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

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 choices to the...

Amy Garrett, Chip Bubl, Garry Stephenson, Maud Powell, Lauren Gwin, Melissa Fery, Heather Stoven | Jun 2021 | OSU Extension Catalog 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, streamline operations, and play a crucial role in developing our state’s local food system to a scale that is competitive in mainstream markets.

Lauren Gwin, Kiara Kashuba | Mar 2021 | Publication

Seeing Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Community Food System Indicators

The current set of Community Food System (CFS) indicators developed by the Oregon Community Food System Network (OCFSN) obscures the differential access to power and resources experienced by people with varying identities. Bringing a...

Shannon Caplan, Lauren Gwin | Feb 2021 | Article

La guía de buenas prácticas para el sacrificio al aire libre de aves de corral

Los productores de aves de corral en Oregón que cumplen con ciertas condiciones pueden sacrificar sus pollos, pavos y otras aves de corral al aire libre. Sin embargo, deben cumplir con los requisitos para la sanitización, el...

Rebecca Thistlethwaite, Lauren Gwin | Aug 2020 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

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 resources can ...

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

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

Updated CFS indicator data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture are available on OSU Extension’s Rural Communities Explorer’s Communities Reporter Tool for the state and all counties. The CFS Indicators are a partnership between OSU Extension and the Oregon Community Food Systems Network.

Lauren Gwin, Shannon Caplan | Jun 2019 | Article

Oregon's Community Food Systems Indicators 2019 Profiles - Census of Ag Updates

Browse this PDF to find printed data for all 36 counties in Oregon which provides updated indicators from the Community Food System Indicator dataset. Find this data online at https://oe.oregonexplorer.info/rural/CommunitiesReporter/

Jun 2019 | Educational document

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

New Community Food System Indicators on OSU’s Rural Community Explorer!

Updated data on Oregon’s food processors, food stores, farm employment and compensation, and SNAP access are available on OSU Extension’s Rural Community Explorer’s Communities Reporter for the state and all counties. The CFS ...

Lauren Gwin, Mallory Rahe | Mar 2019 | Article

Oregon's Community Food System Indicators 2019 Profiles

Browse this PDF to find printed data for all 36 counties in Oregon which provides updated indicators from the Community Food System Indicator dataset. Find this data online at https://oe.oregonexplorer.info/rural/CommunitiesReporter/

Mallory Rahe, Lauren Gwin, Shannon Caplan, Benjamin Antolin | Jan 2019 | Educational document

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. Growing Farms ...

Lauren Gwin | Aug 2018 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

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 guidelines. It ...

Sara Runkel, Lauren Gwin, Kelly Streit | Jun 2018 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

La Ley de Oregon Sobre la Venta Directa Desde la Finca: Productos de Valor Agregado Procesados por Productores—Una guía para granjeros y gerentes de mercados

La Ley de Oregon Sobre la Venta Directa Desde la Finca permite que los granjeros conviertan sus productos agrícolas en productos de valor agregado de bajo riesgo y que los vendan directamente a los consumidores sin tener ...

Sara Runkel, Lauren Gwin, Kelly Streit | Jun 2018 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Economic Impact of Local Food Producers in Central Oregon

In 2016, OSU Extension, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, and the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance conducted a study of the economic pact of local food in Central Oregon. What follows is the Executive Summary of the ...

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

In 2016, the Oregon Legislature passed a law that allows people to produce certain baked goods and confectionary items in their home kitchens and sell them directly to consumers without having to obtain a food establishment ...

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

Oregon's Home Baking Bill: Excepción de cocina residencial para productos de panadería y confitería

En 2016, la legislatura de Oregón aprobó una ley que permite a la gente producir ciertos productos de panadería y confitería en sus cocinas domésticas y venderlos directamente a los consumidores sin tener que obtener una ...

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

Oregon's Community Food System Indicators

The Community Food System Indicators are 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 | Collection

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

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

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

Economic Impact of Local Food Producers in Central Oregon

Local food connects communities with their farmers, ranchers and is a value that is important yet difficult to measure. This report estimates the current and potential economic impact of locally produced food in the tri-county region of Central Oregon.

Lauren Gwin, Mallory Rahe, Katrina Van Dis, Jess Weiland | Oct 2017 | Publication

How Has Cannabis Legalization Affected Small Farms So Far?

The legalization of recreational cannabis is changing the farming landscape in parts of Oregon. Oregon voters passed Measure 91 in November 2014, and recreational cannabis became legal in the state the following July. Prompted by ...

Lauren Gwin, Maud Powell | 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 benefit from ...

Lauren Gwin | Jul 2016 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Aggie Bonds Now Available at a Bank Near You

When young and beginning farmers start to farm or want to expand their operations, they often don’t have access to affordable financial capital for land, equipment, and input purchases. The cost of land, in particular, can be...

Lauren Gwin | Jul 2014 | Article

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 recommendations are ...

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

New Poultry Processing Options in Oregon

You may have heard about “the chicken bill,” passed by the Oregon legislature and signed by the governor on May 19th, 2011. All the details are not yet worked out, but this new law should give very small poultry ...

Lauren Gwin | May 2012 | Article

USDA-Inspected Poultry Processing in Scio, OR

Scio Poultry Processing, in Scio, will begin operating as a USDA inspected plant in early October. They will process chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys under inspection two days a week. Scio Poultry is the first USDA-inspected ...

Lauren Gwin | Jan 2011 | Article

Meat and Poultry Buying at Farmers’ Markets: A Survey of Shoppers at Four Markets in Oregon

Before meat and poultry vendors attempt to expand their farmers’ market share, it is important for them to know why sales are so far limited, if that trend can be reversed, and if so, how. To answer these questions, we...

Lauren Gwin, Larry Lev | Oct 2009 | Article

Report ID:
Report ID:

Email Lauren Gwin

CAPTCHA

Please answer this simple math question. We use it to help prevent SPAM entries from bots. Thank you!

2 + 4 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.