Oregon Relies on Farm Direct Sales

The first-ever USDA survey on farm direct sales highlighted their level of importance in Oregon agriculture.

Industry Development Director for the Oregon Department of Agriculture Gary Roth said a number of farmers and ranchers are going directly to the consumer to help with revenue.

“For many of these enterprises, this is probably a very significant part of their business plan and how they move their product. I think for some of the producers and farms, it’s only a portion of their business plan or their marketing model.”

More than 5,000 Oregon farms and ranches sell directly to consumers, retailers or wholesalers.

According to the survey that resulted in $114 million in revenue which Roth said is big for the state.

“Anytime we have more than 5,000 farms in Oregon engaged in any kind of practice, in this case it’s direct marketing, that’s significant for all of Oregon agriculture.”

Oregon ranked 11^th in number of farms that sell direct and 18^th in sales nationally, but Roth expects that to improve quickly in the next few years.