January 2024 Newsletter
Extended version | Published January 2nd, 2024
OCFSN January Newsletter
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The OCFSN Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program is Now Accepting Applications!
OCFSN’s Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program is now accepting applications from January 1, 2024 through March 1, 2024.
All application materials and grant program details can be found at https://ocfsn.org/disaster-resilience-grant and a Spanish version can be found at https://ocfsn.org/resiliencia-agricultore. Please share this low barrier to access funding opportunity with your farmer networks. A program overview document can be found here.
OCFSN is holding two virtual information sessions for this grant program. First is a public info session on January 4th at 11am. Please share this as well. Registration is required, and here is the link. This meeting will have live simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and will have a Spanish and English recording on our Youtube channel. We are also holding a virtual grant meeting for Farming for the Future Working Group members (anyone with OCFSN can join) on Friday, Jan. 5th at 2pm. We will talk about the OCFSN Disaster Resilience Grant and Amy Gilroy will share about the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant. Here is the link for that meeting.
Finally If you would like to join our Grant Review Committee (a paid contract position) please apply here - https://forms.gle/gjo4T6MbM34UbnJW8. We will confirm recruitment for this important role that helps us to equitably distribute these funds in early January.
Grant Program Background:
During the 2023 Oregon Legislative Session, $2.65 million was allocated to the Oregon Community Food Systems Network (OCFSN) for the Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program. This essential and nationally unique funding will support Oregon’s small and underserved producers to be more resilient to climate impacts such as heat, smoke and drought.
This Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program builds on the successful OCFSN 2022 Farmer and Rancher Disaster Relief Program. With guidance from farmers, a diverse group of community members, farmer supporting organizations, and OSU extension experts, this program will quickly and fairly distribute these funds to producers across the state to build more on-farm resilience starting in the 2024 farming season.
Funding from these grants is for on-farm disaster resilience projects and plans. Project categories include: Irrigation and Water Efficiency; Shading and Cooling; Soil Health Management; Crop Management; Ecosystem Management; Equipment Purchase, Rental or Refurbishment; and On-Farm Planning, Monitoring, and Research. Our list of Potential Allowable On-Farm Resilience Strategies highlights the types of projects eligible for funding. This list is not exhaustive and applicants may propose other activities/expenses to increase their resilience to climate related disasters.
A huge thank you to all the OCFSN members, Oregon Legislature, and supporting organizations and individuals who have made this grant program possible!
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The last quarter of 2023 wrapped up with two events that we want to make sure to celebrate.
Southern Oregon Regional Convening
OCFSN’s first Southern Oregon Regional Convening took place in Grants Pass in November! We welcomed 46 participants at the full day gathering which featured an “update and need sharing activity” designed to foster collaboration, break down silos, and eliminate geographic barriers to support the activities and projects shared. We connected, got informed and discovered new opportunities for collaboration.
Oregon Farm to Institution Collaborative
A group of over 40 food system practitioners, institutions, and producers attended a kick-off meeting for the Oregon Farm to Institution Collaborative (OFIC) in November. Participants discussed the history of Farm to Institution in the state, explored challenges and opportunities in the space moving forward, reflected on OFIC's purpose and values and were led through an activity to propose working groups for the collaborative.
OFIC is funded by a USDA Regional Food System Partnership grant through 2025. Organizing Team members are Health Care Without Harm, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Mudbone Grown, and the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network.
Key goals include the formation of this community of practice, improvements to efficiencies along the institutional food service supply chain to support more producers, and solutions to address gaps and barriers that contribute to inequities in the food system.
OFIC’s first quarterly meeting will be February 9th from 2-4 PM.
Here is the link to join.
To get involved, please email OFIC coordinator Aliza McHugh at amchugh@hcwh.org and check out the form here for Work Group options.
Southern Oregon Regional Convening Josephine Grange Needs and Offers Exercise
Abundance table from Southern Oregon Regional Convening
November 3 Veggie Rx Working Group Convening at Estrada Supermarket in Gresham, OR
Northwest & Rocky Mountain RFBC Website is live!
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. -
The December Food Hub meeting centered around the RFBC and upcoming funding opportunities. Meeting recording, ODA presentation slides, and notes can be found here.
The OCFSN Food Hub Worker Safety and Infrastructure Grant Program is launching on February 1. Learn more on our website. Applications for the contract Food Hub Grant Support Coordinator are due on January 11. Learn more about the role and apply on our Jobs page.
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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
We are also planning to apply for funding through the Medicaid Food Security Partners Program. The grant would help pay for a part-time contract coordinator, stakeholder engagement time to participate in a learning cohort, and build additional capacity for Veggie Rx in Oregon! The grant would take place over 18 months and the proposal is due on Jan. 19th.
Would you like to participate?! We are looking for:
Existing OR new Veggie Rx programs who are interested in offering Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) health food support to Medicaid transition populations through the new 1115 Waiver policy.
Programs that are currently serving OR plan to serve children/families
Programs that can commit to attending monthly learning cohort meetings over the course of 18 months (March 2024 - Sept. 2025)
Willingness to share their thoughts and experiences navigating the new policy implementation
Interest in creating a referral process for continued member support beyond program service period (this might include partnerships with SNAP and WIC outreach)
Interest in supporting additional policy advocacy efforts related to food security and Medicaid
Please contact Kaely Summers at summerka@ohsu.edu by Jan. 5th, 2024 if you are interested.
