Oregon hosts national conference on specialty crops, Aug. 18

Oregon is often seen as a leader in the implementation of a federal block grant program designed for specialty crops. So it stands to reason that Oregon will host the inaugural meeting of state coordinators of the program from across the country next week in Portland. “We are often looked to by other states for advice on how we carry out the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program in Oregon, but I would say we are in a position to look for improvement just as much as other states,” says Shannon Brubaker, who manages the state’s program for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “This conference is an opportunity for the coordinators to learn from each other. At the same time, Oregon will be able to showcase it’s specialty crops and some of the successful projects the federal grants have funded.” Initially hoping for 25 states to participate, the hosts of next week’s National Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Coordinators Conference are bringing in 68 representatives from 44 states and three US territories. In addition, the US Department of Agriculture’s Ag Marketing Service (AMS) and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) as well as the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) will be represented at the three day event. The conference is being held at the Oregon Convention Center, where it will lead into the Farwest Show– a major nursery industry trade show. For more information on Oregon’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, go to: http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/MarketAccess/SpecialtyCrop/Pages/SpecialtyCrop.aspx