Small Farm News - Oregon Small Farms - Oregon State University

Small Farms Oregon Legislative UpdateBy: Maud Powell, OSU Small Farms ProgramThis legislative session includes an unprecedentednumber of bills that affect small farms are up forreview by our state lawmakers. Most of these billshave been sponsored by the Oregon Farmers Marketboard and Friends of Family Farmers. According toOregon Department of Agriculture Deputy DirectorLisa Hanson, “the legislation this session regardingsmall farms reflects a trend that includes an agingfarm population, a broad public discussion about foodand agriculture, interest in local food production, andchallenges of balancing food safety for the publicwithout burdensome regulations on small producers.ODA sees this as an important dialogue that can helpeducate consumers and support Oregon’s diverseagriculture industry.”This article serves as a guide to these bills, with statusupdates as of March 24th, 2011.House Bill 2872: The Poultry Processing BillWhat it says: HB 2872 would provide a processingexemption for producers who raise, slaughter andprocess less than1000 birds per year. These producerswould not need to process poultry in a state or federallyinspected facility. Under this law, poultry could beslaughtered on farms, but then sold only directly toconsumers. Currently, a federal law provides the sameexemption to producers, so this bill would serve toalign state and federal regulations.Current status: HB 2872 has passed the House and isnow in the Senate.House Bill 2336:What it says: HB 2336, written by the Oregon FarmersMarket Board, would ease regulations on some valueaddedfarm products. Low-risk products, like picklesand jams, could be produced without a certified kitchenand sold directly to customers though farmers markets,CSAs, farm stands and buying clubs. Producers couldsell up to $20,000 worth of value-added productsbefore needing to use a certified commercial kitchen.The bill will require labeling indicating the productwas not processed in a certified kitchen. Other states,including Wisconsin, have already passed similar laws.Current status: HB 2872 has passed the House and isnow in the Senate.House Bill 2222:What it says: HB 2222-2, currently has two provisions.The first stipulates that the Governor must considerappointing direct market farmers to the state Boardof Agriculture. The provision is significant becausethe Board of Agriculture is typically comprised ofcommodity farmers. The second provision allowsproperty owners to earn farm deferment benefits ifthey make sufficient farming-related investments in theproperty in their first year. The current law requiresfarmers to document farm income for three consecutiveyears before receiving an agricultural deferment status:Current status: HB 2222 is expected to have a hearingin the House Agriculture CommitteeHouse Bill 2800:What is says: HB 2800 directs the Department ofEducation to provide reimbursements to schooldistricts that serve Oregon food products as part ofUnited States Department of Agriculture’s NationalSchool Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program.Originally, the bill called for $22 million in lotterymonies to fund the reimbursement program. The fundshave been reduced to $1 million.Current status: HB 2800 is still in the HouseAgriculture CommitteeAs these bills continue to move through the Oregonlegislature, representatives and senators are eagerto hear from their constituents. To find out whorepresents you and how to contact them, go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/. These legislativeproposals have made it this far as a result of input fromgrassroots organizations and concerned producersand consumers. As Kendra Kimbirauskas of Friendsof Family Farmers explains, “it’s been great to haveso many bills come to the Legislature this session.We’re finding that Republicans and Democrats alikeare in support of small farms and want to ensure theireconomic viability well into the future. While thesebills won’t solve all of the problems that family farmersand ranchers face, they are major steps in the rightdirection of ensuring that our small farmers are ableto remain competitive.” Stay tuned for more updateson these bills in the next addition of the Small FarmsNews.Oregon Small Farm News Vol. VI No. 2 Page 3