Despite economic challenges, Oregon’s south coast regional agriculture is bursting forth with potential. A boost in such important areas as infrastructure and marketing can lift a number of producers ranging from cranberry growers to fishermen. A visit this month to the south coast by a team headed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture highlighted the possibilities.
“It isn’t a case that the south coast can’t produce it or can’t be successful,” says ODA Trade Manager Theresa Yoshioka. “There are a lot of people with great ideas and great products. The region can use some business development assistance and that is something we hope to provide.”
The visiting team hooked up with the South Coast Development Council (SCDC) the first week of November to hold a town hall-style meeting in Bandon that attracted dozens of farmers and fishermen. Among the presentations, ODA’s Farm to School Program Manager Amy Gilroy talked about how producers can sell products into schools and other institutions. Jason Ball, an Oregon State University research chef from the Food Innovation Center in Portland, provided examples of value-added food products in hopes of demonstrating what local growers can do with raw products.
Field trips allowed the team to get a first hand look at the producers, their products, and their challenges, which helped identify opportunities for local, regional, domestic, and international marketing.
“We saw an expanding fisheries sector that is capable of greater capacity,” says Shannon Brubaker, ODA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Manager, who also participated in the south coast visit. “There are still equipment and manufacturing needs, but we can help market many value-added products, especially overseas. Other countries are very interested in high quality seafood products.”
Marketing of blueberries and dairy products on Oregon’s south coast also has the potential to attain greater success. But the one calling card of the region– always in the spotlight this time of year– is the cranberry industry. Oregon has about 2,900 acres of cranberries in production, nearly all of it located in Coos and Curry counties. Oregon ranks fourth of all states in cranberry production with a value of nearly $11 million. With top ranked Wisconsin reporting a below average crop this fall, growers in Oregon and Washington may benefit as the world surplus of cranberries will be less than expected.
“One of the biggest challenges is that for the past several years, cranberry growers have been receiving less per pound then it costs to farm them,” says SCDC Executive Director Connie Stopher. “Many people are using income from a second job to keep their farms alive. Helping cranberry growers reach a competitive price for their berries, helping them access funding for new equipment, helping them reach new untapped markets, and helping them create a brand for the Oregon Cranberry that rises above the rest and shows that it’s a superior berry, all of these would be huge for them.”
A group of south coast growers has formed a cooperative that is selling berries locally into the fresh market and getting a better price. Oregonians should be able to find Oregon grown fresh and frozen cranberries at many of their local retail markets. Supporting Oregon cranberries supports Oregon’s south coast.
The ODA team got a refreshing taste of value-added cranberry products that included a chutney and a cranberry-walnut encrusted cheddar cheese from Face Rock Creamery in Bandon. ODA’s Yoshioka says that offering creative, high-end cranberry products can help keep the industry moving forward.
“I think that’s what the market is looking for right now– innovative food products with high quality ingredients. Our south coast growers can produce that. We just have to help connect them with the resources and the buyers, in some cases. Oregon cranberries are a little bit different than those grown in other parts of the US. Ours are richer with more natural sugars when they are ripe. We want to help our growers sell both locally and to other parts of the world. There is an export demand for cranberries in general. Oregon has them.”
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funds have helped introduce south coast cranberries to the Chinese market over the past five years.
It was a “Doing Business in Oregon” seminar in Japan earlier this year that brought together ODA’s Yoshioka and SCDC’s Stopher. The two talked about the business needs of the south coast and agreed to work together on making producers aware of opportunities.
“ODA’s visit was fantastic,” says Stopher. “We have been working with individual producers for a long time trying to assess their needs and connect them to resources. This one visit accomplished so much more in three days than what we could have done on our own in three months.”
Stopher says the town hall was a big success and that attendees appreciated the team finding out how producers can be helped. Businesses spent one-on-one time with ODA during the meeting and the tour stops, which will help get the ball rolling. Specifically, ODA can help guide producers through the various resources and tools that exist as well as introduce them to potential customers or distributors inside and outside the US.
ODA knowledge of markets and how to access them can help producers. ODA can also help businesses find the right funding sources and assist with business planning.
The South Coast Development Council sees agriculture as a main focus for economic development along the south coast– now and in the future.
“Agriculture, in one form or another, has been the backbone of the south coast for generations,” says Stopher. “I believe we have an opportunity to help producers and food entrepreneurs flourish on the south coast. The key will be to connect them to resources, which is what the recent ODA visit helped accomplish.”
Accessing new markets, connecting with supply chains, marketing the unique quality of food that comes from the region– these are some of the ways the south coast can reach its potential. The partnership between ODA and the local development council is a step in that direction.
For more information, contact Shannon Brubaker or Theresa Yoshioka at (503) 872-6600.
Listen to an audio recap of this story
Cranberries are the headliner but all of Oregon’s south coast agriculture is bursting forth with potential despite challenges with infrastructure and marketing. State and local agencies are helping the region’s farmers and fishermen cash in on the opportunities:
