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Locally Grown: A Video Profile of

Rogue Valley Food Producers

Megan Davey

Dr. Mark Shibley

Sociology & Anthropology Capstone Paper, Spring 2017

Southern Oregon University

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Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3

Project Goals/Research Questions.................................................................................................... 4

Literature Review ............................................................................................................................ 5

WHAT IS LOCAL.......................................................................................................................... 5

EMPHASIS AND VALUE ............................................................................................................... 5

COMMUNITY AND SECURITY/SOVEREIGNTY ............................................................................... 6

SUSTAINABILITY .......................................................................................................................... 8

Project Design ................................................................................................................................ 8

Project Results ................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

NARRATIVES.10
COMMON THEMES.11
Discussion .................................................................................................................................... 21

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 22

Appendix A: Project Timeline ......................................................................................................... 24

TIMELINE .................................................................................................................................. 24

Appendix B: Sample Interview Schedule ......................................................................................... 25

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE .............................................................................................................. 25

References .................................................................................................................................... 27
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Introduction

Call it what you will - locavore, slow food, la via campesina, 100-mile diet, etc. - the local food

movement is becoming increasingly popular, both within the United States and around the world. For

some, eating local food is a way of life, expected and passed down through generations. For others,

choosing to buy and eat local food is a political statement, altering from the quick and cheap option

big box stores provide. More so, after an institutionalized endorsement of large agribusinesses for

several decades, many are reconsidering their food habits, and are returning to a localized system.

The Rogue Valley of southern Oregon has been a producer of agricultural products for many

years, beginning with Native American groups like the Takelma and Shasta. Since then, a myriad of

growers and producers of a variety of products have established themselves, ranging from produce

to animal husbandry, seed growing to wineries. The Rogue Valley Food System Network (RVFSN)

began in 2013, after a year-long assessment of these many operations, seeking to identify resources

and needs present within 5 sectors of the food system: production, processing, distribution,

consumption, and waste. The RVFSN works in both Jackson and Josephine counties, with the mission

to develop and advocate for a healthy and sustainable food system (About, 2016). A council of

individuals, organizations, and businesses constitute the RVFSN, as well as a single staff member. That,

along with the short time the RVFSN has existed, has yet to allow for a comprehensive look into some
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of the actual producers that make the food system in the southern Oregon area as vibrant, important,

and innovative as it is. That is the purpose of this project, to provide a brief profile of the food

producers in the Rogue Valley.

Project Goals/Research Questions

There are several driving questions behind this research. First, what does local mean to

farmers in the Rogue Valley? How do farmers incorporate that definition into their practices? Next,

do farmers feel part of a community, either with other farmers or with their consumers? Finally, are

local food operations contributing to more sustainable practices? Do local farms allow for a

sustainable social setting in communities that have the ability to utilize local food?

The goal of this research is to produce video ethnographies for the RVFSN that tell the story

of local food producers in the Rogue Valley. The videos can be used on their website, incorporated

into their interactive food system map, and contribute to the overall data of local food movements. In

addition, these videos can be used as marketing tools for the participating producers, increasing the

available body of material on local food producers. The prominence of local food producers in the

Rogue Valley, and their corresponding attitudes toward local food, demonstrated with these

narratives, will provide background and benchmarks for researchers and other food producers trying
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to establish a food system in their respective location. In this digital age, video is an effective way to

communicate findings across a multitude of platforms, and has thus been chosen as a large

component in this project.

Literature Review

WHAT IS LOCAL

What does local mean to farmers, and where did the movement begin? Initially an

alternative method to environmental sustainability (Aucoin & Fry, 2015), the local food movement rose

in the same way slow food rose in Europe, resisting the shift towards global food products

(Newman, 2008). Some organizations put a mile-limit (or other distance measure) on what they

consider local, while some utilize a regional perspective. Others consider societal frameworks, such as

connections to other local food entities, or a dynamic combination of a distance and structural

characteristics, such as size and type of operation (Trivette, 2015). For this project, the definition of

local will vary by the individuals interviewed.

