New Beginning and Small Farmer Bills Introduced - Take Action by March 14!

Thanks to the work of Friends of Family Farmers, new bills have been introduced in Salem to address challenges faced by beginning and smaller farmers in accessing land and capital. Three bills are scheduled for a public hearing at 3pm on Thursday, March 14 in the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources!

• HB 3085 – Creates a new Family Farmer Loan Program to offer direct state loans to family-scale farmers and beginning family farmers for land or equipment.
• HB 3090 – Establishes a new Beginning Farmer and Rancher Incentive Program at the Oregon Department of Agriculture focused on issues of student loan and tuition assistance.
• HB 3091 – Reduces fees and costs to borrowers using the state's existing 'Aggie Bonds' beginning farmer loan program. Aggie Bonds was set up in 2013 to incentivize lower-interest lending by private parties to beginning farmers and ranchers for land and equipment.

You can help us pass these bills by emailing a letter of support for HB 3085, HB 3090 and HB 3091 to the committee before the Thursday hearing. Read more and find out how to submit a letter of support at our most recent Muckboots in the Capitol blog post. 

A fourth bill – HB 3092 – would establish a new, statewide beginning farmer tax credit to incentivize leasing land to beginning farmers and ranchers. This bill has been sent to the House Revenue Committee but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. 

Sign up today to attend our Family Farms Mean Business rally and day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 27 to support these and other bills. 

On Wednesday March 27th, 2019 we will be holding our biennial 'Family Farms Mean Business' Rally and day of action at State Capitol in Salem. This event is for farmers, ranchers, eaters and all those who are part of the Good Food movement. It will feature morning policy presentations, a rally on the Capitol steps at midday, and meetings with your Legislators. There will even be a special Farmers Market inside the Capitol. A continental breakfast, lunch, and facilitated transportation will be provided for those who RSVP by March 20. Oregon's State Legislators and other decision-makers need to hear from you - join us for the day in Salem on Wednesday, March 27 and together we can show them that Family Farms Mean Business! Sign up to attend at the link below.

Come to Salem March 27 to show support for:

• Beginning and small farm access to land and capital 
• Double Up Food Bucks funding
• Agritourism on small farms
• Stopping industrial factory farms in Oregon
• Addressing climate change
• Organic agriculture and local food systems

Calendar of Events

March 19-20: Produce Grower Food Safety Workshop - Hood River

March 19: Sustainable - Film Screening and Discussion - Coos Bay

March 23: Welding and Basic Metalwork for Small Farms - Medford

March 27, 2019: Family Farms Mean Business Day at the State Capitol - Salem

March 28: Managing Organic Matter for Healthy Soils and Productive Crops - Central Point

April 13: Soil School - Portland

Do you have an upcoming event you'd like to put in our Calendar? Submit your event here for consideration. 

Time-Out for New Mega-Dairies

In 2017, Oregon regulators approved the controversial 30,000-cow Lost Valley mega-dairy near Boardman, Oregon. Opponents pointed out that Lost Valley was located in an area with contaminated drinking water and declining groundwater supplies, and that a 2008 program to require mega-dairies to reduce their air pollution was not in effect. Further, a growing number of mega-dairies are flooding the market with milk, driving down prices to historically low levels that are putting family farms out of business in Oregon and across the country. 

Now, the Oregon Legislature is considering putting a 'time-out' on permitting new mega-dairies, as well as reforms to protect family farms, water supplies, and clean air. Take action today to support a moratorium on new mega-dairies in Oregon!

Contact Us

Friends of Family Farmers
249 Liberty St NE, Suite 212
Salem, Oregon 97301
503-581-7124
info@friendsoffamilyfarmers.org
www.friendsoffamilyfarmers.org