Small Farms Oregon Legislative Update
This legislative session includes an unprecedented number of bills that affect small farms are up for review by our state lawmakers. Most of these bills have been sponsored by the Oregon Farmers Market board and Friends of Family Farmers. According to Oregon Department of Agriculture Deputy Director Lisa Hanson, “the legislation this session regarding small farms reflects a trend that includes an aging farm population, a broad public discussion about food and agriculture, interest in local food production, and challenges of balancing food safety for the public without burdensome regulations on small producers. ODA sees this as an important dialogue that can help educate consumers and support Oregon’s diverse agriculture industry.”
This article serves as a guide to these bills, with status updates as of March 24th, 2011.
House Bill 2872: The Poultry Processing Bill
What it says: HB 2872 would provide a processing exemption for producers who raise, slaughter and process less than1000 birds per year. These producers would not need to process poultry in a state or federally inspected facility. Under this law, poultry could be slaughtered on farms, but then sold only directly to consumers. Currently, a federal law provides the same exemption to producers, so this bill would serve to align state and federal regulations.
Current status: HB 2872 has passed the House and is now in the Senate.
House Bill 2336:
What it says: HB 2336, written by the Oregon Farmers Market Board, would ease regulations on some value-added farm products. Low-risk products, like pickles and jams, could be produced without a certified kitchen and sold directly to customers though farmers markets, CSAs, farm stands and buying clubs. Producers could sell up to $20,000 worth of value-added products before needing to use a certified commercial kitchen. The bill will require labeling indicating the product was not processed in a certified kitchen. Other states, including Wisconsin, have already passed similar laws.
Current status: HB 2872 has passed the House and is now in the Senate.
House Bill 2222:
What it says: HB 2222-2, currently has two provisions. The first stipulates that the Governor must consider appointing direct market farmers to the state Board of Agriculture. The provision is significant because the Board of Agriculture is typically comprised of commodity farmers. The second provision allows property owners to earn farm deferment benefits if they make sufficient farming-related investments in the property in their first year. The current law requires farmers to document farm income for three consecutive years before receiving an agricultural deferment status:
Current status: HB 2222 is expected to have a hearing in the House Agriculture Committee
House Bill 2800:
What is says: HB 2800 directs the Department of Education to provide reimbursements to school districts that serve Oregon food products as part of United States Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. Originally, the bill called for $22 million in lottery monies to fund the reimbursement program. The funds have been reduced to $1 million.
Current status: HB 2800 is still in the House Agriculture Committee
As these bills continue to move through the Oregon legislature, representatives and senators are eager to hear from their constituents. To find out who represents you and how to contact them, go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/. These legislative proposals have made it this far as a result of input from grassroots organizations and concerned producers and consumers. As Kendra Kimbirauskas of Friends of Family Farmers explains, “it’s been great to have so many bills come to the Legislature this session. We’re finding that republicans and democrats alike are in support of small farms and want to ensure their economic viability well into the future. While these bills won’t solve all of the problems that family farmers and ranchers face, they are major steps in the right direction of ensuring that our small farmers are able to remain competitive.” Stay tuned for more updates on these bills in the next addition of the Small Farms News.
