignity (FED) principles

    Funding strategies and opportunities to build both the capacity of the working group and individual Veggie Rx programs

    Introduce the Veggie Rx Working Group to policy/advocacy experts working on the national level to advise our policy strategy

    Our next scheduled working group (virtual) convening will be on April 24th at 9am.

  • The OCFSN Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant is now live! All details can be found at https://ocfsn.org/disaster-resilience-grant. Please share far and wide!

    Upcoming Meetings:

    The next Beginning Farmer & Rancher Subgroup meeting is on February 15 at 10am. Zoom link

  • The Community Food Systems at the Legislature Working Group

    Please connect with Summer Wong, OCFSN Policy Intern, at summer@ocfsn.org if you have any questions.

    The next monthly working group meeting is on Tuesday, February 13th from 11:30am-12:30pm. We will be discussing the 2024 short legislative session which starts February 5th as well as other items including a potential funding opportunity for the working group. Here is the Zoom link for the meeting, as well as the ongoing meeting notes. Email cfs-policy+subscribe@ocfsn.org to join that working group list.

    Policy, Engagement, Advocacy and Skills (PEAS) Working Group | Nonprofit Lobbying and Advocacy 101 Session 3/7

    The Working Group is hosting a nonprofit Lobbying and Advocacy 101 session on March 7th at 11am (Zoom). Come learn from Alice Morrison from Friends of Family Farmers about the ins and outs of how nonprofits can advocate and lobby for food systems policy.

    To learn more and get updates, join this list by emailing - public-policy+subscribe@ocfsn.org

How did OCFSN impact your organization in the past year?

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

  • Add virtual events to your calendar by visiting the Oregon Food Systems Calendar.

    • February 6th | 10:00 am: Disaster Resilience Grant Program Info Session | Register Here.

    • February 13th | 11:30 am: Community Food Systems at the Legislature Working Group Meeting

    • February 15th | 10:00 am: Beginning Farmer & Rancher Subgroup Meeting

    • February 27th | 1:00 pm: Food Hub Working Group Monthly Meeting

  • In addition to OCFSN Grant Programs, there are several other grant programs that will be open for applications in the months ahead. We will be working to keep our Grants page updated with information about current and upcoming funding opportunities.

  • The 2024 OSU Small Farms Conference will take place on Saturday, February 17th in Corvallis, Oregon at the LaSells Stewart Center on the Oregon State University campus. This conference is geared toward farmers, agricultural professionals, food policy advocates, students and managers of farmers markets. Educational sessions are offered on a variety of topics relevant to Oregon small farmers. Speakers include farmers, OSU Extension faculty, agribusiness, and more. Information and Registration HERE.

  • Visit our Jobs page to learn about employment opportunities.

  • Visit our Volunteer page to learn about volunteer opportunities.

Please reach out to info@ocfsn.org with any questions regarding the content of this or future newsletters. To get email notifications when newsletter issues drop, join our mailing list below.