EMPHASIS AND VALUE

Just as the definitions of local vary widely, so does the value, both economic and cultural, of

local food. Since 2009, the number of farmers markets listed in the USDA Agricultural Marketing
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Service (AMS) directory has increased by 74 percent, with an annual increase of 3.6 percent from 2012

to 2013 (King, Dixit-Joshi, MacAllum, Steketee, & Leard, 2014). The importance of place at farmers

market suggests that place is an integral component of the local food movement as a whole (Aucoin

& Fry, 2015). In 2012, the Oregon legislature fostered the direct-farm marketing sector, while

preserving food safety, indicating values on a state-government level (Brekken, 2012). The shift of the

American public market from something of an institution to a social/community place speaks to the

social value of public marketplaces, like a farmers market (Kurland & Aleci, 2015). In the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina, the Hollygrove neighborhood in Louisiana, for example, has been the home of

Hollygrove Market and Farm, an operating farm that provides Community Supported Agriculture

(CSA) shares, a farmers market, and an overall increase in produce available to its residents, adding

value to a neighborhood that has seen slow repopulation rates (Kato & Mckinney, 2015).

Accompanying a prioritized emphasis on farmers markets and local foods is the potential to build

community and strengthen social ties.

COMMUNITY AND SECURITY/SOVEREIGNTY

The idea of local food has grown to not only consider the production and consumption of

food, but also the connection between food and people. Building a community is one of the driving
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forces behind the swell in popularity of the local food movement and farmers markets themselves.

The connection between local food and primary schools is a common avenue to build relationships.

In Washington D.C., a mobile farmers market was part of a nutrition-education intervention program

at low-income middle schools (Ellsworth, Ernst, & Snelling, 2015). In the Rogue Valley of Oregon, the

non-profit Rogue Valley Farm to School educates children about [the] food system through hands-

on farm and garden programs, and by increasing local foods in school meals (Mission, 2015).

American markets themselves have been historically viewed as community spaces, places that people

meet and community is fostered, some even requiring local foods (Kurland & Aleci, 2015).

Not only do these build community and social capital among people, but local food and food

banks continually contribute to food security within a community (Vitiello, Grisso, Whiteside, &

Fischman, 2015). Over the past several decades, government and large agribusinesses in the world

have invested largely in monocrops, which has led to a number of environmental issues, like soil

depletion, water loss, and mass droughts. With the combination of these issues, many areas have

become food insecure, and therefore dependent on outside stakeholders. Conversely, the rise of

growing a variety of food, locally and in small communities, strengthens the food security of an area.

This ability to be food secure is a crucial step to increasing the overall sustainability and wellbeing of a

community.
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SUSTAINABILITY

Productions offsets, community building, and establishing sovereignty/food security all

contribute to the sustainability of a food system. Sustainability is generally discussed in three

interconnected areas: environmental, economic, and equity (social justice). Diversity of crops, food

sovereignty, and food security are all vital for communities to be sustainable. Many characteristics of

local farms utilize environmentally sustainable practices in some way, one of these being pesticide

use. When communities are able to become sovereign of the food they produce and consume, they

increase the quality and safety of food, and dont have to worry about agrochemical residues

because the vegetables are home-grown (Anonymous, 2016). Besides these positive sustainable

characteristics, local food has also been attributed with being safer than industrial food systems, using

much less fossil fuels in transportation, and aiding in economic development of regions (Newman,

2008). This question of sustainable practices in local food operations is one I intend to explore in this

research project.

Project Design

The partner organization for this research is the Rogue Valley Food System Network, with a

focus on the production sector of the local food system. Through collaboration with Dr. Vincent
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Smith, a professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at Southern Oregon University, Regan

Emmons, a staff member of the RVFSN, and Maud Powell, OSU Extension Small Farms Program Staff,

three producers were selected, each representing a different category in the agricultural production

field, and are shown on the map in Figure 1. The three producers were: Ridgeline Meadows Farm,

specializing in seed saving, Barking Moon Farm, primarily a produce farm, and Willow-Witt Ranch,

producing a variety of animal products. I contacted each of these producers to schedule site visits, a

series of video interviews were conducted.

