Current Projects

Local Farms First Campaign

One of our primary roles as a community resource is serving as a matchmaker between farmers and consumers. We do this for individuals, businesses that serve or produce food (stores, restaurants, processors), and institutions that purchase food (schools, colleges, and hospitals). With the publication of our Locally Grown guide (now in its sixth year) we hope to make it easier for all consumers at this end of the valley to buy from Local Farms First. The Locally Grown farm listings and product index are now searchable on-line. Click here to view the guide.

Farmland Preservation

Long term community food security starts with protecting our best agricultural soils. Four WFFC board members have taken the lead in coordinating a working group of concerned citizens and organizations to identify remaining prime agricultural land, create educational materials for policymakers and planners, and investigate working land trust models. They have organized a detailed inventory and mapping project that will identify prime agricultural soils within and around the urban growth boundary.

Bean and Grain Project

WFFC is joining forces with our colleagues at Ten Rivers Food Web in Corvallis to come up with innovative ways to support farmers willing to transition acreage currently in grass seed into plots growing organic beans and grains. We believe growing more beans and grains in the Willamette Valley and selling them locally vs. shipping them elsewhere, are critical steps toward strengthening our regional food system. We are working to develop local markets (co-ops and buying clubs) and build infrastructure (processing and storage) to create incentives for farmers considering making the transition. Read an extensive report by Dan Armstrong on the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project

Year-round Farmers’ Market

The idea for a year-round farmers' market has been in and out of popular discussion for several years now. WFFC recently began hosting a series of facilitated discussions to explore the possibilities of creating a permanent, open-air, year-round, home for the Lane County Farmers’ Market. Our intention as host is to foster a dialogue honoring all possibilities while keeping the focus on the current Market’s need for expansion. All stakeholders, including the public, are invited to join in the discussion. Current participants include: local farmers, Farmers’ Market vendors and staff, Saturday Market vendors and staff, city and county planners, and interested citizens. A newly formed Working Group has researched other year-round markets throughout the country, and will soon conduct surveys of regular market customers (as well as local residents who do not shop at the Farmer’s Market). E-mail info@lanefood.org to get involved.

Local Food For All

WFFC is exploring ways to increase access to locally grown food in low-income neighborhoods and to increase availability of subsidized CSA shares and Farmers’ Market Dollars for families in need.