The Oregon State University Extension Service in Lane County welcomes the public to Field to Market: Selling farm direct, producer-processed, value-added products in Oregon. Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law allows small farmers and aspiring food entrepreneurs to produce certain low-risk, value-added products (fruit spreads, pickled and lacto-fermented fruits and vegetables) from the produce that they grow and sell them directly to the consumer without having to obtain a processing license.

The program will be offered on two days: Wednesday, November 8, from 5 – 8 p.m. in Lane County, at the OSU Extension office at 996 Jefferson Street, Eugene; and Thursday, November 9, from 5 – 8 p.m. in Linn County, at 33630 McFarland Road, Tangent.

Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law was passed in 2011 and amended in 2023 to include new products, new sales channels, and a raised sales limit. The passage of the updated law has prompted new interest among those who want to take advantage of the new opportunities. Those who attend this interactive workshop will be able to: interpret and apply the new guidance to a potential product; design a sample label that generates interest among potential customers; practice taking pH meter readings of acidified food samples; share best practices to ensure that products are produced in a clean, healthful and sanitary manner; and ask questions of other farmers who are already implementing the law to determine evaluate whether adding a producer processed product is a good decision for their farm business.

The cost for the class is $15 per person. Scholarships are available. Registration by November 1 is required.