Oregon is known for its diversity in agriculture from cranberries to fish hatcheries. Each part of our state is known for a different emphasis in agriculture, and each year the Executive Council visits a distinct area of Oregon as part of the Spring Ag Industry Tour. This year, our group focused on the Oregon Coast and Portland area.

The tour started with the Oregon Farm Bureau in Salem where they talked about current issues facing Oregon Ag Producers including the new food regulations making their way through Washington. The tour also included a stop at the OSU Food Innovation Center in Portland to learn about how local foods get tested and marketed with a value added emphasis. Other stops included Tilla-Bay Farms in Tillamook, where the farmer uses a robotic milking system for his dairy, and the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center where participants got to see some the latest research being applied to help protect our fisheries. Overall, the tour exposed our members to new areas of our industry and related fields and helped broaden their perspective of what Agriculture looks like in our great state.