Upcoming Webinar: Jan. 17, 2024 - Explore The FED Principle®, a new model that centers on the core values of Fidelity, Equity, and Dignity (FED) in the Produce Prescription (PRx) field. A variety of speakers from the field, including a PRx program practitioner, will provide an overview of the newly created FED Community Workbook, an equity framework that outlines common language and valuable examples you can incorporate in your PRx program.
Visit fed.wholesomewave.org to download the FED Community Workbook and supporting resources.
Our next scheduled working group (virtual) convening: Jan. 31st, 9:00-10:30 AM
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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!
We need a few more Grant Review Committee Members. If you would like to participate on our Grant Review Committee, please visit this form with more info and apply.
Working Group News
We had a tremendous 2023 as a Working Group! Below are some highlights of the work we did together. Thanks to everyone for being excellent collaborators and for your dedication to working with producers to create a more just food system in Oregon. We hope more folks join us in 2024, and let’s build on our 2023 success!
2023 Farming for the Future Working Group Overview
Number of meetings: Subgroups met around 30 times in 2023
List participation: We have 200 participants on our listserv and had over 100 posts in 2023
YouTube Channel: 10 videos on our Channel with 176 views
Collaborative Projects and Funding Secured: Working group members were very successful in securing collaborative funding in 2023
Oregon State funded Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program
USDA RFSP - CALF Oregon Project
OSU Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems also provided pre-project funding for CALF.
Continued two BFRDP Projects and secured second year match for the Transitioning Oregon’s Farmland BFRDP
We hosted our Climate and Ag. Tricky Topics Series with presentation from experts on ag. soil carbon sequestration, western water law and sustainable ag, and climate change and crop insurance.
Cooperative Farming - We hosted a track at the 2023 Small Farms Conference and Rogue Farm Corps hired their Collaborative Farming Specialist
And more, come join this work!
Working Group Convening: Working group members met to build their relationships and strengthen collaboration in February 2023 in Salem. We plan to convene again in April 2024. If you would like to be on the working group planning team, contact andrew@ocfsn.org.
Upcoming Meetings:
We are holding a virtual grant information meeting on Friday, Jan. 5th at 2pm. We will talk about the OCFSN Disaster Resilience Grant and Amy Gilroy will share about the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant. Here is the link for that meeting.
The next Beginning Farmer & Rancher Subgroup meeting is on February 15 at 10am. Zoom link
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The Community Food Systems at the Legislature Working Group
Our working group is excited to welcome OSU student, Summer Wong, as our 2024 Policy Intern! She will be supporting the group to collaborate during the 2024 short session and expand OCFSN’s policy work. Summer will also be helping the Public Policy Skills and Engagement Opportunities Working Group continue our Farm Bill series in 2024. Connect with her at an upcoming policy meeting or send an email to get involved, summer@ocfsn.org.
The Working Group met on 12/12/23 to continue preparations for the 2024 Short Legislative Session. Here is the meeting recording and the meeting notes. If you are interested in engaging with food systems and legislative issues/opportunities please join this working group’s listserv. Our next working group meeting is Jan 9th at 11:30am - Zoom link.
How did OCFSN impact your organization in the past year?
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
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Add virtual events to your calendar by visiting the Oregon Food Systems Calendar.
January 4th | 11:00 - 12:00 pm: Disaster Resilience Grant Program Info Session Register Here.
January 5th | 2:00 - 3:00 pm: F4tF OCFSN and ODA Grant Program Info Session
January 23rd | 1:00 - 2:20 pm: Food Hub Working Group Monthly Meeting
January 31st | 9:00 - 10:30 am Veggie Rx Working Group Quarterly Meeting
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In addition to the OCFSN Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program, 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.
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Farm Commons: Circle of Resilience - A Legal Risk Exploration Peer Support Group! Farmer Michelle Week from Good Rain Farm is hosting this FREE four-part virtual 90-minute gathering of farmer peers that will provide an opportunity to connect, engage and learn from each other so that you can develop your legal risk management plan, prioritizing what feels most immediate for your operation. Registration closes on January 5, 2024, and registration is capped at ten so make sure to register here today!
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. Register before February 1st for early bird pricing.
Registration for the 2024 Oregon Farm to School Conference is also open now! Early bird registration pricing is available through January 12th. The conference will take place on February 15th and 16th at the same venue as the OSU Small Farms Conference. The purpose of the Oregon Farm to School Conference is to support members of Oregon’s farm to school and school garden community in their work to provide farm and garden-based education and incorporate healthy, local food into school meals for students grades PreK-12. The audience for this conference is food service directors and staff, farmers/producers, distributors, enrichment instructors, OSU Extension staff and volunteers, classroom teachers, school administrators, government agency staff, non-profit staff, and parents and community volunteers and others working to support Oregon’s farm to school and school garden programs.
This year’s conference will feature a Local Purchasing Connections Event on February 16th at 12:30 pm. This is an opportunity for Oregon farmers, ranchers and food producers to connect with school food buyers about making local purchases! Registration for the Conference is required to participate in the Local Purchasing Connections Event . Travel and registration scholarships are available (requests due by January 8th) for the Oregon Farm to School Conference as well as a 50% discount if you are registered for the Small Farms Conference. Farmers, ranchers and food producers are also asked to sign up ahead to participate in the Local Purchasing Connections Event here.
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Visit our Jobs page to learn about employment opportunities.
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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.