Last weekend I attended Oregon's
Small Farms Conference at
Oregon State
University in Corvallis.
This is an annual gathering of individuals and organizations that are a
part of the small farms world in Oregon, including Extension staff, non-profit
representatives, agricultural educators and students, farmers market managers,
and of course farmers!
I had a great
time learning new agricultural and marketing techniques, meeting new people,
and seeing old friends.
Here’s a short sampling of what I saw at the conference:
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| Michael Ableman sharing photos from Foxglove Farm |
Michael Ableman was the keynote speaker.
He is a
farmer and author with a range of
interesting experiences in the world of food and agriculture.
He shared a number of those stories with us.
His current project is called
Sole Food, a
program in Vancouver, BC that employs local adults to work on
urban farms that were formerly vacant lots.
Michael also shared with us many beautiful photos from his
Foxglove Farm
on Salt Springs Island
in BC, which also houses
The Center for Arts, Ecology, and Agriculture.
The Small Farms Conference also doubles as the
Oregon
Farmers’ Market Association’s annual meeting.
I learned about some various farmers’ market projects in Oregon including the small Brownsville (population 1700) Farmers Market
operated by the
Calapooia Food Alliance and the Springfield Farmers’
Market which is housed with a commercial kitchen and business incubator program
in the
Sprout! Food Hub.
I also went to
a talk that was focused on marketing to low-income and SNAP customers.
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| Lise Hubbe of SweetWell Farm |
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| Walt Bernard of Ruby & Amber's Organic Oasis |
Of course, the majority of the sessions were focused on
agricultural techniques that can be used in small farms settings.
I learned about using
work horses in a
session taught by two farmers (Lise Hubbe of SweetWell Farm in Scio and Walt Bernard of
Ruby & Amber’s Organic Oasis in Cottage Grove) who use draft animals in their farm
operations.
This was fascinating!
Draft animals can be an excellent addition to
a small farm, as long as the farmer is looking to create a strong relationship
with another living being.
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| Rogue Farm Corps 2013 |
Rogue Farm Corps was one of the many vendors at the
conference.
I got to interact with RFC
twice last week – both at the conference and in Portland at their
Open House for farmers.
I was happy to see the turnout
of Portland-area farmers who are interested in participating in RFC.
Staff members Stu and Megan are doing great
work to grow the beginning farm and rancher movement.
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| The crocuses are blooming here in Portland :) |
After this conference, I’m eager to get the garden going at
home and volunteer with non-profits doing great community food systems work.