This project took a qualitative, ethnographic approach, in order to foster trust and openness.

Each producer was visited two times over the course of two months, with the intention of building a

relationship. Given that video is a large component of this project, these site visits and coordinating

interviews were filmed, using a semi-structured interview format. These interviews provide a unique

way to look into the lives of food producers, that many people may not have the chance to see

themselves. Interview schedules were prepared and distributed to the farmers ahead of time. Upon

completion of interviews and site visits, I processed and edited the footage into the final products:

three shorter videos, each featuring a different producer (approximately 2-3 minutes each), and one

longer video, connecting the three producers in a cohesive way (approximately 10 minutes long). This

research culminated with a combined oral/visual presentation of the research, given at the Southern
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Oregon Arts and Research (SOAR) conference in May 2017, a final written report, and the

aforementioned videos. The use of videography in this research project will be beneficial as a tool to

disseminate this data of local food producers to a larger body of work.

Figure 1. Map of participating food producers.

Two other written components will go along with the video results of this project. The first will

be a written narrative of each farm, about a page in length, incorporating pictures and stories that are

told during site visits. The second will be a section where common themes, interpreted by the

researcher, will be extracted and discussed. These common themes will be based on conversations

had between the researcher and the producer during site visits.
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Narratives

Ridgeline Meadows Farm

Ridgeline Meadows Farm is located along Thompson Creek, situated in the Applegate Valley

of Southern Oregon. Operated by Andrew Schwarz, Ridgeline Meadows operates primarily on a

contract basis, and has made a name for itself in the quality of the seeds and limited food produced

there. Given that Thompson Creek is a creek that has consistently dried up by the end of each

summer, it is crucial to be mindful and intentional with the water used. With this in mind, Schwarz

utilizes dry farming techniques to run his small operation, of about 4 acres. Dry farming is completed

without the use of irrigation, and is especially suitable for areas prone to wet winters and dry

summers, such as the Applegate Valley. Not only is this a method praised for its conservation of

water, dry farming is said to enrichen the flavors and nutrients of food, considering there is less water

within the food product to dilute the quality, something that Schwarz strives for in his products.

These melons will be some of the best youve ever had, he tells me, as we discuss the plot where

melons are grown at Ridgelines Meadows. Along with melons, Schwarz grows garlic, several leafy

greens, tomatoes, and fruit trees like persimmons and apples, set to begin producing fruit this season.

A flock of chickens are present as well, providing eggs and ambient background noise as we walked

the property. As a member of the Southern Oregon Seed Growers Form Association (SOSGFA) and a
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seller to Siskiyou Seeds, a seed distributor in southern Oregon, Ridgeline Meadows produces a large

amount of organic, non-GMO seeds.

Schwarz arrived in the Applegate Valley in 2013, just before the legalization of marijuana and

consequently the skyrocketing of land prices in the area. This is an issue many small farmers must

struggle and compete with - the expansion of the legal (and illegal) industry that is the growing of

marijuana in southern Oregon.

Figure 2. Images captured while on site at Ridgeline Meadows Farm.

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Barking Moon Farm

Barking Moon Farm, also located along the Thompson Creek in the Applegate Valley, is run

by Josh Cohen and Melissa Mathewson. Barking Moon is a certified organic produce farm, selling to

nearby grocery stores, to nearby restaurants and caterers, at the various Rogue Valley Growers and

Crafters Markets (RVGCM) throughout the week, and through a winter community supported

agriculture (CSA) program. Operating on nearly 10 acres of land, Barking Moon hosts various

employment opportunities throughout the year and season, from helpers at farmers markets, to full

time farm managers, to seasonal field workers. Barking Moon is also a member of Rogue Farm Corps,

an organization that connects farms to interns, individuals who want to further their career in

agriculture.

