FoFF in the Field 2017 - A Busy Summer of Activities Ever wonder what the life of a Field Organizer with Friends of Family Farmers is like? Well, this summer our Field Organizer Lindsay Trant traveled over 1,500 miles visiting farms and ranches, making presentations, tabling, and attending a variety of events. You may have come across her posts on Instagram: @foffinthefield. She ventured from Ashland to Tillamook, to Beavercreek, to Bend and beyond—talking to farmers and ranchers, hearing their stories, and learning about some of the incredible farms and ranches all across Oregon. You can read all about Lindsay's travels, see some great photos, and learn about her work in support of FoFF's Oregon Pasture Network and Oregon Farm Link at our blog. We also hope you will consider making a donation to support Lindsay's great work in the year ahead. | | The pins on this map represent Lindsay's travels this summer. The blue pins are farms and ranches visited for the Oregon Pasture Network and the red pins are events we tabled or presented at. If we didn’t make it to your neck of the woods, email Lindsay so we can soon! | | | | | | Fill Your Pantry Returns to Portland December 3 | |  | It's that time of year again! Across the state, Oregonians are canning, jarring and filling their pantries with the season's harvest before winter comes. To help foster direct connections between farmers and customers, and to encourage bulk purchasing, various groups across the state are organizing 'Fill Your Pantry' community bulk buying events this Fall. These events present an excellent opportunity to purchase larger quantities of staple and storage crops like grains, winter squash, root vegetables, cabbage, apples, honey, pasture-raised meats, and more directly from local farmers and ranchers. Friends of Family Farmers has hosted these events in Portland since 2015, and last year, shoppers directed over $50,000 to local producers at the one day event! Our 2017 Portland Fill Your Pantry is scheduled for December 3 - mark your calendar! The ordering period will open soon, so keep an eye on our Fill Your Pantry page for details when they are announced. Also, check out our calendar on the right for local Fill Your Pantry events coming up in the communities of Corvallis, Eugene, central Oregon, and Hood River. | | Muckboots in the Capitol: Agriculture Work Group Formed to Shape Climate Bill | | In mid-September, leaders of Oregon's House and Senate Environment Committees announced the formation of several work groups to help hammer out the details of a proposed 'Clean Energy Jobs' bill. The bill will be debated in the 2018 Legislative session, creating a 'cap and invest' program that would both cap some of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change, and invest new money into activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One work group is focused on Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Communities and Tribes and the expectation is that some money could be available to farms and ranches that engage in climate friendly practices. This work group met on September 21, and was attended by FoFF's Policy Director Ivan Maluski. The work group is scheduled to meet two more times before mid-November. In our view, a well designed 'cap and invest' program could create significant new resources available for small and mid-sized farms to adopt practices that promote soil health and soil carbon sequestration including: managed rotational grazing of livestock, building soil organic matter, increased use of cover crops, diversified crop rotations, reducing or eliminating use of petroleum-based fertilizers, organic transition and research, and leaving land fallow periodically. It would also ensure that the largest individual agricultural sources of greenhouse gas emissions, like very large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), would not be exempt from the greenhouse gas emissions cap or reporting requirements as is currently proposed. Friends of Family Farmers is very engaged in this process, and we will provide further updates as they become available. Please sign our petition in support of an Oregon climate bill that supports small and mid-sized farms and to let us know this issue is important to you. | | | | |
