CORVALLIS, Ore. — For the past three years, Terri Emrich has grown garlic, lavender, berries and beans on her farm in Columbia County.
In fall 2021 — her first year operating Rainier Garden Farms — Emrich began selling jams and jellies. She has since expanded to canned pickles, chutneys and other value-added products, made possible by Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing law. The law allows farmers to turn products grown on their farms into low-risk, value-added foods sold directly to consumers without becoming licensed food processors.
Passed in 2011, the law was updated in 2023 to allow additional products, expand sales channels and raise the annual sales limit. Those changes have sparked interest among farmers like Emrich.
“There is a need for more education, and most of the time OSU Extension is where people go for that education,” Emrich said. “There will always be opportunities for education with the farm direct law.”
Extension classes explain law changes
This year, Oregon State University Extension Service has offered classes for small-acreage farmers to explain the law and its 2023 updates. Emrich has helped teach some of the sessions.
The classes cover topics such as operating steam canners, using pH meters and finding approved recipes for canned salsas, jams and other value-added products.
Kelly Streit, an Extension educator specializing in family and community health in Clackamas County, has traveled statewide to teach the workshops.
“As Extension educators, we work with agricultural producers to set them up to successfully implement the law as part of their farm business,” said Streit, who co-authored Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law: Producer-processed value-added products, a guide for farmers and farmers market managers.
Added value creates new selling options
Extension has hosted workshops in Benton, Clackamas, Columbia, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah and Washington counties, helping producers learn how to incorporate farm direct sales into their operations.
Carrie Mack, an Extension education program assistant in Lane County, said one goal is to help farmers recognize the range of selling options available.
“This gives farmers the ability to take produce that isn’t visually appealing and might not sell at market and add value by preserving it, such as making a salsa,” Mack said.
Sonya Brown, program coordinator for the Lane County Farmers Market in Eugene, said the law also extends the selling season and increases shelf stability, which can reduce food waste.
What the law allows
Under the law, producer-processed value-added products may include high-acid, acidified and lacto-fermented fruits and vegetables. All products must have a final pH of 4.6 or lower to ensure food safety.
Acidified foods include cucumbers, beets and peppers, while lacto-fermented foods include kimchi and sauerkraut. Acidified foods rely on standardized vinegar or lemon or lime juice to lower pH during processing.
All products must be grown and processed by the farmer. Home canners may not sell value-added products under this exemption unless they produce all of the ingredients themselves. Certain ingredients — including herbs, spices, salt, vinegar, pectin, lemon or lime juice, honey and sugar — may be purchased from standardized sources.
The 2023 updates also added bigleaf maple and walnut syrup, fruit and vegetable juices and herbal blends such as teas and dried herbs. The annual gross sales limit for value-added products increased to $50,000, and products may now be sold under consignment in the same or adjoining counties.
Anyone interested in selling value-added products made from their own crops can consult OSU Extension’s Home Food Safety and Preservation Program for tested recipes and food safety guidance.
From tradition to income
Emrich, who farms near Rainier, is a Master Food Preserver certified in both Oregon and Washington. Canning has long been part of her family tradition.
“The Master Food Preserver program was a great way to transition canning skills into something that could bring in extra income through value-added products,” Emrich said.
