Search OSU Extension

Launching a farm business is no small task. Even skilled growers who embody the creative, rugged, jack-of-all-trades image must be able to apply sound business practices, establish and maintain robust farm networks, navigate complex financial systems, and demonstrate a variety of nontraditional abilities like social media savvy. Throw on top of that the thin profit margins, the ...

Rowan Steele | Apr 2018 | Article

While the type of soil is important, location takes precedence when starting a vineyard for wine production.

Patricia Skinkis | Sep 2018 | Article

It’s strawberry season and even we have caught strawberry fever! The Mid-Valley Small Farms team is excited to announce that they are conducting new research on strawberry production. This Research and Extension program, supported by the Oregon Strawberry Commission, will focus on best practices for organic and conventional, day-neutral strawberries for fresh market.

Victoria Binning | May 2018 | Article

Whole Farming Principles and Strategies

Maud Powell, Nick Andrews, Melissa Matthewson, Shelley Elkovich, Gwendolyn Ellen, Tim Franklin, Don Tipping | Jul 2015 | Article

Most recently, my husband and I purchased a small farm in southern Oregon-ten acres in the Applegate Valley, a mixture of pasture, woodland, hills and weeds. We were delighted when we went into escrow and could not wait to be on the land mapping out our ideas and dreams. We did not expect the process to take six months and turn into an arduous and exhausting real ...

Melissa Matthewson | Dec 2007 | Article

Friends of Family Farmers launched the Oregon Pasture Network (OPN) in the summer of 2016 to provide marketing and networking support to pasture-based livestock producers throughout Oregon. OPN currently has 26 “Pasture Partners” who have taken a pledge to raise their animals on pasture in a humane and ecologically responsible manner, providing their animals a high quality of ...

Lindsay Trant | Oct 2017 | Article