Cohen and Matthewson began Barking Moon in 2007, after completing an internship at

another farm in the region. Drawn to growing food from early in their college years, they foster a

deep connection to the food they produce and the land they utilize. While discussing this connection

to the consumer, Matthewson comments that sometimes we get disconnected from the consumer;

the story part of our farm is important, and often we forget the story of what its like to produce food,

and the challenges, so that people remember. Even the origin story of Barking Moon as the name
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of their business connects to many people in a certain way, communicating the connection that was

present with Cohen and Matthewsons first dog, Luna (leading to the reference of moon). Barking

Moon is deeply committed to the building of community among employees, among other food

producers in the surrounding area, and among the people who choose to buy and consume their

food. While discussing the idea of local and what that means to Barking Moon Farm specifically,

Matthewson offered up ideas of bioregionalism - people growing food for the people around them,

consumers eating and supporting these farmers, all utilizing land for its most sustainable purpose,

whether that is agriculture of urban centers. While Barking Moon Farm incorporates practices that

work toward this, one of the more notable is their market share program. Similar in ways to CSA

programs, the market share is paid for in advance, but rather than prepare and potentially include

things that arent to the consumers taste, the market share holder is able to pick and choose what

they want, up to the amount set ahead of time among the various share levels. This innovative idea

allows for consumers to have some autonomy and choice over the food they eat.
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Figure 3. Images of leafy greens at Barking Moon Farm.

Willow-Witt Ranch

Beginning in 1985, Willow-Witt Ranch, owned and operated by Suzanne Willow and Lanita

Witt, is a certified organic ranch in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, in the high country of
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southern Oregon. Operating on 445 acres, Willow-Witt offers Berkshire pigs, alpine goats, chickens,

and seasonal vegetables, all of which are sold at their farm store on-site, at the RVGCM in Ashland,

and for delivery through their online ordering system. Willow-Witt is more than just a food producing

operation, however. Willow-Witt have worked (and continue to work) towards restoring the forest and

wetlands that are in their property, and have created unique partnerships with various graduate

programs and governmental organizations in the restoration and conservation work they do,

oftentimes utilizing their backpacking goats. Another large component of Willow-Witts business is

their tourism component. Through several sites, the farm stay program at Willow-Witt allows families,

groups, and individuals to experience life on a farm, surrounded by recovering forest and wetland.

After being in the area and a part of the community for over 30 years, Willow-Witt has made

a name for itself. At nearly any event in the Rogue Valley on topics of agriculture, community

development, access to public lands, or a variety of environmental issues, one will likely find one (or

both) of the partners that make up Willow-Witt Ranch. As Lanita conveyed to me in one of our

interviews, Willow-Witt is a place for people to experience a connection to the land they are on and

why its so important to protect. Sometimes that is by a family from New York of Los Angeles

participating in a summer farm stay, where there are able to see the clear, starry sky of southern

Oregon, harvesting their own food the next morning. Sometimes it is students from local elementary
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schools visiting the ranch, perhaps seeing ranch animals for the first time. Other times still it is an

individual consumer choosing to purchase Willow-Witts product at the RVGCM. As a result of this

work, Willow-Witt has made a lasting impression on the community, even as they are currently

beginning to establish their own non-profit, focused on this educational aspect.

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Figure 3. Images from Willow-Witt Ranch, featuring owners Suzanne Willow (left) and Lanita Witt (right).
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Common Themes

Upon completion of this project, several common themes have emerged. The first regarded

the difficult and dynamic idea of defining local. Each producer I spoke with gave different responses.

While all were concerned and mindful about the distance they work within and their food is

distributed to, all were variations of a community-specific and community-defined parameter,

meaning the community itself should have the autonomy to make that decision. In the Rogue Valley

of southern Oregon, there are a wide variety of food products available, but for producers like

Willow-Witt Ranch, outside resources are necessary to process the meat they produce, or to supply

hay for their animals. But even these resources can be found within a couple hundred miles, in nearby

Roseburg, Oregon, or in Klamath Falls, Oregon. This regional scale appeared to be the underlying

message of what local means.

The topic of community reappeared throughout this research process a number of times.

