Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is announcing an additional $2.15 million in awards for seven infrastructure projects made possible through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). RFSI aims to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems. The middle of the supply chain refers to the processing, aggregation, storage, wholesaling, or distribution of food products.

"Agriculture is a cornerstone of our state's economy," Governor Kotek said. "These grants will help farm and food businesses in Oregon develop and diversify local and regional market options, creating more economic opportunities for our communities across the state. We take pride in everything we grow and produce in our great state."

ODA is the administrator of the federal funds and has selected 24 projects recommended by an advisory committee, representing a total investment of $4M that will directly support middle-of-the-supply-chain infrastructure.

Funded Projects include:

• Bohemia Food Hub in Cottage Grove is a co-working commercial kitchen, food truck pod, retail space, and storage facility serving Lane and Douglas Counties. This project involves constructing a new two-story building to store all refrigerated and frozen produce. One-third of the new building will include a climate-controlled dry storage area, expanding economic opportunities for producers and food businesses in Lane and Douglas Counties.

• Fry Family Farm in Medford is a women-owned, small family farm that provides over 40 different varieties of organic vegetables, grains, and fruits. This project will create the first designated organic milling facility in Southern Oregon by expanding and refurbishing existing silos and milling room as well as purchasing milling equipment.

• Manitou in Warm Springs is a small vegetable farm that distributes regional and culturally relevant foods to tribal members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Funding will be used to construct a 30' x 40' metal warehouse, a walk-in cooler, and a delivery and supply truck to support local producers and distribution networks.

• Mora Mora Farm in Springdale is a small vegetable farm with processing capabilities and a storage facility. The project entails the construction of a modular washing and packaging area, increased crop storage with two modified 40' shipping containers, and converting an existing shipping container into an on-site commercial kitchen space.

• Mt. Hope Farms in Molalla is a small, diverse family farm that will build a regional food processing facility to expand capacity and strengthen the middle of the supply chain.

• The Food Science Pilot Plant (FSPP) at Oregon State University in Corvallis is a co-manufacturing facility that supports small to medium-sized food, beverage, and agricultural companies throughout Oregon, aiming to decrease costs and control risks during their scale-up process. This funding will bring the facility up to current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards. Renovations will include repairs and modifications to the current facility, the purchase of a canning line and washing station, the construction of food ingredient storage, and the acquisition of new packaging materials.

• Sitting Bull Farms in Elgin will build a food hub and shared kitchen to provide a space for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, wholesaling, and distribution of regionally produced food products in Northeast Oregon.

"Thank you to the applicants who made this process so competitive," said ODA Director Lisa Charpilloz Hanson. "The successful projects are creative, focusing on increasing the supply of locally sourced food products available in Oregon markets."

This awarded funding is part of the $420 million available through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program to build capacity within the middle of the supply chain and support local and regional producers funded by the American Rescue Plan of 2021. Through this program, AMS has entered into cooperative agreements with state agencies, commissions, or departments responsible for agriculture, commercial food processing, seafood, or food system and distribution activities or commerce activities in states or U.S. territories.

For more about RFSI activities in Oregon or to view the complete list of projects, visit ODA's Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure webpage.