Lauren Gwin

Community Food Systems Specialist

541-737-1569
[email protected]

Expertise: Local, regional and community food systems , Commercial food processing , Farm food safety

Programs: OSU Small Farms , Farm to School

Links: Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems , Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network

Department/Unit: Crop and Soil Science - Crops Unit

Biography

Lauren is OSU's Extension Community Food Systems Specialist and Associate Director of the Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems. Her extension, outreach, and applied research focus on public policy and regulations, small-scale processing and value chains, and markets within local and regional food systems; small farm profitability and long-term viability; and sustainable community-based food system development. She also directs the national Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network.

Content by Lauren Gwin

Oregon's Farm Direct Marketing Law: Producer-processed Value-added Products—A guide for farmers and market managers

Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law allows farmers to turn what they grow into low-risk, value-added products and sell them directly to consumers without being licensed food processors. This publication clarifies the ...

Sara Runkel, Lauren Gwin, Kelly Streit | Jun 2022 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

What Can I Do with My Small Farm? Selecting an Enterprise for Small Acreages

Covers the many factors involved in making decisions related to the use of small-farm property. Discusses the small farm as a hobby, an agricultural tax deferral, and a family income. Explains how to match crop...

Amy Garrett, Chip Bubl, Garry Stephenson, Maud Powell, Lauren Gwin, Melissa Fery, Heather Stoven | Jun 2021 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Food Hubs in Oregon

This publication is a list of established and emerging Food Hub ventures in Oregon, with brief descriptions and contact info. Hubs included vary in their size, scope, and structure. All of them work to support producers, ...

Lauren Gwin, Kiara Kashuba | Mar 2021 | Article

Challenges and opportunities in bringing a DEI lens to the Community Food System Indicators

Adding information about race and gender to the Community Food System Indicators can bring disparities in food production and access among Oregon residents into sharper focus.

Shannon Caplan, Lauren Gwin | Jan 2021 | Article

A Best-Practices Guide to Open-Air Poultry Slaughter

Oregon poultry producers who meet certain conditions can slaughter chicken, turkey and other birds in an open-air setting. But they still must meet requirements for sanitation, monitoring, recordkeeping and more. These...

Lauren Gwin, Rebecca Thistlethwaite | Jan 2020 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Updated Community Food System Indicators available on OSU’s Rural Communities Explorer (June 2019)

From what's being grown to the average age of farmers, updated data on Oregon agriculture — from the 2017 Census of Agriculture — is available on OSU Extension’s Rural Communities Explorer’s Communities Reporter Tool.

Lauren Gwin, Shannon Caplan | Jun 2019 | Article

Oregon Agriculture by the Numbers - 2017 Census of Agriculture Data

The Census of Agriculture, conducted every 5 years, provides a comprehensive look at U.S. farms and the people who operate them. This set of articles and educational documents will explore trends in Oregon Agriculture.

Mallory Rahe, Lauren Gwin, Shannon Caplan, Benjamin Antolin | Apr 2019 | Collection

OSU's Rural Community Explorer assembles data on state's food systems

OSU Extension’s Rural Community Explorer’s Communities Reporter offers updated data on Oregon’s food processors, food stores, farm employment and compensation, and SNAP access. Here are some highlights.

Lauren Gwin, Mallory Rahe | Mar 2019 | Article

Oregon Community Food Systems by the Numbers: Oregon's Farmers Markets

Examines the impact of farmers markets in low-income areas of Oregon with low access to supermarkets. One in a series of fact sheets that monitors trends and changes in various dimensions of the food system. ...

Mallory Rahe, Lauren Gwin, Benjamin S. Antolin | Aug 2018 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Economic impact of local food producers in central Oregon

Locally produced food has a big impact on the central Oregon economy. For every dollar spent on local food, 76 cents stays locally vs. 28 cents for imports. And there's room for more growth, according to 2016 study.

Lauren Gwin, Mallory Rahe, Katrina Van Dis, Jess Weiland | Apr 2018 | Article

Oregon’s Home Baking Bill: Residential Kitchen Exemption for Baked Goods and Confectionary Items

Get answers to answers frequently asked questions about Oregon's Home Bakery Exemption.

Lauren Gwin | Apr 2018 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Community food systems indicators in Oregon: An introduction

The Community Food System Indicators is a curated collection within Oregon State University Extension's Rural Communities Explorer. The CFS Indicators span the food system, from production to consumption, and data are available at ...

Shannon Caplan, Lauren Gwin, Mallory Rahe | Mar 2018 | Article

Introduction to Community Food System Indicators

Bringing people and organizations together to maintain a healthy community food system requires a common understanding of issues and shared goals. The Community Food System Indicators provide the data to do just that.

Shannon Caplan, Lauren Gwin, Mallory Rahe | Oct 2017 | Article

Breaking new ground: farmer perspectives on organic transition

This publication explains the positive affects of organic farming, while also presenting farmer perspectives about the transition as well.

Lauren Gwin, Garry Stephenson, Chris Schreiner, Sarah Brown | Mar 2017 | Online resource

Frequently asked questions: Using custom-exempt slaughter and processing facilities in Oregon for beef, pork, lamb, & goat

If livestock producers in Oregon wish to sell meat, they must have their livestock slaughtered and processed at a USDA-inspected facility. Some producers have chosen to sell live animals, which the customers, as the new owners, ...

Lauren Gwin, Jim Postlewait | Dec 2016 | Article

Meat and poultry processing regulations in Oregon: A short guide

Farmers and ranchers around Oregon raise and sell livestock and poultry for a variety of local and regional markets. Processing is a necessary but often complex link in the chain connecting farms to end consumers. Here are ...

Lauren Gwin | Dec 2016 | Article

Practical Strategies to Assess and Improve Small Farm Profitability

Farm profitability, an issue for all farmers, is a particular challenge for small-scale, diversified farms selling primarily into local-direct and specialty-wholesale markets. This publication explores how these farmers can...

Lauren Gwin, Tanya Murray | Jul 2016 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Ag water, soil amendments, exemption conditions top list of FSMA concerns

New federal regulations will likely bring big changes in how food is grown, harvested, packed, and processed in the U.S.; small farms and local and regional food systems will feel it too. The Food Safety Modernization Act, ...

Nick Andrews, Lauren Gwin | Jul 2013 | Article

Enhancing Organic Agriculture in Oregon: Research, Education, and Policy

This report combines different perspectives--farmers, researchers, and food system stakeholders across statewide and sub-regional scales--to shed light on what is needed to enhance organic agriculture in Oregon. Some ...

Garry Stephenson, Lauren Gwin, Maud Powell, Amy Garrett | Jul 2012 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

OSU Extension Small Farms Program will use grants to strengthen Oregon’s food systems

OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems and the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network received more than $800,000 in grant money.

Kym Pokorny | Dec 21, 2021 | News story

Oregon State to co-lead $30 million USDA regional food business center

Oregon State University has been selected to co-lead a $30 million U.S. Department of Agriculture regional food business center that will support farmers, ranchers and other food-related businesses to access new markets and navigate federal, state and local resources. 

May 7, 2023 | News story

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