Farm Direct Value Added

Photo of jars of dill beans in hot water bath

Introduction

Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law allows farmers to turn what they grow into low-risk, value-added products like jams and pickles, and to sell them directly to customers without a food processors license. 

Start Here

Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law: Producer-processed Value-added Products (revised February 2024): A guide for farmers and market managers has a flow chart letting farmers know if their products qualify for the license exemption. 

 

 

To view the full list of exemptions from the Oregon Department of Agriculture's  (ODA) Food Safety Division read What Can I Do Without a License? 

Field to Market Demonstration Videos

To ensure that products sold under the Oregon Farm Direct Marketing Law are legal and safe, the OSU Extension Service Family and Community Health Program in Clackamas County created a series of five 10-minute videos to explain the law and teach research-based food preservation techniques for using a pH meter, water bath canning fruit syrups, pickling hot peppers, fermenting vegetables, and drying apples and apple fruit leather.  

Click on the images for videos.  

Guidance on Canning Recipes and Techniques

If you produce acidified foods, visit these resources for canning recipes and techniques

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning: https://nchfp.uga.edu/resources/category/usda-guide 

National Center for Home Food Preservation: https://nchfp.uga.edu/

OSU Home Food Preservation: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/food/preservation

Going Beyond Farm Direct

Visit these resources if your product no longer qualifies for farm direct exemption

Certified Kitchen Finder: https://www.thekitchendoor.com/kitchen-rental/oregon 

OSU's Food Innovation Center: https://fic.oregonstate.edu 

PCC Getting Your Recipe to Market https://www.pcc.edu/climb/small-business/getting-your-recipe-to-market/

For more information about licensing requirements for domestic kitchens and commercial facilities, and to find your local ODA food safety specialist, visit the ODA Food Safety Program web page:  https://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/FoodSafety

Better Process Control School: https://foodsci.oregonstate.edu/foodsci/extension-outreach/learning-oppo...