Oregon Grant Program Increases Farm & Ranch Disaster Resilience

Over the past two years, a nationally unique grant program has supported Oregon’s small and historically underserved producers to be more resilient to climate impacts such as extreme weather, heat, smoke and drought. In 2023 the Oregon Legislature allocated $2.65 million to the Oregon Community Food Systems Network (OCFSN) for the Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program. This Grant Program builds on the successful OCFSN 2022 Farmer and Rancher Disaster Relief Program and was created with guidance from farmers and ranchers, farmer supporting organizations and OSU Extension experts.

In 2024 and 2025, 181 small farms and ranches across Oregon were awarded an average of $13,547 each for projects to improve on-farm disaster resilience. Eligible resilience strategy projects range from improving irrigation infrastructure to soil health management. Project categories included: irrigation and water efficiency; shading and cooling; soil health management; ecosystem management; crop management; equipment purchase, rental or refurbishment; and on-farm planning, monitoring, and research. In addition to making farms and ranches more resilient to climate change, some of these funded practices help to mitigate climate change.

Testimonials from awardees reflect the variety of operations and projects and the important role this funding resource plays in their resilience to disaster impacts in their operations:

“The grant makes it possible for me to keep myself and my livestock safe and happy as we experience uncertainty. I feel seen, wanted and supported as a small farmer in Oregon facing some big challenges. This makes it truly viable for me to carry on.”

Read the rest of the Press Release here.

Read the full Report here.