February 2025 Newsletter

Published February 13, 2025

  • First-Term Leadership Team Members:

    1. Penny Feltner, Oregon Coast Fork Watershed Council

    2. Natalie Danielson, Friends of Family Farmers

    3. Delaney Ryde, Klamath Grown

    Returning Leadership Team Members:

    1. Katy Giombolini, Oregon Food Bank

    2. Jason Skipton, Growing Gardens

  • Tanya Murray has departed her role as the Oregon RFBC Coordinator at OCFSN. We are so grateful for her time with us and her dedication to farm viability work in Oregon over the past decade. We wish her well in her next chapter!

  • In January, we celebrated Round 1 Food Hub Worker Safety and Infrastructure grant recipients and hosted a Round 2 Grant Info Session. We heard from Kristy Athens from Wallowa County and Laura Anderson from the Coast. You can view the meeting recording.

    Round 2 of the Food Hub Grants are now open and accepting applications through March 15, 2025.
    Important Notes:

    Please reach out to Caitlin at caitlin@ocfsn.org with any questions! 

  • New grant opportunities are open for applications as part of the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center’s Business Builder Grant Programs.

    Please use the links below to read about the Requests for Applications (RFA) for each grant. 

    These are highly competitive grants. Review the eligibility requirements, application criteria and information about the grant pools to determine if a grant is a good fit for your business and whether to invest your time in applying. 

    Please share this announcement with farm and food businesses in your networks. 

  • In 2024, Oregon dedicated over $6 million to Disaster and Climate Resilience Grant Programs, directly benefiting farmers, ranchers, food hubs, and farmers markets. The 2025 Legislative Session has started and renewal for these funds is included in HB 2979 which was unanimously voted out of committee on Feb. 12 and moves to Ways and Means.

    HB 2979 supports:

    These programs, part of the Legislative Water Caucus' Water Package, are up for renewal in HB 2979.

    Watch the recording from the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water hearing on Feb 5, 2025 to learn about the programs.

    Partners doing food systems advocacy meet at the Community Food Systems at the Legislature Working Group every month on the 4th Friday at 1pm. This working group focuses on food systems policy education and coordination for the Oregon Legislature and is a great place for folks to coordinate with others active in Salem or interested in learning.

    • Next meeting is Feb 28 - 1-2pm - Zoom

    • Here is the recording and notes from January meeting. 

    Please join the Google Group if you would like to get regular updates on policy work this session by emailing cfs-policy+subscribe@ocfsn.org.

  • CONFERENCE CALL FOR PROPOSALS! 


    Resilience and Resistance: Cross-Pollinating Food Movements
    Portland, Oregon - June 22-24, 2025

    We are proud that the first national food systems conference since the pandemic will be hosted at Portland State University this summer!

    The focus of this conference is “Resilience and Resistance: Cross-Pollinating Food Movements,” this event is hosted by the Institute for Social and Economic Development Solutions’ Community Food Projects technical assistance program.

    The OCFSN team and partners will be sharing about our collaborative journey in getting State funding allocated for our local food systems and how we’ve created responsive grant programs for Disaster Resilience for farmers and ranchers, Farmers Markets, and Food Hubs.

    Submit a proposal to hold a workshop, poster session, affinity group, mobilization session, or lightning talk.

    Deadline for proposals is this Friday, February 14. Submit your ideas here!

  • OCFSN is opening up recruitment for 1-2 new Board members to join us this Spring! Learn more here.

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.

  • The Oregon Food Hub Network hosted our annual Accomplishments and Reflections meeting in December, and our January meeting features the NW Food Hub Network and Sisterhood Kitchen Collective. We have also hosted How and When to Work with the Food Innovation Center: A Conversation with Sarah Masoni, in partnership with the NW Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center.

    Our next meeting is February 25, 1:00 - 2:30. Sign up for the Food Hub Network mailing list by emailing food-hub+subscribe@ocfsn.org to automatically receive the calendar invitations.

    Additionally, the second round of Worker Safety and Infrastructure grants opened February 1st.

  • The first two quarterly meetings of 2025 are scheduled for February 18 and May 6, 2025: 9:00 - 10:30 am.

    Sign up for the Veggie Rx mailing list by emailing veggie-rx+subscribe@ocfsn.org to automatically receive the calendar invitations.

    Email veggierx-admin@ocfsn.org with any questions.

  • Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program:

    The Grant Program closed application acceptance on January 31st. The team processed over 200 eligible applications that requested $3 million of $900,000 available for Round Two. A huge thank you to all the community partners who spread the word on the program and helped applicants through the process. We are really excited to share the outcomes and impact of this collaborative project over the past two years. Second Round grant awards will be announced mid March.

    Meetings and Working Group Updates:

    • Next Beginning Farmer & Rancher Subgroup meeting - Thursday Feb 20th at 10 am 

      • Agenda will include a discussion on how folks are planning for upcoming changes and challenges with federal programs and grants, and how can we support each other during this time.

      • Zoom link

    • With Tanya leaving OCFSN and the RFBC we are evaluating the next steps for the Farm Viability Subgroup. If you have not been a part of this subgroup and are working on supporting farm financial viability anywhere in Oregon, please reach out and Andrew will add you to the subgroup list (andrew@ocfsn.org) as we think about next steps.