While perhaps more tangible with producers such as Barking Moon Farm and Willow-Witt Ranch, who

have a presence in the community and directly interact with their consumers, community was still an

applicable theme for Ridgeline Meadows, but in a slightly modified way, in the community that is

fostered among the contributing seed cooperative members. Not only do these instances strengthen
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ties within the surrounding community, they also contribute to larger ideas of food security and food

sovereignty, enabling a region of people with the autonomy and the ability to support themselves.

One specific question that was asked of each food producer was a matter of marketing if

they incorporated terms like local into their business plan. Surprisingly, none of the participants I

spoke to utilized methods like such. While not so much an issue for a small operation like Ridgeline

Meadows (mostly working through contracts), both Barking Moon and Willow-Witt instead began

their businesses by focusing on the quality of the food they produce, allowing the food to speak for

itself. For both of these operations, this meant becoming, and staying, certified organic, although

that is certainly not the only method to produce quality food.

Lastly, an underlying theme to all the interviews conducted was an idea of sustainability in

the sense that these farms and ranches are long-term ideas, and therefore must be able to support

themselves into the future. To accomplish this, practices of sustainable agriculture were incorporated

in some shape or form at every location. Ridgeline Meadows, operating through a dry farming

approach, allows for the plant to grow deeper, rather than wide and short, roots, leaving more water

in the various layers of soil, and creating a more nutrient-dense food. Barking Moon seeks to

reestablish the connection between consumer and producer, reminding (or perhaps teaching) where

and how food is grown, maintain a sense of place and community. Willow-Witt is continually working
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to restore the land around them, managing the forest and wetlands in the property so as to increase

overall health of the land, while also utilizing methods like small solar arrays to offset their energy use.

Discussion

As with any research, there were (and are) some limitations with this project. The first that

should be noted is that the selection of these producers was not representative of all producers in the

Rogue Valley Food System. Due to a combination of time constraints related to being an

undergraduate student at Southern Oregon University and the large variety of producers in the area,

it was impossible to get a truly representative sample. Instead, this project sought to work with

producers that would be beneficial to the RVFSN in one way or another. One other limitation is that

the infrastructure is not yet present in several regions of the United States, as well as other countries

around the world, to support a population solely on local food. This leads into a further discussion on

a variety of topics like land use and urban planning, and population studies. While local food

economies thrive where they are located or in environments suited for them, at this time the wide-

scale viability of them is still in question.

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Conclusion

This research sought to convey the stories of food producers in the Rogue Valley, with the

knowledge of the local food movement as a foundation. Throughout the conversations I had with the

participating farmers, several unique practices have arisen. Willow-Witt Ranch has been in existence

since 1985, and its presence in the community, both locally and on the internet, is fairly well known.

Not only do they have their animal product operation, but Willow-Witt Ranch hosts a number of

events throughout the year, and hosts a farm-stay program, where visitors can come and lodge on

the property. Conversely, Ridgeline Meadows Farm is a young and small operation with extremely

limited information available online, mainly contributing to a seed cooperative in the area. In the

middle of these two farms lies Barking Moon Farm, operating since 2007 and utilizing a well-

developed website to provide information. They offer a winter CSA, providing vegetables throughout

the winter, and their Market Share Program, where consumers can pre-pay for credit at Barking

Moons Farmers Market stand, giving customers more options and variety in the food they eat.

The sustainability of local farms also became a key takeaway from this research. Local farms

and food producers can create jobs in our immediate surroundings, conserve water and regenerate

soil health, and lower carbon emissions from less transportation and shipping. They can also enrich

the lives of the people that make up a community, increasing the health and nutrition, developing a
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connection and sense of place, provide healthy food in schools for the children that will one day

support that community, and much more. The potential for local food infrastructure is vast, and

should continue to be supported.

