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Southern Willamette Valley Small Farms

Photo by Lynn Ketchum (Cropped from original)
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We help rural landowners and small-scale farmers to explore possibilities and solve problems. We provide research-based resources for the community, offering educational programming, technical assistance and farmer networking opportunities.

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Faculty & Staff
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Our specialties

  • Small Acreage Stewardship—Addressing land management and soil and water quality for non-commercial small acreages.
  • Commercial Small Farms—Addressing high value horticulture, livestock and poultry, and alternative crop production emphasizing organic and pasture based systems and specialty and niche production. Value-added product development is often integrated with production.
  • Community Food Systems—Addressing alternative and specialty marketing through creation and enhancement of local and regional food systems and farm direct marketing channels. Farmers markets, agritourism, farm to retail and institution sales are special emphasizes.
Photo: Lynn Ketchum (Cropped from original)

Learn what is happening in your community

After Lane County voters approved a levy for Extension in 2016, Melissa Fery, an associate professor of practice and small farms specialist for the south Willamette Valley, was recruited to be based in Lane County.

Upcoming Events

Dec 13

Growing cool weather mushrooms

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Eugene, OR
Dec 14

Before you buy rural land

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PST Online

See all events

Meet our team

Melissa Fery
Small Farms

Contact for small farm, pasture management and agricultural tourism questions from Lane, Benton and Lane Counties

Crystal Kelso
Education Program Assistant 2 - Small Farms & Forestry
Chrissy Lucas
Small Farms, Ground Water Quality Outreach Program Coordinator
Carrie Mack
Education Program Assistant 2, Small Farms and Forestry & Natural Resource programs

Contact for questions about events and programs in Lane County.

Teagan Moran
Ag Small Farms Coordinator

Featured Resources

For the Love of Farming

This series is all about connecting listeners to small scale farmers and ranchers. We come together to talk about their why, how they came to be where they are, challenges, joys, and how they keep going. We are grateful ...

Podcast

With accommodations, Oregon U-pick farms are opening for business

Farmers that feature on-farm picking are gearing up to welcome visitors, starting at the end of May for strawberries and mid- to late June for blueberries.

May 22, 2020 | News story

Poison hemlock and Western waterhemlock: deadly plants that may be growing in your pasture

Poisonous plants are a major cause of economic loss to the livestock industry. Two poisonous plants common to Oregon are poison hemlock and Western water hemlock. Ingestion of either by humans or livestock typically results in death.

Scott Duggan | Jun 2018 | 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

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