50 Central Avenue, Suite A

Coos Bay, OR 97420

541 266-9753
FAX 541 267-2753

November 20, 2014

NEWS RELEASE

www.scdcinc.org

Southwest Oregon Region Awarded $375,000 WealthWorks Northwest Grant to Develop a Local Food System
Focusing on Coos, Curry and Douglas Countys Meat, Fish and Poultry Production
Oregons southwest tri-county region, consisting of Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties, has been selected to
receive a $375,000 award from Rural Development Initiatives (RDI) to increase the economic viability of small to
mid-sized meat, fish, and poultry producers and their impact on the region. NeighborWorks Umpqua (NWU), is
serving as the coordinating agency for the tri-county area, and has been collaborating with partner agencies
during the development of the project. Our regional team includes the South Coast Development Council, OSU
Extension offices, the Curry Watersheds Partnership, Port Orford Ocean Research Team, Douglas County
Partnership for Economic Development, Small Business Development Centers, the Cow Creek Band of the
Umpqua Indians, Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, and other local agencies. Representatives from these agencies have
been working with meat, fish, and poultry producers and buyers to best determine what regional assets and
capital investments are needed to increase the economic vitality of mid-sized producers. Over the next two-year
period, these agencies and food producers will analyze market demand, detect gaps in the logistics of getting
products from farm or fishery to the consumer, and identify storage and distribution needs.
Meat, fish, and poultry producers that produce greater volumes than can be sold through direct sales, such as
farmers markets, but do not produce enough volume to consistently meet demand of larger chain stores or
commodity markets, is an example of agriculture in the middle. The decision to focus on this segment of meat,
fish, and poultry producers came from data on agriculture in the tri-county area. Research shows that there are
about 2,000 meat, fish, and poultry producers, compared to less than 600 vegetable and fruit producers within
the tri-county area. There is also increased demand within specialty meat, fish, and poultry markets.
The regional food system funding resulted from a competitive process in which 18 rural regions across Oregon
proposed business concepts based on existing untapped opportunities within their region. Proposals were
subject to meeting the WealthWorks economic and community development model as adopted and promoted
by RDI. Support for the project is made possible by funding from Rural Development Initiatives WealthWorks
Northwest (WWNW), The Ford Family Foundation, The Northwest Area Foundation, and the Meyer Memorial
Trust.
WealthWorks is an economic development approach that strategically targets value chain investment
opportunities that build a regions human capacity, promotes market-driven business development, and
reinvests wealth at a local level. It connects rural assets to market demands in ways that build multiple forms of
wealth. A value chain is the series of steps any product goes through to get from a raw resource to a finished
product for the consumer, and the local food system value chain that the Southwest tri-county area is
developing is focused on local protein foods.
Agency representatives from across the Southwest Oregon tri-county region came together in mid-summer to
conceptualize a project based on the regions incredible abundance of food produced in an area with an
exceptionally rich agricultural history. Over the last five months, multiple agencies, many already working with
farmers and fisheries within their county, united to take this grassroots concept from idea to reality.

Sponsor Investors:
Bay Area Hospital Jordan Cove Energy Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Pacific Power Corp. Southwest Oregon Regional Airport

Using the WealthWorks approach of economic development, Coos, Curry, and Douglas County partner agencies
intend to increase economic prosperity among ranchers and fishermen to restore the region back to its
agricultural roots, helping to increase the livelihood and well-being of food producers as well as the
communities that depend on those food products.
This process will be for two years of continued work building the local protein foods value chain in Southwest
Oregon. This work includes a more in-depth understanding of local, regional, and export demand for local
protein products. It will require the participation of ranchers and the fishing community in order to mobilize an
efficient and effective marketing strategy and distribution system. The process will also require that various
sources of demand for the products are clearly understood in order that distributors, cold storage, and valueadded opportunities are not overlooked.
The primary goals of this project include:

Help ranchers and fishermen make the transition to larger production, or to combine production in
order to satisfy larger demand centers for their product.
Identifying larger markets for local protein food products.
Identify assets most needed among the regional ranching and fishing community in order to get their
products to market. This may include a processing plant or a cold storage warehouse. It will include the
identification of existing distribution companies or developing new transportation and distribution
systems.
Identify support service opportunities, including distribution, warehousing, and marketing
opportunities.
Encourage emerging farmers and fishermen seeking to establish themselves as growth businesses
within Southwest Oregon communities.

From the initial research of this project, the tri-county region has discovered evidence that local protein
products are increasing in demand and market viability, both locally and outside our immediate area. Over the
next two years, these agencies will work with meat, fish, and poultry producers to identify how to organize in
order to best take advantage of increased market opportunities and to assist with needed investments to
increase vitality within this economic sector. The Southwest Oregon Protein Food System aims to enhance
marketability of local meat, fish, seafood, and poultry, and in the process, increase sustainable career paths,
greater self-reliance, and economic diversification for the region. The culmination of this project will also
establish reliable access to fresh, healthy, and nutritious food for our rural communities.

SCDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting economic development in Coos County and
Southwestern Oregon. For additional information, please contact our office at:
50 Central Avenue, Suite A, Coos Bay, OR 97420 541-266-9753 info@scdcinc.org

Sponsor Investors:
Bay Area Hospital Jordan Cove Energy Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Pacific Power Corp. Southwest Oregon Regional Airport