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Appendix A: Project Timeline

TIMELINE

Draft of Research Proposal Due...December

Submit IRB...December 7th
Select producers..December-February
Schedule Interviews.....January-February
Report outline complete.....January
1st Draft of Capstone Report Due...March 2nd
First site visit ......Week of March 6th
Topics to include basic characteristics of operation, getting familiar with each other
Second site visit..............Week of April 3rd
Delves into topics of local and involvement in food system
Oral Presentation Due.....March 16th
All video & interviews complete...April
2nd Draft of Capstone Report Due....March 16th
Begin editing raw footage......March 22nd
Video editing complete...Mid to late April
Research Project & Presentation complete.Early May
SOAR Presentation...May
Final draft of report complete.....May
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Appendix B: Sample Interview Schedule

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

Site Visit #1: Get oriented with producers and their land, film B-roll, basic questions (This visit to
include initial meeting, including Regan and myself, and Rebekah when available).
How long have you been in Ashland?
o If not originally from Ashland, what brought you here/how long have you been here?
How did you get started in the food industry?
o What led you to respective type of food?
Tell me about your operation
o year-round/seasonal?
o Land size? Production yields?
o Anything extra on site?
o What kinds (if any) of environmental stewardship practices do you incorporate?
o What are some strengths or your operation? Challenges?
Discuss relationship with RVFSN
What do you like most about living here and working the land?
o Follow up: What is the most challenging?

Site Visit #2: Diving deeper into local food (Partial re-cap of first site visit)
Discuss systemic structure of Rogue Valley Food System (5 components - production,
processing, distribution, consumption, waste disposal)
o Whats your involvement in the Rogue Valley food system?
Where do you sell? Farmers market? CSAs?
How do you define local?
What do you think of local food/growing local food movement?
o Most important aspect of growing/buying/eating local?
How do you view local food in the valley?
o Room for improvement?
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o Changes youve seen in the food system?

How do you market? Incorporate local at all?
What is most important to you about the type and quality of the food you produce and sell?
Do you feel part of a local farming community?
What does local food mean to you?
What is the scope of that definition? Limited to production? Or encompassing distribution,
consumption, etc?
[Revisit] What is your involvement with RVFSN? For how long?
In an ideal world, what would local farms look like?
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References

About. (2016). Retrieved November 16, 2016, from http://rvfoodsystem.org/who-we-are/

Anonymous. (2016). From monotony to diversity. Appropriate Technology, 43(3), 4041.

Aucoin, M., & Fry, M. (2015). Growing Local Food Movements: Farmers Markets as Nodes for Products and

Community. The Geographical Bulletin, 56(2), 6178.

Brekken, C. A. (2012). Can we have our (safe and local) cake and eat it too? Oregon re-crafts food safety

regulations for farm direct marketed foods. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community

Development, 3(2), 95108.

Ellsworth, D., Ernst, J., & Snelling, A. (2015). A mobile farmers market brings nutrition education to low-

income students. Health Education, 115(2), 171177.

Kato, Y., & Mckinney, L. (2015). Bringing food desert residents to an alternative food market: a semi-

experimental study of impediments to food access. Agriculture and Human Values, 32(2), 215227.

King, M., Dixit-Joshi, S., MacAllum, K., Steketee, M., & Leard, S. (2014). Farmers Market Incentive Provider

Study. Prepared by Westat, Inc. For the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

Kurland, N. B., & Aleci, L. S. (2015). From civic institution to community place: the meaning of the public

market in modern America. Agriculture and Human Values, 32(3), 505521.

Mission. (2015). Retrieved November 16, 2016, from http://www.rvfarm2school.org/mission/

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Newman, L. (2008). Extreme Local Food: Two Case Studies in Assisted Urban Small Plot Intensive

Agriculture. Environments, 36(1), 3343.

Sackett, H., Shupp, R., & Tonsor, G. (2016). Differentiating Sustainable from Organic and Local Food

Choices: Does Information About Certification Criteria Help Consumers? International Journal of Food

and Agricultural Economics, 4(3), 1731.

Trivette, S. A. (2015). How local is local? Determining the boundaries of local food in practice. Agriculture

and Human Values, 32(3), 475490.

Vitiello, D., Grisso, J. A., Whiteside, K. L., & Fischman, R. (2015). From commodity surplus to food justice:

food banks and local agriculture in the United States. Agriculture and Human Values, 32(3), 419430.