North 44 Farm scaled its poultry production with help from the the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance's On-Farm Efficiency Grant.

Central to the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance’s mission is that everyone deserves good food.

This year, HDFFA awarded $23,677 to 10 Central Oregon farmers and ranchers with its On-Farm Efficiency Grant, in line with its mission of providing agricultural support to Central Oregon farmers and ranchers.

Grant recipients received amounts up to $3,000, made possible by a private donor and a grant from the Department of Agriculture. Recipients were required to match the grant by at least 50%, resulting in over $50,000 invested funds for equipment and permanent structures.

The grant supported producers with the purchase of on-farm equipment, providing efficiencies in time, water usage and crop yield.

“The stories of our grant recipients reveal just how crucial even a little local support can be in the risky, demanding — sometimes grueling — endeavor of growing local food,” said Sharon Maier-Kennelly, executive director of the HDFFA, in a press release.

Central Oregon grant recipients

In Bend, the grant supported Kohrt R&R Acres in its first year of growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, chickens and strawberries.

“They were absolutely the sweetest, best strawberries I’ve had, and the plants were super productive,” Rebeccah Kohrt said in the release.

Fields Farm was experiencing flooding in a compost pile. The grant covered the cost of building an overflow pond, thereby diverting water from the compost and irrigating a lower pasture.

First-generation farmers Courtney Schuur and Ethan O’Brien of North 44 Farm used the grant to raise chickens at its ranch specializing in grass-fed lamb and beef. The couple invested in brood lights and a watering system and scaled their poultry production up from 20 to 30 birds per month to 250 per month, according to the release.

Central Oregon Veterans Ranch, which raises threatened Navajo-Churro sheep while providing a sanctuary for veterans, purchased a trellis berry-growing system to improve soil health and maximize its use of natural resources.

Hollyhock Hollow used the funding to capture and funnel rainwater to irrigate its diversified flower farm.

Redmond’s Zarah Meadows used the money to convert its flood irrigation system to pivot irrigation. The upfront investment resulted in an efficiency gain of 25%, making 92% of the 50-acre farm irrigable, according to the release.

“It all really adds up and is extremely appreciated,” said Sonia Doel of Zarah Meadows. “My husband and I were walking the fields this morning kind of giddy, because we’re so happy to see the results.”

Wild Grown Farm in Redmond improved the efficiency of its pond, located next to Bureau of Land Management public land. Shannon and Taylor Kane deepened and lined the pond, expanding its water-holding capacity and ensuring a reliable water source in case of wildfire.

Lazy Z Ranch, a regenerative bee ranch and farmhouse winery in Sisters, upgraded the concrete floor of its storage room, reducing its energy bill.

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DD Ranch, a family-run cattle ranch, wedding venue and pumpkin patch in Terrebonne, used the financial assistance to convert its flood-irrigated pasture to a more efficient watering system.

Women-owned Canyon Moon Farms in Prineville, which grows vegetables, herbs, flowers and medicinal plants, purchased a washing and packing station for preparing its vegetables for sale with the grant.

“We’ve been more productive than we expected,” said Laura “L.J.” Fern in the release. “We’re even donating about 100 pounds of produce each week to the HDFFA Grow and Give fresh food donation program.”