ODA Budget Proposal (HB 5002)
The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s budget is before the legislature through HB 5002! It’s time to weigh in and show some love for the programs most important to us as farmers and ranchers in the community food system. FoFF sent in testimony highlighting the most important programs to us and we have some things we want to highlight, but check out the full budget proposal materials here:
- Package 220: State Meat Inspection Program
- This would fund the first 4 inspectors for the state meat inspection program.
- 4 inspectors is a great start, but we should build on this in the future.
- This is especially important because State Inspected facilities are equal to USDA for sales within the state and would open more opportunities for independent livestock producers.
- Package 250: Meat Infrastructure Grant Fund
- In addition to the inspection program, we also need money for new/expanded facilities.
- Small independent producers are regularly reporting 12-18 month wait times, we need more capacity.
- This program administration needs to be funded in conjunction with the $10M requested in HB 2907 for the grant funds.
- Package 420: Farm to School Infrastructure Grants
- Farm to School is a great opportunity for farms to scale up and have a guaranteed institutional client.
- This benefits small farms for the long haul by encouraging them to take on more wholesale accounts and giving them the tools to meet demands.
- This used to be in the Department of Education’s budget, but it is better for an agriculturally minded department to oversee this fund.
- Package 430: Agricultural Opportunity Grants
- Agricultural Opportunity Grants are for historically underserved farmers in Oregon.
- Our state has a discriminatory history when it comes to racially based land ownership laws and BIPOC producers haven’t had the same access to land, capital, and intergenerational knowledge that others in our state have been afforded.
- Package 350: The Soil Health Program
- Soil is the basis for all agricultural activities and we should encourage every farmer in Oregon to grow with its health in mind.
- The soil health specialist position funded in this package is essential to coordinating soil health efforts and helping draw more federal funds for soil health to Oregon.
- This should be funded in conjunction with the Healthy Soils Initiative in HB2998.