    • The Transitioning Oregon’s Farmland BFRDP Program is in its third and final year for its current grant. The team is working on its next BFRDP application to submit this spring. If your organization or partnership is applying for a BFRDP this year, please reach out (andrew@ocfsn.org), so we can discuss and make sure our applications are coordinated and as competitive as possible.

    As always, please continue to use the farmingforthefuture@ocfsn.org Google Group to share your updates with working group members and email farmingforthefuture+subscribe@ocfsn.org to join that group.

  • The Community Food Systems at the Legislature Working Group has regular monthly meetings scheduled for the 2025 Session. Please join us every month on the 4th Friday at 1pm. This working group focuses on food systems policy education and coordination for the Oregon Legislature and is a great place for folks to coordinate with folks active in Salem on their food systems bills. It is also a good place for folks who want to listen in and learn more about how state policy advocacy is done in this space.

    • One of the main tools we use in this working group is our Policy Matrix for farm and food systems and other related bills for the 2025 Session. If you have bills you are tracking, please review the matrix and provide your updates. For others, this sheet is a one-stop-shop for learning about food systems bills that are active this session (there are 42 bills in the matrix currently!).

    • Next meeting is Feb 28 - 1-2pm - Zoom

    • Here is the recording and notes from January meeting. 

    Please join the Google Group if you would like to get regular updates on policy work this session by emailing cfs-policy+subscribe@ocfsn.org.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

  • Visit OCFSN's calendar page for details on all the upcoming working group or other OCFSN hosted events.

    • February 18: Veggie Rx Working Group Quarterly Meeting, 9am - Zoom

    • February 19: Food Hub Grant Info Session, 10am - Zoom

    • February 20: Beginning Farmer & Rancher Subgroup Meeting, 10am - Zoom

    • February 25: Food Hub Network Monthly Meeting, 1pm - Zoom

    • February 28: Community Food Systems at the Legislature monthly meeting, 1pm - Zoom

    • February 28: Food Hub Grant Info Session, 2pm - Zoom

    • New grant opportunities are open for applications as part of the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center’s Business Builder Grant Programs.

    • The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)
      Applications are due April 1st, 2025
      The OWEB is now accepting applications for the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP) Conservation Management Planning grant offering. Learn more here.

    • The Restore Grant
      Applications are due February 19th, 2025
      Farmers and ranchers can receive up to $25k to implement climate-smart practices that sequester carbon. Award decisions will be sent by late March, 2025. The grantor, Zero Footprint, selects projects based on the cost per ton of carbon sequestered. Check out their website and access a free toolkit to help with your application!         

    • Travel Oregon Competitive Grants Program
      Applications are due February 27th, 2025
      Travel Oregon dedicates 10% of its budget to competitive grants that strengthen local economies by enhancing and promoting tourism. The 2024-2025 Competitive Grant program focuses on expanding access, celebrating diversity, and breaking down barriers so more people can experience the best of Oregon! Learn more and apply here. 

    • In loving memory of Matthew Choi, Choi's Kimchi and Portland Farmers Market are offering grants of up to $1,500 to support new food and farm businesses looking to launch or expand at any Portland area farmers market. Please visit this page to learn more about the grant eligibility requirements, priorities for receiving awards, and allowable uses of awarded funds. Applications are due by 5 PM PST on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. All applicants will be notified of our decision by Sunday, April 13, 2025. 

    • Due Feb 25: Philanthropy Northwest invites eligible organizations to apply for its Thriving Communities grants! Learn more here.

    • Seasonal School Garden Coordinator at Kelly Elementary. $23.31/hr plus sick pay and mileage reimbursement Learn more here.

    • Procurement & Nutrition Program Manager at Rogue Valley Farm to School. $24-$27/hour, depending on experience. Learn more here.

    • Community Philanthropy Developer - Collective Action at Oregon Food Bank. Learn more here.

    • Bilingual Rural Food Security and Latine Outreach Coordinator at High Desert Food and Farm Alliance. $23–25 per hour depending on experience. Learn more here.

    • Applications OPEN for the 2025-26 RARE AmeriCorps Service Year!

      You might be surprised by what one of our amazing RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) AmeriCorps members can accomplish for your community! Whether it’s collaborating with planners and residents to help rebuild wildfire-affected communities; conducting critical community outreach and engagement around rural solar or broadband; creating a downtown master plan; coordinating a food trail; or helping ignite the local entrepreneurial ecosystem—our members help create catalytic change in rural Oregon communities. Host organizations receive 11 months of service from a skilled RARE member. Applications are due April 1, 2025 by 5pm. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & APPLY! Get the inside scoop at an upcoming information session on Zoom:

      February 4 at 11amand March 6 at 12pm

    • Climate and Soil Health Outreach Specialist at American Farmland Trust. $60-70k annual salary. Learn more here.

    • Program Assistant - Produce Prescription at Vancouver Farmers Market. Part-time, Seasonal, 8 hours per week. Learn more here.

Our next newsletter will be published April 2025.

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